Steve Ortner, president at Absolute Machine Tools, was part of a feature article in the April edition of Manufacturing Engineering magazine. The magazine is a leading source of technical information, news, and in-depth coverage of advance manufacturing in aerospace, defense, motorized vehicles, medical, and energy. Ortner contributed to the April 2016 article, “Oil Price Collapse Tests Industry’s Innovation”, a detailed look at changes in the oil and gas industry during the current downturn in crude prices. His contribution to the article also highlights Absolute’s introduction of the You Ji VTM-800 turn-mill multitasking machine.
About the Article
Written by senior editor Jim Lorincz, “Oil Price Collapse Tests Industry’s Innovation” the article looks at the energy sector’s response to tanking oil prices. While some companies are choosing to turn, tuck tail, and search for cover – forward thinking firms are using this downturn as an opportunity for innovation. The energy and manufacturing industries have a long history of pairing together to problem solve, and the current economic conditions have reignited that relationship. Manufacturing companies support the energy sector with machine automation, parts, and tools designed to reduce error and increase productivity.
As commented by Lorincz, “there are always opportunities to develop new products for increased operating efficiencies.” This current opportunity created by the reduced oil price means that modern energy companies are leaning on technology built by the manufacturing industry. Companies like Absolute Machine help oil and gas services improve machine performance and reduce costs. In today’s economic climate, that is a recipe for survival.
Our Contribution
Ortner contributed to the article with his take on manufacturing technology that can eliminate tolerance errors when moving large oil field workpieces from one machine to another. Ortner discussed the You Ji VTM-800 turn-mill and explained how the multitasking machine can benefit the energy sector’s search for solutions:
“It allows a manufacturer to perform vertical turning operations as well as five-face milling operations in one setup. This machine increases productivity by largely decreasing machining time and avoids inaccuracies from multiple hands-on movement of the workpiece from one machine to another”
Increased productivity, increased efficiencies and chasing perfection – all three important variables for today’s budget minded energy companies, and all provided by Absolute Machine Tools and the You Ji VTM-800. Capable of robust turning and heavy milling, the VTM-800 will be introduced later this year at the International Manufacturing and Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago. Absolute is the exclusive North American distributor of You Ji machine tools.
About Absolute Machine
Absolute Machine Tools, Inc. sells and supports You Ji Vertical Turret Lathes; Johnford Sliding Double Column Machining Centers; Tongtai Horizontal Machining Centers; AccuteX EDM wire, sinker, and hole drilling machines; Nexturn CNC Swiss lathes; and Precihole gun drilling machines. The company has worked with several of its principal CNC machine tool partners for nearly 30 years to offer some of the most heavy-duty, accurate, and productive machines in the industry.
