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I write this month’s blog returning from a week in Switzerland where Ben and I joined 20 other members of the National Tooling & Machining Association (NTMA), 7 execs from our hosting National Associate Members and 4 NTMA staff and associates.

The Associate Members hosting the event were BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling, Georg Fischer (+GF+), and Blaser Swisslube. I can’t say enough about their amazing participation and hospitality.

Our tours included visits to SR Technics; +GF+ Micron; +GF+ Liechti Engineering; Blaser Swisslube; Burckhardt Compression and BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling.

The Technology Tour was all that you might expect it to be: fast-paced, interesting and educational. Learning about the latest in Swiss machine tool, lubricant, cutting tool and boring head technologies along with being nose-to-nose with some of the largest jet engine and compressor technologies was an awesome experience.

Passion for precision in everything they do was a common thread throughout the week. An unrelenting process-driven, lean and collaborative culture would also describe our hosts. And their hospitality was outstanding! We can learn much from all of them.

Add to that the opportunity to spend a week of quality time with others on the trip discussing (almost) everything business-related you might imagine. It is always good to be able to compare notes, share issues and problem-solve with those in the same industry.

Oh. A little downtime was also part of the trip with a number of us taking the ride to the top of Mt. Pilatus near Lucerne for a magnificent view of Lake Lucerne in one direction and the Swiss Alps in the other. We also got a terrific half-day walking tour of Zurich on Saturday prior to returning on Sunday.

Expect to see some coverage of the event soon from Derek Korn, a senior editor with Modern Machine Shop Magazine who was on the trip and a frequent seat partner of mine on the bus.

My personal thanks to all who planned, hosted the events and tours and herded cats all week.

Until next month…

John