Heavy Gauge Metal Stamper Archives - Ohio Valley Manufacturing Inc.

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Demands on the Trucking Industry This Holiday Season: Outlook & Solutions

December 4, 2018 2:45 pm Comments Off

The holidays are a busy time for everyone—especially for the trucking industry. Black Friday – and the ensuing holiday season shopping frenzy – leave the transportation industry moving extra freight from early fall through the end of the year and beyond. Heavier than usual traffic and a greater consumer demand for on-time delivery add to the strain, which is even more important this year as tight capacity and a shortage of drivers burden the industry even without the added peak season stress.

Ohio Valley Manufacturing supports the trucking industry with design solutions to help keep up with the chaos. Our services help fleet managers and truckers optimize their truck designs to withstand not only the holiday season, but all year round demand.

Here’s an overview of what’s to come for the trucking industry this peak season, as well as Ohio Valley Manufacturing’s answers for this high-stress time.

Peak Season Demands on the Trucking Industry

There’s good news this holiday season: the economy is thriving, and business is booming. In fact, the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts sales will increase between 4.3% and 4.8% this November and December. That figure will translate to as much as $720.89 billion in total.

A healthy economy and strong consumer confidence have primed shoppers to spend. The retail industry, as well as customer service and logistics, are recruiting additional employees to keep up with the expected increase in demand.

Of course, the transportation sector is also hiring. Amazon, FedEx, and other transportation stakeholders of all sizes are bringing on tends of thousands of additional drivers for the holidays.

This peak season is panning out to be one of the busiest in recent years. Ohio Valley Manufacturing is ready with solutions that help the transportation industry operate at peak performance.

Trucking Solutions at Ohio Valley Manufacturing

Ohio Valley Manufacturing designs metal components for trucks through services such as heavy-gauge stamping and precision blanking. Our products are strong enough to endure the rigors of the holidays, as well as any other time of the year.

Heavy-Gauge Stamping

Since 1999, Ohio Valley Manufacturing has produced industry-leading stampings. Commercial trucks require robust metal components to support heavy loads, making such vehicles an ideal application for heavy-gauge stamped parts.

Our facility houses state-of-the-art presses to produce durable metal components. These machines can handle up to a 4,000-ton press capacity and 24-inch maximum press stroke. These qualities enable the presses to work with carbon steel, aluminum, and stainless steel between .020 and 0.625 inches in thickness.

A wide range of stamping products, such as circle blanks and surface mount pins, are made from this process. Many other heavy-duty truck components are also created in this manner.

Precision Blanking

Precision blanking creates durable sheet metal for further use in trucking applications. Ohio Valley Manufacturing offers eight blanking production methods that can handle material sizes measuring from .020 to 0.625 inches in thickness, 72 inches in width, and 100 inches in length. The procedure works well with many common materials used for transportation applications, including:

Carbon steel
Aluminum
Stainless steel

We tailor our precision blanking process to each individual client’s needs. Our team handles a variety of orders, from prototyping to contract or custom projects. We possess the capability to fabricate first operation blanks, and can work a range of order types, including bulk orders, imports, or other more intricate projects. We possess the capacity to handle small- and large-scale production runs. No matter what the demands of your project, we’re here to handle your truck component fabrication needs.

Let Ohio Valley Manufacturing Help You This Holiday Season

The holidays are here, along with increased pressure on commercial trucks. Ohio Valley Manufacturing is ready to support the transportation industry during this time of increased demand and throughout the upcoming year, where capacity will likely remain tight.

To learn more about our services for the trucking industry, contact us today.

The Latest Advancements in Smart Appliance Design

January 10, 2018 8:31 pm Comments Off

At this point, the Internet of Things (IoT) has become so common that many people are using it daily without even realizing it. The IoT represents the interconnectedness of our devices and their ability to connect with us (people) and each other (other devices).

The IoT in Household Devices

In the household, this is seen in the proliferation of smart appliances. Your refrigerator can now be controlled by your smartphone. Many people enjoy the convenience of seeing what foods they have on hand while shopping at the grocery store, reducing the chances of buying something they already have.

What Appliance Brands Have in Store for 2018

At CES 2018, a number of new concepts were unveiled in the smart appliance sector. Whirlpool is launching appliances that support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. These devices are already present in millions of homes, so it makes sense to capitalize on the popularity. Users will be able to keep track of their laundry in the washing machine and adjust the settings on their freezers without going from room to room.

LG unveiled a similar concept, with its own ThinQ platform. It will allow LG’s appliances to communicate with each other and accommodate users’ habits and choices. So if a user searches for a chicken recipe on the refrigerator, the connected oven can begin pre-heating. The platform also aims to identify problems with the appliances to alert users of issues and provide that information to LG’s engineers to assist with repairs.

GE Appliances took a different approach to their product line this year. They unveiled the Kitchen Hub, which is a smart hub display for above the oven that also functions as a ventilator. Whereas most brands are putting the smart displays on refrigerators, this one is located right above where the cooking is done, allowing users to easily refer back to recipes and cooking tutorials. It also has a forward-facing camera that allows you to video chat while you cook, and another one facing the stove so can show others exactly what you’re cooking. This feature could play into the social aspects of both new media technology and food preparation.

What’s Next in Smart Appliance Design?

With all of the progress in this sector, it’s hard to imagine what more could be done. Over time, however, it would make sense to have appliances from different brands that are designed to communicate. There are also more opportunities for growth within the AI itself. If your fridge can tell you what food items you have on hand, it’s not much of a stretch for it to come up with suggested recipes.

Much of the technological infrastructure is already there, it’s just a matter of figuring out new ways to apply it. As brands know, convenience is key, which is why so many new launches focus on adapting technology to meet user habits and lifestyles.

As a heavy gauge metal stamper that works closely with appliance brands, Ohio Valley Manufacturing is interested in seeing where the next generation of smart appliances will go. We’re here to help in the manufacturing process.