Category Archive: Manufacturing Industry

What the Steel Tariffs Mean for American Manufacturing

The current state of steel is on the minds of many people around the world. With the recent introduction of tariffs on international steel and aluminum shipments, American manufacturers are scrambling to make sure they have an adequate supply.

The uncertainty has driven up the price of these metals substantially over the past few weeks. With a 25% tariff on steel and a 10% tariff on aluminum, this is a significant supply barrier to overcome. And even with American metal suppliers available, prices are rising steadily along with demand. Just last month, the price of hot-rolled coiled steel was upwards of $800 per ton, which was already 32% higher than 5 months before in October. It’s a significant increase over a relatively short span of time.

The rising cost of raw materials has caused many manufacturers to raise the cost of their products. This trend is already impacting numerous seemingly unrelated industries, including farming. Farmers rely on metal-based products for their daily operations. Everything from heavy equipment such as tractors, to the massive grain storage bins that are vital for their operations rely on metals such as steel and aluminum. As the price of the material rises, producers of these items are raising prices in response, making equipment upgrades difficult or impractical for many end users.

And for projects that involve construction and infrastructure, the budgeting process is even more difficult. With material prices fluctuating so much, it’s hard for even the suppliers to gauge how much a final job will cost. A customer that ordered a particular product just a few months ago may find the price considerably higher if they need to re-order anytime soon. And for ongoing projects, the costs are continuing to climb – a problem especially felt in the public sector where budgets are relatively inflexible.

At Ohio Valley Manufacturing, our pricing is relatively stable thanks to a reliable supply. We are fielding many questions regarding lead times, however. Currently, we’ve been able to keep up with demand and don’t anticipate any major impacts within our own business. We continue to monitor the situation, however, and understand the volatility of the market.

If you need a dependable heavy gauge stamping provider, give us a call to see how we can help. You can reach us at 419-522-5818 or by emailing sales@ohiovalleymfg.com.

Welding: MIG Versus TIG

Welding is a core component of metal fabrication. It is the process of joining metals using a fusion process where the base metals are melted together using a filler material to form them joint. This is a high-temperature process and can be performed by hand or through robotic welders.

Two commonly used welding methods are known as TIG and MIG. The final outcome for both joins metals together but the processes and material are different and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. In this post we will look at each method’s pros and cons.

TIG welding or Tungsten inert gas process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to make the weld. TIG comes from Tungsten, Inert Gas and the weld area is shielded from atmospheric contamination by a gas such as argon or helium. TIG welding requires the welding rod to be slowly fed into the weld puddle.

MIG welding or metal inert gas uses a gun to continuously feed the welding wire into the joint to burn, melt, and fuse the pieces together. Atmospheric contamination is prevented by flowing an argon-based shielding gas or an argon-carbon dioxide mix over the weld puddle.

Let’s compare the two methods:

TIG MIG
Cleaner, less fumes and sparks More sparks and fumes
Less contamination, higher precision
Good for thin material, can be used with no filler Welds a wide range of material
Longer setup, not user-friendly Less setup, easier and more forgiving welds
Welds cost more and take longer More accessible equipment reduced costs
More complex and requires more skill Easier to learn and makes quicker welds
Can weld many different types of metals Most often used with carbon steel, stainless, aum

At Ohio Valley we provide in-house welding services that cover all projects from design and building to checking fixtures and production. Using material handling robots enables us to offer a cost effective solution and we are equipped to handle high-volume automation.

Contact us today to learn about Ohio Valley’s robotic welding service and TIG vs MIG welding operations.

Increase in Truck and Trailer Manufacturing

We’ve been seeing a lot of good news in the trucking industry recently. Not only has the US manufacturing sector have been seeing stronger and stronger rates, but we’ve also seen an increase in Class 8 tractor sales. According to data from Wards Auto, the first quarter of 2015 was the best for Class 8 tractor sales in nine years.

As more and more companies are manufacturing tractors there is also a rise in trailer manufacturing. ACT Research found that trailer manufactures will ship approximately 303,000 trailers this year, an increase of 12% from last year. There are several factors impacting the increase of trailer manufacturing, including pent-up demand from the Great Recession and the overall improved economy, which has increasing freight volumes.

At Ohio Valley Manufacturing we have been experiencing this growth firsthand. We have been busy quoting and starting on new work and have our facility running six days a week to keep up with production. We’re happy with the first half of the year and we aren’t currently anticipating a slowdown in the second half.

To find out how Ohio Valley Manufacturing and how we can help with your trailer manufacturing needs, visit our website. We also post more trucking industry news on our Twitter and LinkedIn pages.

Ohio Valley Manufacturing’s Robotic Welding Services

At Ohio Valley Manufacturing we started with a focus on heavy gauge stamping and have grown over the years to offer our customers an array of services, including our robotic welding services. Our services include everything from the design and building to checking fixtures and productions. By using a robot to automate the welding process we are able to improve efficiency, reduce labor costs, and offer our customers a cost-effective welding solution.

We use a free hand robotic welder that is equipped to handle high-volume automation and is ideal for manufacturing on- and off-highway truck parts, trailer parts, outdoor power equipment, material handling equipment, agricultural equipment, automotive parts, and petrochemical equipment.

We are equipped to handle MIG (Metal Inert Gas), Projection, Resistance, FCAW (Flux Core Arc Welding), and Spot welding and can create parts from a variety of materials such as carbon steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium, stainless steel, and more.

To find out more about our robotic welding services and to view examples of our work, visit our website. We also post more industry news and company updates on Twitter and LinkedIn pages.