After more than two years of COVID isolation, it feels good to be getting out of our bunkers and interacting with people again. Last month, I had the great pleasure of attending the AGMA Annual Meeting, where executives from member companies got together in person for the first time since 2019. The 2020 meeting was canceled at the last minute due to COVID. Last year’s meeting was held virtually, with an electronic meeting room and videoconference presentations. But this year felt like a return to normal.
You may have noticed that we’ve spruced things up a bit over at geartechnology.com. The website has undergone a complete overhaul, from the front-end design to the back-end programming and system that allows us to be as efficient as possible in producing and delivering the content you need.
Okay, I'll admit it. It's a trick question, because of course there's no such thing as a perfect gear. There will always be manufacturing errors, inconsistencies and human error. Tools and machines wear down, so that the first gear you produce will always be different from the one hundredth.
COVID-19 has taken a huge toll on the world. It has affected — and continues to affect — virtually every aspect of life. But at least as far as the economy goes, the more people we talk to, and the more statistics we hear from reliable sources, the more we think maybe Bob Marley was onto something.
Suppliers are working hard to make
sure their heat treating equipment is controllable, repeatable and efficient,
and manufacturers continue to incorporate technology that gives heat treaters and their customers more information about what's going on inside the magic box.