From Shop Floor to Software

Roadside assistance gone awry

Leslie_Gordon — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:55:00 GMT

See a funny VIDEO on "failed roadside assistance"

Danger or opportunity?

Leslie_Gordon — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:13:00 GMT

One company we interviewed today at the CMEF show here in Schenzen, China was the Perlong Group, which manufactures analog and digital X-ray imaging equipment. Most of the company's sales are in China and it does not yet have CE and FDA approvals to target the European and U.S. markets. According to the company, it started exhibiting at the event in 1996. Interestingly, before 2000, there were no international visitors -- now there are so many, the company needs three translators just to keep up. Although the company has not yet penetrated the U.S. market, it has been exhibiting in American shows such as AACC for a few years.

The energy in the air at this show is fantastic. In fact, this enerby is everywhere in the business sections of the city. One individual called China "the global stage" and that statement certainly seems true. It was announced on TV today that China is now the biggest consumer of automobiles in the world. The people's attitude toward the world recession can be summed in the concept of "Wei Ji," two Chinese characters that together symbolize Danger/Opportunity. In other words, whenever you are in a risky situation (recession), you are being presented an opportunity.

Interestingly, our guides Jan and Shell are young Chinese women who are quite independent in that they have good careers at Reed Sinophram, the show organizer, as translators and facilitators. Yet they belong to the Communist Party. They tell me that the Chinese vision is to temporarily implement capitalism to put into place the infrastructure and access to health care needed for the company to progress to a developed nation. Once that happens, they say, the country intends to revert to a kind of new form of communism in which everyone is taken care of and everyone is happy. What a beautiful ideal! Shangri La. This will not happen in their lifetimes, but they don't mind working for the future good.

The downside to all this growth: Travel a bit outside of the main business districts and you see how the common Chinese person lives in new cities such as Schenzen. I used the woman's bathroom at the local shopping area and it was but a pit in the ground that you crouch over to pee. And apartment highrises cram in their inhabitants like sardines. The apartment buildings are like mile-high rabbit warrens. All the lighting seems to be florescent, and although Schenzen is in the tropical zone, and therefore HUMID as heck, none of the units seemed to be air conditioned. The new hotels, though, are five-star and beautiful.

We visited lots more exhibitors in the next few days...Stay tuned to MACHINE DESIGN and Medical Design magazines for more stories on China and international business...

In the meantime, we spent our last evening here shopping. I am completely over a bad case of jet lag and now wish I could stay here longer -- would like to visit Beijing and Hong Kong, for instance. By the way -- this is fun -- the girls told me what my name is in Chinese. Here, the convention is when you use given name and surname, the last name goes first. So my name -- Gordon Leslie -- in Chinese is "Gao Li Li" (Li in this case means "jasmine." Another Li character means "beautiful.")

Read previous blog entries on the Schenzen trip
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Walking the Schenzen show aisles

Leslie_Gordon — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:43:00 GMT

Breakfast for me consisted of vegtables, corn-on-the-cob, and "sticky rice" which comes wrapped in a leaf and parchment paper.

This morning we attended the opening ceremonies for the 61'st annual CMEF event currently being held in Schenzen, China. The event is completely international, with exhibitors and attendees from all over the globe. This suits the a tagline you hear everywhere here, "discover China, discover the world." The Chinese have an interesting formalitiy: Ceremonies and the like always open with the an announcer reading-off the names of each event supporter. Needless to say, you can sit there sometimes for as long as thirty minutes until all names are read!

Flags of all kinds flew outside the front entrance to the CMEF which helped add to the international flair of the event.

Opening ceremonies concluded with thousands of "gold" rose petals being shot into the air.

The show is huge -- 2,100 exhibitors of which 20% are international, and over 50,000 attendees. Our first interview was with Shinva, a well-known manufacturer that started business here in 1942. The company makes products including infection-control systems, surgical instruments, and pharm equipment. According to the company spokesperson, Shinva is the only firm to be certified as a state-level technology firm by the Chinese government. The three levels are: state, provincial, and city. I think the certification determines where a company's products can be sold in the country. The company exports to 60 countries, none yet in the U.S. or Europe.

The show fills the convention center in Schenzen. Crowds spill along the aisles and exhibitor booths.

xxxxx

...Later than evening, we attend the Gala dinner. Food is placed on a kind of Lazy Susan on top of each table. You twirl the device until the item you want is within reach.

Dinner items are placed on a kind of Lazy Susan which you spin to reach the dish you want.

More on the show to come later...

Live from Beijing and Schenzen, China

Leslie_Gordon — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:27:00 GMT

Yesterday's blog item discusses live the first leg of my trip to Schenzen, China, to attend the China International Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF).

The flight from Newark, N.J. to Beijing was about 15 hours long (7,000-odd miles). I had to figure out how to catch a shuttle bus to Terminal #3 in Bejiing and although the bus I got on went from Terminal #1 to Terminal #4, with no #3 (or #2) in sight, a calm attitude and a dose of luck brought me to the correct connecting flight on Air China.

Although I don't speak Chinese, finding my way to another terminal on the airport shuttle bus was easy.

Actually, many airport personnel speak enough English to be a big help to those of us who are lost. And most people here are exceedingly polite, and nice. That is, except for the one or two pushy, obnoxious Chinese businessmen who manage to be even more rude than their American counterparts. They literally push you out of the way to get ahead in line.

China Airlines provided a comfortable flight -- more civilized than most U.S. flyers. The seats were comfortable, you can watch a video screen on the seatback in front of you with a huge selection of good movies, and you get good, clean food. That flight was about three hours. All told, I have been on an airline for a total of about 20 hours! No complaints though -- I got to Shenzen around 8 pm, not sure what day it is though.

Reed Sinopharm, our hosts for this trip, put us journalists up in the Marco Polo hotel, a few blocks from the exhibition center. The hotel is nice -- I would rate it five stars. Last year, there were maybe six or eight journalists attending the event.

The Marco-Polo is typical of the business area of Schenzen -- gleaming skyscrapers, landscaped terrain, and high-class service.

Our hosts from Reed Sinopharm invited us to an elaborate welcoming dinner. I arrived late because of my flight schedule, so I stuck to coffee.

This year, there are just three of us journalists invited to the event. Needless to say, I feel extremely flattered to have been invited. The show itinerary is jam-packed and really interesting. Not yet sure of all the details, but one full day is devoted to a roundtable discussion with Consulate members, the Head of Corporate Intellectual Property from Siemens Ltd., China, and others offering practical, business-focused advice to companies working in China.

Stay tuned for more show news yet to come.....

Off to the China International Medical Equipment Fair

Leslie_Gordon — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:29:00 GMT

I'm waiting at the Cleveland, Ohio airport for a flight to Newark, N.J. and from there on to Beijing, China. Final destination Shenzhen, China to attend the China International Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF) held April 18 to 21. According to the CMEF Web site, the event, founded in 1979, is now the largest exhibition of medical equipment, manufacturing, and related services in the Asia Pacific region. I attended the event last year, and it was huge -- larger than any trade show in the U.S., even IMTS.

Time to board the plane soon....stay tuned for more later!...

...A flight a few hours long has brought us to Newark, N.J., for the first leg of a loooong flight overseas. It's sunny and warm here so I decide to check the weather in Schenzen. Turns out it is the following: Foggy and 73°F. Wind: Variable at 2 mph, Humidity: 83%. Last year, the city seemed similar to a newer, larger Florida city -- palm trees, mild weather, gleaming skyscrapers, wide flower-laden streets filled with shiny new cars. According to the Schenzen Travel Guide:

"Shenzhen is located in the southern portion of the Guangdong Province, on the eastern shore of the Pearl River Delta. Neighboring the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong (located just south of Shenzhen), Shenzhen's location gives it a geographical advantage for economic development. In 1980, the first Special Economic Zone of China was built in Shenzhen. From then on, Shenzhen become a highlighted city of China, one known for its rapid economic growth."

More on Autodesk Manufacturing Tech Day

Leslie_Gordon — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:03:00 GMT

We spent yesterday learning about new features and advancements in Autodesk's 2010 products:

First, the developer stresses how well its programs work together to provide a digital prototype which acts as a master model and lets engineers work concurrently on a design during product development. According to the company, Inventor 2010, AutoCAD, Alias, and the moldflow and FE packages allow almost seamless exchange of data.

New features in AutoCAD 2010 include parametric drawing. This lets users apply geometric constraints to drawings. The software has the same constraint engine as the developer's other tools. Users can now also push and pull what are called mesh objects (a new object type) to create smooth shapes. A "gizmo" tool lets users move, scale, and rotate the object. All these capabilities mean that AutoCAD can be used for conceptual design!

The developer is pushing the use of Inventor 2010 for the design of consumer products. Users can import surfaces from Alias (a surface modeler) and Inventor stitches together the surfaces for a 3D model. Models can be "split" into sections to make a multibody so different individuals can work on the model at the same time.

The session on mold design explained new features and capabilities in Inventor. At the right sits Roopinder Tara of TenLinks in deep thought.

Interestingly, Autodesk said it queried designers in China for feedback on the new mold-design features in Inventor. Evidently, China is big in mold design. New: hole patching and runner surface development are automated. The system uses the Moldflow engine to make design suggestions. The Moldflow data base includes over 8,000 materials. When Autodesk acquired Moldflow, it also got the material-analysis labs in Ithaca, N.Y. and Melbourne, Australia.For sustainability purposes, the plastic design component of Inventor includes an energy usage indicator and another code that indicates recyclability.

More...Autodesk and interoperability

Manufacturing Tech Day

Leslie_Gordon — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:10:00 GMT

I'm attending Autodesk Manufacturing Tech Day in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Just got back from the welcoming dinner at Oba Restaurante in Portland with the rest of the group of technical media and bloggers. Portland stikes me as such a clean city. It is a small city but has lots of neat stuff: parks galore, sidewalk cafes, flowers, plenty of green, and a really "with-it" looking population.

Tomorrow I am to get briefed on AutoCAD for manufacturing, Inventor for consumer products and industrial machinery, industrial design, and digital factory. Also to get a preview of a "future digital prototyping technology for industrial designers." Stay tuned for more to come! ... ...

Perils of social networking

Leslie_Gordon — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:48:00 GMT

Social-networking tools allow for more free-for-all communication than traditional publishing methods because users can quickly and creatively collaborate. But — interesting conundrums can arise. For example, what would you think if you are using something like Twitter, and a competitor of the organization you work for starts "following" you?

SageCircle recently posted guidelines for analysts who use social media that could apply equally well to individuals or businesses: Why analysts need to be more measured in their use of social media.

A plane that turns into a car

Leslie_Gordon — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:40:00 GMT

Watch cool videos of the Transition — a plane that turns into a car!

http://www.terrafugia.com/videogallery.html

Shenzhen, again

Leslie_Gordon — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:15:00 GMT

Last year, I traveled to Shenzhen, China and am to go again in mid April. The city looks kind of like portions of Florida, with palm trees, wide flower-lined streets, and glittering skyscrapers. It is on the South China Sea, just north of Hong Kong. Important industries there include electronics, chemicals, processed foods, textiles, construction materials, and pharmaceuticals. The occasion of my visit: to attend the CHINA INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL EQUIPMENT FAIR (CMEF). Stay tuned for more to come…

A soft-skinned car?

Leslie_Gordon — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:14:00 GMT

"Let the material do the talking" is one of the ideas behind GINA, BMW's concept sports car. Instead of a metal body, it has one made from stretchable material. Thus, designers don't have to worry about, say, smooth continuity between the wheel wells and the body -- the material naturally takes care of a flow. Also, the car's headlights act and look like human eyes, blinking open and shut as needed. GINA stands for something like "Geomety shape functions In N Adaptations." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTYiEkQYhWY

Greener gadgets

Leslie_Gordon — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:48:00 GMT

Check out the nifty Power-Hog an entry in the Greener Gadgets Design Competition. According to the site, a white and bright green plug-in piggy bank called the Power-Hog associates power conservation with savings. For example, kids can use their allowance to turn on the TV by feeding the piggy with change (its snout plugs into TVs, computers, cell phones, and video games, while its curly tail serves as the cord for plugging into a wall outlet.) The Power-Hog meters consumption and blinks red when time is running out.

Engineers who like to cook

Leslie_Gordon — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:24:00 GMT

A common stereotype holds that engineers are purely logical, detailed-minded, and obsessesed with function. But some technical types also have a "softer" side, engoying artistic endeavors such as reading literature or building one-person airplanes in their garages. Those liking to cook might visit an aptly named site Cooking For Engineers, the tag line of which is "Have an analytical mind? Like to cook? This is the site to read!" Recipes listed included Asian Taco, Grilled Artichokes, and Sauteed Okra with Roasted Peppers. Also included are clever engineered implements, such as a CoolCover, essentially, a lid that covers food and holds an ice pack.

Vanity can kill you

Leslie_Gordon — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:24:00 GMT

This post has nothing at all to do with engineering or machine design. But the news bothered me enough to want to share it as a pre-cautionary tale.

An unlicensed, non-medical individual recently allegedly injected two women with a combination of saline and industrial silicone oil, telling them it would enhance the shape of their buttocks. Both women are now hospitalized, with critical, potentially irreversible harm. Many doctors have now seen instances of complications from such botched injection procedures skyrocket. An independent study shows the rate and type of such adverse events reported to the FDA.

The moral of the story: Vanity can kill you.

CAD in Japan

Leslie_Gordon — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:10:00 GMT

I'm at the SolidWorks 2009 conference in Orlando, Florida, looking out my hotel room window, which oversees a lake lined with palm trees, the Swan Resort with giant statures of swans on its rooftop, and blue, sunny skys. I heard it is warmer in Cleveland, but I am in no rush to get back home to snow, ice, and near zero temperatures.

Yesterday, I spoke with Haruyoshi Iida, President and CEO of SolidWorks Japan K.K. He says the CAD system first came to Japan in 1995 when Jon Hershtik made sure to introduce a localized version for the language. Interestingly, SolidWorks has an large presense in Japan, he says, with about 80,000 seats, 40,000 of which are commercial. Mr. Iida says Japan has 300,000 manufacturing companies, mostly heavy industry. Many of these companies still use 2D, but industry is slowly moving to 3D. He says Japanese companies are not "in a big rush."