Many happy returns: PES celebrates two decades of publishing

Way back in May 1997, a new magazine rolled off the printing press for the first time. Aimed squarely at meeting the needs of manufacturing and production engineers working in the metalcutting and metal forming sectors, Production Engineering Solutions celebrates its 20^th birthday this month.

PES’ publisher and founder, David Rose has been connected with the machine tool industry for nearly 45 years. These days at the age of 67, semi-retirement means his PES duties are interspersed with tennis (until recently he was chairman of his local club) and travelling, but he remains actively involved with the business.

David’s first encounter with the machine tool industry was back in 1973 when he applied for a job with RK International – a supplier of quality machine tools since 1951 and still going strong today. “I initially applied for a vacancy as office manager but I’ve never been that good at interviews so I tended to over-compensate with somewhat ‘over the top’ enthusiasm,” he recalls. “Something must have worked because they offered me a job – as a machine tool salesman!”

A series of promotions at RK resulted in David aspiring to the position of sales director – a role that marked his first exposure to the publishing world because it involved managing the company’s editorial and advertising campaigns, liaising directly with the trade magazines of the day. One of these publications was Machinery magazine – then owned by Findlay Publications and now the Mark Allen Group; David joined the magazine as a salesman in 1984 and was later promoted to the position of sales manager. He spent 13 successful years on the publication.

“I enjoyed my time on Machinery as it built on relationships I’d already established whilst at RK,” David explains, “but all good things eventually come to an end. The company introduced an additional layer of management that I found unworkable so we went our separate ways. I was effectively made redundant in 1997 – but I remember a specific line in a letter I subsequently sent to all my business contacts which stated in true Arnold Schwarzenegger fashion: ‘I’ll be back’!

Home from home

And return he did. Bills and a mortgage needed to be paid and his two children were at university at the time so there was no time for reflection. He’d always liked the idea of starting his own magazine and this was an opportune time to make his aspirations a reality. He joined forces with MIT Publishing’s current co-owner Liam McCauley in 1997 and Production Engineering Solutions was born. MIT Publishing became a limited company in 1998, and David became joint managing director and co-owner.

“Like all new business ventures, it was pretty tough in the beginning,” he affirms. “My wife Sheila spent countless hours stuffing envelopes, sending out mailings and managing the admin side of things and I found myself in the car most of the time travelling the length and breadth of the country knocking on doors and visiting customers.

“In those early years I spent more time in Travel Lodges than I did at home but it was worth it,” he adds. “Looking back, launching PES was a natural evolution for me; I’d always really enjoyed working in the industry and I’ll be forever grateful to customers like XYZ and CGTech who supported the magazine from day one and continue to do so to this day.”

One of PES’ differentiating factors has always been its size. Until January 2011, its A3 form factor distinguished the magazine from the competition and after that date a more compact B4 format means it occupies a territory somewhere between A4 and A3.

“We actually ‘borrowed’ the format from an electronics manufacturing magazine that Liam was publishing called Electronics Manufacturing Products,” David comments. “PES’ has always been easy to read and that’s an objective that is still important today. You’ll find it in company foyers on coffee tables, on the shopfloor and in the offices. I think that ‘readability’ factor is integral to its success.”

Looking back

A quick look back at the inaugural May 1997 issue will no doubt rekindle memories for many readers. Unbelievably, XYZ Machine Tools took an advert on the inside front cover extolling the virtues of Prototrak mills, bed type milling machines and Proturn lathes. 20 years on, XYZ is still on the inside front cover; the March 2017 issue features an advertisement showcasing the company’s latest range of LR linear rail ball bearing slide VMCs.

Other advertisers in the first issue include 600 Centre, Hitachi Seiki, Dugard, Erwin Junker, Pathtrace, Hunton swing grinders, Hurco, CGTech, Enerpac Workholding, Kitagawa and Shell Oils.

On the editorial side, readers learned how Hitachi Seiki had signed a Preferred Supplier agreement with Benetton F1; that the Bridgeport ‘sales person of the year’ award had gone to Mike Williams for sales of £3.9 million across the Central and Southern regions of the UK; and that Ajax Machine Tools was representing Goratu in the UK. Additionally, the new range of Primax cobalt shank cutters from Dormer claimed a 700% improvement in tool life!

Industrial revolutions

In a world dominated by advancing technology, we’re regularly confronted by buzzwords like Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, Big Data, additive manufacturing and 3D printing. It’s an industry that never sleeps and there’s no doubt we’re on the cusp of big changes in the manufacturing world as data and systems seamlessly interconnect and parts are manufactured, heaven forbid, by adding material rather than subtracting it.

Although David Rose cites all of the above, along with advances in materials technology, like Graphene, as being key to the future of manufacturing, he is in no doubt that the advent of CNC was the biggest revolution during his working life.

“In 1973 when I started with RK nearly everything was manual,” he says. “Then we started to see the introduction of tape programs and NC – in fact, if I remember correctly, the first NC machine tool I ever saw was produced by Molins, a tobacco machine manufacturer based in London who developed the System 24 for their own use. Then CNC machines evolved and changed everything.

“Of course, a somewhat regrettable but unavoidable by-product of advancing technology is that the industry has become less labour intensive. Today the UK manufacturing fraternity is much smaller but far more specialised and high-tech than it was with much of the high volume, low complexity parts that we used to manufacture disappearing overseas to low-wage countries, never to return.

“Now it’s all about more productivity with less people, but this is a transition that’s absolutely essential if we are to remain a leading player on the global stage. This is tinged with some sadness though – I remember MTA (then the MTTA) dinners held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London where there were so many tables that they fully occupied two complete floors. Those events were packed to the rafters year after year – and of course, the early MACH exhibitions spanned an entire fortnight including weekends.”

Solid foundations

Just as UK manufacturing has evolved, so has PES. The brand in 2017 fully encompasses the digital world with a modern, fully functional website, active social media channels and a range of online marketing opportunities – however the magazine, 20 years on, remains a cornerstone of the business.

“We understand that our readers and advertisers need multi-platform outlets and as a business we need to accommodate that,” concludes editorial director, Dave Tudor. “Whilst the past year has seen MIT Publishing invest significantly in its digital products, the magazine remains as relevant as it was in 1997.”

Production Engineering Solutions www.pesmedia.com