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Viewpoints: Industrial Welding Blog

Welcome to the Viewpoints blog where you can read about topics affecting the business of welding and voice your opinion on the issues. Hear and be heard on today’s most important welding issues.

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SEMA - Day 4

November 6th, 2009

It’s hard to believe that SEMA 2009 is coming to an end. Yet again, Las Vegas has provided the perfect backdrop for this showcase of the specialty automotive industry.

Don’t worry - we won’t be letting up just because today is the last day of the show. Miller’s booth (#23813) in the Racing & Performance pavilion will be busy all day with welding demonstrations and some of the newest equipment for the home hobbyist and motorsports user.

Have you entered to win your free ArcStation yet? There is still time, but don’t wait much longer: www.MillerWelds.com/SEMA.

Also - just because SEMA 2009 is coming to a close, that doesn’t mean we’re going to put away our car gear until next year. Miller is committed to the motorsports and custom automotive industries. You can interact with us all year at our motorsports forum on our website. We’re always happy to answer any questions you have about anything you can strike an arc to.

So stick around, expect more photos and videos, and have a great Friday.

Congrats Rodger Lee - GM 2009 SEMA Design Award Winner

November 5th, 2009

Congratulations to Rodger Lee of Ironworks Speed & Kustom (www.ironworksspeedandkustom.com) for winning GM’s 2009 SEMA Design Award for his C6 ‘57 Chevy truck.

Check in later for a video interview with Rodger and check out his website for information on the truck and other projects.

Good Morning! SEMA Day 3

November 5th, 2009

Good morning!

Day 3 of SEMA 2009 begins and we’re loving every minute of it. The first two days have brought a flood of people through the Miller booth and onto the show floor. We’ve seen a little bit of everything: hot rod aficionados, off road racers, custom bike builders, tributes to musical acts such as Cheap Trick and Brooks & Dunn, and some of the most passionate automotive and motorsports people you’ll find everywhere.

Yesterday visits included:

Stacey David: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m0NKZ5FLpE

Ron Covell (one of the nicest guys in the industry): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOWtk1b9EbU

Students from Embry-Riddle’s Jet Dragster Team: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbIOUsm_k5o

We also visited some of the displays we found interesting, including the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize booth and the folks at Equipt Expedition Outfitters.

To see videos of SEMA highlights, visit our Youtube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/nielsmiller

We have more videos, photos and interviews coming today - so stay tuned!

New Product Winners at SEMA 2009

November 4th, 2009

SEMA 2009 presented its awards for the best new products of the show during breakfast on November 3, 2009.

Emceed by the legendary voice of drag racing, Dave McClelland, the ceremony recognized 13 categories for achievement:

Best New Off-Road/4-Wheel Drive Product: Rescue 42’s Jackmate

Best New Interior Accessory Product: Bully Dog Technologies’ Watchdog

Best New Exterior Accessory Product: Bushwacker Inc.’s JK Armor Rocker Panel and Sill Plate

Best New Packaging Design: AE Distributing’s Contour HD 1080P

Best New Engineered Product: Cequent Performance Products’ NU2 Bike Carrier

Best New Performance-Street Product: Sprint Booster USA’s Sprint Booster for 2010 Camaro Manual Transmission

Best New Street Rod/Custom Car Product: Master Shift’s Shift Lever Relocation Hardware for TKO and T56 transmissions.

Best New Performance Racing Product: Phenix Industries’ Speedlox

Best New Merchandising Display: Macneil Automotive Products Ltd.

Best New Pickup/SUV/Van Product: Pilot Automotive’s Tailgate Lock

Best New Mobile Electronics Entertainment Product: PLX Devices’ Kiwi Wifi

Best New Tools & Equipment Product: TCA Tool Storage’s TCA HD 41” Tool Storage Solution.

Best New Powersports Product: Dakota Digital Inc.’s MCL-2000 Series Harley Davidson 4.5” tank mount digital instrument system.

Stacey David (Gearz TV) Coming to the Miller Booth at SEMA

November 4th, 2009

Stacey David of Gearz TV (http://www.gearztv.com/) will be dropping by the Miller booth (#23813) today at approximately 1:00 p.m. We’ll be uploading a brief interview with Stacey shortly after he arrives—in the meantime, check out one of Stacey’s videos on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/StaceyDavidsGearZ

Write Stacey about one of your projects and maybe you can be featured on his show!

SEMA Opens!

November 3rd, 2009

We’ve only been here a few hours and we’ve already overheard the first bit of SEMA 2009 exuberance:

“Honey, I know you’re not into cars, but this show is AWESOME!”

Lots of exciting things happening at SEMA today. At 7:30 a.m. we’ve got the New Products Awards Breakfast, highlighting the newest and most innovative products at the show. We’ll update you later on what some of the winners were.

At 9:00 a.m. the doors open and SEMA 2009 is upon is. We’re very excited to see you here, and if you can’t be here, then please feel free to follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, or at our SEMA page at www.MillerWelds.com/SEMA. If you’re at the show, visit us at booth #23813.

A couple of our favorite things so far: The Cheap Trick “Dream Police” truck and “Lucky” Luciano Lacerda’s display, both right outside the entrance to the North Hall.

Follow us throughout the week as we bring you further highlights of SEMA 2009.

Welcome to SEMA 2009! (Enter to win free ArcStation™)

November 3rd, 2009

Welcome to SEMA 2009!

We’ll be updating you throughout the day on exciting events at the show, but first: go to  www.MillerWelds.com/SEMA and enter to win your very own ArcStation™ welding workbench.

See it here: www.MillerWelds.com/ArcStation

Introduced TODAY, ArcStation is the first workbench designed specifically for welders. We’ll be drawing a winner at the end of the week.

Thanks—and stay tuned!

Miller’s SEMA 2009 Social Media Page

October 29th, 2009

We know not everyone can make it to Vegas for this year’s show, so we’re bringing a little bit of SEMA 2009 to you.

We will be transmitting videos, photos, blogs and “tweets” live from SEMA 2009 (November 3-6, 2009) through social networking outlets Facebook and Twitter, our YouTube video channel, and by broadcasting the content through this social media page: www.MillerWelds.com/SEMA.

Here you can witness product demonstrations, interviews with industry professionals, welding-related content specific to the automotive specialty market, and photos and blogs documenting the show.

Beginning on November 3 you can enter here to win a brand new ArcStation™ welding workbench—the only workbench in the industry designed specifically for welders. This exciting new product is being introduced at the show on Tuesday and is sure to be a hit with pro fabricators and DIY/home shops alike.

So sit back and relax – we look forward hearing about your interest in the show.

If you haven’t already joined us on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, you can do so here:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MillerWelders?ref=ts

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MillerWelders

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/nielsmiller

Thanks!

A Sign of the Times: FABTECH International/AWS Welding Show

October 27th, 2009

The largest American welding, manufacturing and fabrication trade show of the year, the FABTECH International/AWS Welding Show, is less than a month away. Many insiders will be watching this year’s show in Chicago closely to gauge the economic condition of industry and where it is headed in the near future.

Strong attendance at the show will be taken as a sign that employers are at least thinking about investing in new equipment and are anticipating an economic recovery by looking into equipment that can give them a competitive advantage when the turnaround happens. Read the rest of this entry »

Never Too Old to Learn a Trade

October 13th, 2009

Summer’s over and school is back in session, but this fall, it’s not just for the kids. From South Carolina to Massachusetts to California, states across the country are experiencing huge surges in vocational and technical school enrollment among students in their 40’s and 50’s.

This should come as no surprise, given the state of the economy and the unemployment rate, but there are other less obvious reasons that probably share some of the credit for attracting more non-traditional sutdents into the trades. Read the rest of this entry »

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