Open minds lead to open doors

Remember shopping? And I don’t mean simply filling up your online cart and having items delivered to your house. I mean actual shopping.

If browsing for the best deals and asking questions are important to you when you’re selecting ethically raised, non-GMO food, it must be critical when you’re spending thousands (or even hundreds of thousands) of dollars on assets for your shop.

Sourcing new shop floor equipment can be a daunting task. But thanks to the efforts of four Ontario-based machine tool builders and distributors, this process can be a little more streamlined. The 15th annual Joint Open House takes place May 4-5, 2022, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

This event is sponsored by machine tool distributors and builders based in Mississauga and Oakville, Ont. The participants are DMG Mori Canada, Elliott Matsuura Canada, EMEC Machine Tools, and Ferro Technique. It gives customers the opportunity to seethe latest technology available from all four companies, including more than 60 machines under power from around 20 builders.

“Even though we remained ‘somewhat’ open during the pandemic, maintaining direct customer contact was difficult. Making visits or having customers visit us was really hard due to the restrictions, and this is a fundamental part of what we do, especially in sales. It is great to be able to host the JOH again as it gives us the chance to reconnect with customers and give them a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what we do,” said Bill Mara, president of EMEC Machine Tools.

His company will be highlighting some smaller multitasking systems that are seeing an increased demand and affordable automation for VMCs.

“I think our customers are ready to get back out to visit exhibitions and open houses,” said Vince D’Alessio, president of Elliott Matsuura. “We have new machines and technology to preview, and there is only so much exchange of information and ideas that can be done through Zoom. Face-to-face discussions in front of the equipment will be a welcome change for us and our customers attending the Joint Open House.”

In addition to new machining technology, Elliott will have a travelling fabricating roadshow hosted by LVD.

“Based on the reaction I have had from our customers, after telling them it is back on again, the event will have a very long and lasting future,” said Brian Donnelly, president of Ferro Technique. “They love the fact that they can interact and socialize with people face to face that they would normally only talk to on the phone. Even with all the online and social media information available, we are definitely a people business.”

Ferro is featuring a twin-spindle lathe with a built-in gantry and a VMC with a side-load robot.

Over at DMG Mori, the company will display a DMC 85 monoBLOCK with RPS3 pallet system, plus other milling and turning machines.

“Our staff is excited for this event. It will provide a bit of ‘back to normal’ feeling,” said Service Manager Stephane Poliquin.

Visitors who make it to all four locations can win prizes such as tooling certificates and free machine service. It’s a good reason to get out of the shop.