Mazak Corporation presented “Manufacturing Technologies for Global Competitiveness,” a three-day event at its Florence, Kentucky headquarters campus, December 4 – 6, 2007.
            The more than 2,500 attendees, many of whom traveled great distances (Mexico, Central/South America, the U.S. West & East Coasts and Canada) and endured severe weather across much of the U.S., dubbed the event unprecedented, “an experience unlike anything else,” and packed with “awesome machine technology and technology solutions."
            The event was a perfect orchestration of information-rich technology solutions programs, seminars on manufacturing and machining technologies, tours of Mazak’s award-winning manufacturing plant, and new machine-tool introductions.  Attendees represented nearly all areas of application: power control, hydraulics, pumps, energy, aerospace, medical and many others.
            Also attending in official capacities were Steve Beshear, then-Kentucky Govenor-elect; Gary Convis, Executive Vice President (retired) and Senior Executive Advisor, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.; and James D. Waters, Vice President, Caterpillar Production System, Caterpillar, Inc.  Both Convis and Walters spoke for 30 minutes at consecutive invitation-only dinners at the Covington Convention Center. The second floor Ballroom was packed wall-to-wall with more than 1,100 attendees both nights. Beshear spoke of the importance of Mazak’s commitment to Kentucky’s economy; Convis and Waters presented “Lean Manufacturing” and how it works at their respective companies.
            Twenty-eight advanced technology machine tools under power cutting parts presented an unprecedented opportunity for attendees to see new applications and speak with the people cutting them.
            “All multi-tasking equipment is not equal,” said Brian Papke, Mazak Corporation (U.S.A.) president. “Today, Mazak builds specific multi-tasking equipment choices for small precision medical components up to large aerospace and heavy equipment parts. We’re constantly refining Mazak multi-tasking technologies to make them more available, so more industries will benefit and grow stronger from Done-in-One machining.”