Read Cox's impression of the impact of the Japanese Earthquake on the US turned parts industry from the Precision Machined Products Association’s National Technical Conference.
Returning from the Precision Machined Products Association’s National Technical Conference in Columbus, Ohio, I am left with a strong impression that there has been minimal US impact from the Japanese Earthquake on our turned parts industry (screw machine products) to date. Talking with numerous Japanese importer and imports of machines utilizing key components made in Japan, I found repeated statements that supplies have not caused disruption. In fact some reports actually suggest that delivery dates have moved forward on US machine tool orders from Japan with a reduced Japanese domestic order slump sighted as a possible explanation.
Regardless, some anxiety remains for the stability and capacity of the Japanese supply chain with global machine tools orders in the middle of a strong rebound and with available machine deliveries already extended. Without question, the availability of both new machines and late model used machines used by the screw machine industry is falling short of customer requests and this was well underway prior to the earthquake. Concerns continue over the reliable availability of key electronic components from Japanese suppliers like Fanuc and Mitsubishi for machine controls and mechanical components from suppliers like NSK as Japan suffers from ongoing rolling blackouts being reports. Machine tool builders in the US, Twain, Germany, Switzerland, and even China, will no doubt be impacted.
Reports sight the continued personal stress among Japanese families and communities impacted by the earthquake and the continued rolling blackouts. As one might image, the personal lives of many Japanese families has been turned upside down since these events and recovery to some level of normal will indeed take some time.
Cox Manufacturing Company is supporting C.R.A.S.H. Ministry in Japan during this time of need.
