New Machine Center Added (date?) HyTech recently added a new machining center with 32" Z and full 4th axis capabilities. It allows for interfacing with state-of-the-art CAD systems for rapid proto-typing straight from your CAD files. We are currently using this system to give you quicker turnaround time by running directly from customers' PRO-E and Auto CAD files, to list just a few. Fine Wire Coiler Evaluation Underway (date?) HyTech has a fine wire coiler on loan for trial and evaluation. This workcenter will allow us to meet demanding tolerances on miniature components with wire diameters from 0.05mm (.002") to 0.2mm (.008") for the electronic and medical industries. Ultrasound Cleaning Line Added (date?) HyTech has added an ultrasonic cleaning line. This will allow us to insure cleanliness of critical medical, automotive and electronic components in-house. Expanded Forming Capabilities (date?) HyTech has expanded capabilities with a large wire diameter multi-axis-forming machine. The addition of this machine will allow us to produce extension, torsion and double-torsion springs and wireforms in wire diameters up to 4mm (.157"). With the success of the first machine, HyTech again expanded capabilities with a second large wire diameter multi-axis-forming machine. We have acquired a second large wire diameter multi-axis forming machine to meet customer demand for extension, torsion and double torsion springs and wireforms with wire diameter up to 4mm (.157"). HyTech Springs in New Jeep (date?) HyTech has been awarded a new contract by a Tier 1 automotive supplier. We will manufacture springs used in assemblies for the new Jeep Commander. Medical Device Industry Turns to HyTech (date?) Due to the company's expertise in spring manufacturing and its experience in medical devices, HyTech has signed two new contracts for producing high-precision medical instruments and we have been awarded a contract with a medical device manufacturer to produce components for biopsy devices. (need more info) HyTech has entered into research and development program with a leading medical device manufacturer for a new urological device. (need more info) July 2004 Web Services in Beta. Continuing our commitment to web technologies, we have implemented a Perl, PHP, and MySql environment in order to create web services for our customers. Initially, we will collect Requests for Quotes via these pages. Eventually, we will implement a variety of other web services. June 2004 Wireless networking. This month we implemented a wireless network. Now, the network can be accessed from anywhere in the factory. PC based controllers, PDAs, and laptops can now communicate directly with our ERP and document management systems. May 2004 SPAM Filters. SPAM is a huge problem for organizations that implement their own email systems. Using the power of PostFix email system, HyTech has joined the front lines of SPAM blocking. We have avoided expensive third-party solutions by combining the strength of PostFix and our in-house expertise. April 2004 Apache Web Server. We moved our website to our own web host using Apache, the number one web server software in the world. The implementation of Apache reflects our commitment to using open source software when it makes good business sense. Apache is free, secure, and powerful. We plan to implement several web technologies using Apache. March 2004 Linux and PostFix. Installing the T-1 allows us to be free of ISPs. In fact, we have become our own ISP! By using open source software Linux and PostFix for email, we created the essential electronic link between our intranet and the internet. We believe open source software has several advantages and we will continue to leverage these advantages over the next several months to secure our network and provide oustanding web services to our customers. October 2004 Installation of T-1. HyTech's need for high bandwidth internet connectivity was satisfied this month with the installation of a T-1 line. After analyzing the TCO and ROI, we determined that the T-1 pays for itself in time savings and value added services. A Cisco router and firewall provides the secure connectivity we require. We are very excited about the potentials this installation has. July 2003 Improvements to website. Taking advice from our clients, we've begun to improve our website. We are adding a better navigation system and increasing the content of our pages. Over the next several weeks you will find our site downloading faster and packed with more useful information. This site is for you so please continue to let us know how we can improve it. June 2003 Shipping and receiving officially moves to new warehouse. Thanks to our loyal customer base and the hard work of our team here at HyTech, business continues to grow even in the rough economic times of the past two years. To keep up with demand, shipping and receiving was relocated to our new warehouse and room is being made in the former warehouse for expansion of production. May 2003 Installation of the Pervasive database engine. To take full advantage of the new version of GainSeeker, we installed Pervasive 2000i, the database engine used by Hertzler for small to medium-size organizations. We noticed immediate improvement in response time and the elimination of intermittent database errors. March 2003 Beta testing of Hertzler Software's GainSeeker V7.3. HyTech Spring and Machine was chosen to be a beta test site for version 7.3 of GainSeeker, the software used for SPC and DMS. The new version includes additional functionality for data collection, configuration, and statistical analysis. January 2003 Implementation of Adobe Acrobat is another step toward reducing paper usage. Using Acrobat, we can create electronic reports for our clients to be distributed via email or the web and create in-house documentation for machine setups and part testing. October 2002 Automation of DMS. HyTech's Defect Management System was automated using Hertzler Software's GainSeeker system. Once again, HyTech eliminates a paper based process, increasing accuracy of the data and decreasing time it takes DMS data processing. October 2002 Installation of of new gigabit network backbone greatly increases our information system's speed and stability. After two months of monitoring and analysis, we reconfigured our network using a new Cisco 100Mb/1000Gb switch, creating a Gigabit connection to our ERP, email, and file sharing systems. July 2002 Material Certs stored electronically. Moving away from paper based processes is a goal at HyTech.This month, we implemented a custom database application, developed by IS, that scans and stores Material Certs. The certs can be retrieved based on wire size, lot control number, or date of receipt. This greatly reduces the number of steps and forms used previously to track material for Quality Control purposes. May 13, 2002 HyTech featured in Convergence. Hertzler Systems Inc.'s newsletter on quality, Convergence, published an article featuring HyTech Spring and Machine Corp.as their case study. Click here to read the article. April 4, 2002 Predator System installed. HyTech’s machine shop is now using Predator Software to automate the programming of CNC machines. This dramatically increases the complexity of machine parts HyTech can manufacture and dramatically decreases the amount of time it takes to program the machines. The software resides on a server in the machine shop office. The server is on the LAN and communicates with the CNC machines via RS-232. Designers and engineers save their code on this machine. The machinist calls the program from their control panel to run a job or saves the program they've created or modified to the server. Predator Software supports DNC and manages multiple machines at the same time. February 28, 2002 Upgrade of Virus protection. After many months of reviews, HyTech chose Panda Software Global Virus Insurance. While not the most well known of the anti-virus software available, Panda Software's technology, track record, and pricing structure convinced us to choose Panda. Our experience has been great, especially during the recent Klez.i epidemic. January 31, 2002 Microscopic analysis at HyTech. A new microscopic analysis workstation allows us to increase our commitment to quality manufacturing and customer service. Spring makers, machinists, and engineers access the workstation to detect damage, surface anomalies, wire quality and provide close up inspection of precision springs. Images are viewable in real time on a large screen TV. Also, the video images can be captured to PC format. These images can be shared by printing, email, or web site. December 31, 2001 Microsoft awards HyTech. After a few months of careful auditing and documentation, Microsoft awarded HyTech an Acknowledgment Of Compliance. This certifies that HyTech is fully compliant with software copyright laws. Click here to view the certificate. November 21, 2001 Hertzler Software Beta Testing. HyTech and Hertzler Software concluded a month long beta testing of Hertzler's Gainseeker SPC/DMS software, Version 3.1. The new version features better monitoring and management of quality data, more robust automation support, and integration of SPC and DMS. October 2002 Automation of DMS. HyTech's Defect Management System was automated using Hertzler Software's GainSeeker system. Once again, HyTech eliminates a paper based process, increasing accuracy of the data and decreasing time it takes DMS data processing. September 26, 2001 New warehouse online. HyTech’s new warehouse is online. A fiber optic cable connects two Cisco gigabit switches. Up to an additional 24 workstations in the warehouse can be connected to HyTech's local area network. July 13, 2001 New web page published. We recognize the shifting trends in business-to-business commerce on the world wide web. Our new web page is the first phase of an aggressive campaign to bring our services and presence to the web. Over the next few months, we will be introducing cutting edge customer services. We are working with our clients to develop a site they will use. Our site will allow us to build more collaborative and creative partnerships around the world. June 25, 2001 Implementation of Hertzler Systems' Gainseeker SPC software. Thanks to the new quality control system, many quality control operations have been automated. Automating these necessary and crucial tasks allow the operators and quality control officers to respond immediately to quality issues. Load cells are interfaced to personal computers connected to a local area network. Operators check spring loads and with a push of a button, the result is entered into a database. Operators, supervisors, and quality managers instantly monitor and analyze the database. Furthermore, many trigger events are programmed into the system, alerting operators and quality managers in real time. As we continue to roll out the implementation, we except to dramatically decrease rejects, narrow control limits, and increase production levels. Thus, we will decrease production costs while elevating the quality of our springs and customer service.