Frank Burke has over 35 years of experience in the machine tool and allied industries. He started his career with Cincinnati Milacron and subsequently worked with White-Sundstrand Machine Tool Corp. Burke has twice presented to Canada's Advanced Technology Think Tank and has written extensively on technology and communications. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
In the world of automotive racing, every component is critical, and even the most minute detail can contribute to the difference between winning and losing. No parts supplier is more aware of this than the team at ZPE Inc. of Temecula, Calif., manufacturers of the GripTec pulleys that drive the serpentine belts powering superchargers and compressors in competition cars.
At the dawn of the Industrial
Revolution, so-called mechanics
were tasked with devising the precise methods that would make mass production possible. The result was the first generation of machine tools, which in turn required improved tooling and production methods.