Excellent Start to '09

Happy New Year...to everyone, customers, family, friends and foe.

We are very busy...at work. Lots of interest in Synchro32, advertising to organise, editorials to
agree to and write.

Brazil is doing well.
Kevin in the office out there is exceptionally busy...we have put a great deal of time and commitment into Brazil, it is proving very rewarding.

We have the Synchro32 system also being utilized in one of the largest colleges in Brazil...they have translated the complete system into Potuguese. This will be used in conjuction will their engineering Cast metal courses. I have just written an editorial on this subject of training and the responsibility we all share.

Please read and comment if you have the time. Copy Below. To be published in the

"Foundry Trade Journal International" February issue...09

Responsibility for Training
Synchro32 provides production control and management information systems specifically designed for the Foundry and Cast Metal Industry. The cast metal industry is unique in many areas of general manufacturing, as production control and their system requirements differ considerably. Synchro32 is designed specifically to meet these unique requirements. The complete system is installed and utilized for training at SENAI - Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industria, a large training college in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

SENAI is developing the integration of the Synchro32 system into their Cast Metal Engineering courses, of which there are numerous. Training is no longer ‘Spread Sheet Managed’ as Excel has many limitations. The student will be trained in parallel with this specifically designed system, run by hundreds of foundries and cast metal manufacturers all over the world. This will provide the student with a broad understanding and the significance of utilizing a fully integrated system.

When qualified students enter into the ‘real world’ of working in a manufacturing environment, they have the advantage of being able to influence management by highlighting the major advantages of using specifically designed systems. Commonly in our experience too many companies still run poorly designed spreadsheets or inadequate and fragmented ad hoc software. If the student is fortunate to work with a company running specifically designed and integrated systems such as Synchro32 the advantages for the manufacturer signify little training is required, as the student will be more than proficient in using the software system.

Training through colleges and universities has generally been conducted without students having access to specific production control systems. In fairness, there are so few industry specific systems available, we at Synchro32 are aware of the responsibly we have to make available to these colleges and training facilities our software and expertise. Training students who are fresh, eager, and familiar with the importance of software systems is not a luxury but a necessity. Training organisations still appear to concentrate on the distinct aspect of engineering, leaving the magnitude and use of an integrated system as the sole responsibility of the individual company.

Colleges need to upgrade their courses to include the use of complete integrated specific systems; the training of engineers is an essential for the future of any industry. SENAI in Brazil has recognised this and is going to great effort to incorporate Synchro32 into the syllabus. The long term benefit will be to the Brazilian metal cast industry as a whole. Hundreds of qualified and skilled people will be working in competition with those companies who would not recognise the importance of such systems.

Individually, we must all take responsibility for education and the benefits of progress and innovation within our industry. Talk to local colleges, request change. Doing nothing is not an option. Competition is hot on your heels. In the next ten years ‘survival of the fittest’ will be a mantra recited by those that did!

Interestingly we undertook a survey of all our customers...

Question: How many companies do you talk to about the advantages of an integrated specific system?Response: The common response was “Very few”
Question: Any particular reason why?Response: The system provides such an unquantifiable benefit; we don’t want our competition to use it!

If any colleges or training facilities are interested in Synchro32 as part of educational training...please do not hesitate to talk to us. An educational license is available at no cost and we can assist in providing additional training documentation to assist with course design.

Written by Barbara Nolan - Collins