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mmsonline.com August 2017 MMS 71 FEATURE T here are a couple of primary reasons hundreds of companies each year participate in our Top Shops be nchmar k ing sur vey. O ne re ason is because the survey highlights the technologies, processes and strategies that leading companies are applying, both on the shop floor and in the front office. Another is that the participation in the survey enables shops to see how their key per- formance metrics compare to industry leaders. F o r t h i s o u r p r o g r a m's s e v e n t h e d i t i o n , responses from 356 surveys were considered in the data calculations. The benchmarking group we established (the top 20 percent of shops based on tallying scores of select survey ques- tions) is what we call the "Top Shops." What's exciting about this year is that, in addition to conducting another successful sur vey, we will be hosting our inaugural Top Shops Conference, September 5 to 7, in Indianapolis, Indiana, where we'll present this year's findings as well as host d i s c u s s i o n s a b o u t a r a n g e o f m a c h i n i n g - and business-related topics (see my commentary o n p a g e 2 0 f o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t the conference). Responses to all of this year's survey questions are available in the Top Shops Executive Summary that can be accessed at mmsonline.com/topshops . Here are some highlights from the responses in the survey's four main categories, including a key performance indicator, a top practice and a notice- able trend for each. MACHINING TECHNOLOGY Screw-machine shops were the first to adopt multifunction CNC Swiss-type lathes. Today, an increasing number of " traditional" shops are considering this machining platform to, in some cases, produce complex parts complete, reduc- ing setups, secondary operations and work-in- process. The goal in using this equipment is to minimize the number of times a part is touched during production. In fact, 32 percent of this year's Top Shops use this equipment, up from 19 percent last year. In addition, more than half of them use HMCs, which can offer higher spindle uptime than VMCs thanks to their dual-pallet design that enables a new job to be set up on one pallet while machin- ing is performed on the other pallet. Other equip- ment Top Shops are more likely to use include five-axis machines (more for positioning in five a xe s not full contouring) and multiple -turret lathes, and they also are more likely to perform advanced operations such as hard milling, hard turning and high-speed machining. As with capital equipment, Top Shops also tend to adopt more sophisticated tooling technol- ogy and strategies compared to other shops. A higher percentage use custom/specialty tools, balanced tool assemblies, and tools with internal coolant delivery. In addition, 71 percent of Top Shops, compared to 47 percent of other shops, h a v e o n - m a c h i n e p r o b i n g c a p a b i l i t y t o automatically measure tools and/or check for tool breakage. Leading shops also use workholding equip- ment such as quick-change devices, multiple- workpiece fixturing, vacuum chucks and tomb- stones to maximize spindle utilization. Key Per formance Indicator—Top Shops Bar-fed Swiss-type lathes can enable long stretches of unattended operations. Thirty-two percent of this year's Top Shops use this equipment, up from 19 percent last year.