Come Together

Even though the lyrics of the Beatles’ classic “Come Together” are largely nonsense, it’s hard to think of the chorus as anything but an anthem for cooperation and harmony. Basically, when things come together, this is the soundtrack.

So now that I’ve put the idea in your head, you probably can’t help but hear it in the background as I tell you about some cool things happening in our industry.

[cue the baseline…]

♪♪♪♩

Every year, the members of the American Gear Manufacturers Association and American Bearing Manufacturers Association come together at the two organizations’ combined annual meeting.

This year, the AGMA and ABMA really came together.

At the annual meeting in Austin, TX, the two groups voted to merge the associations under the umbrella of the newly formed Motion + Power Manufacturers Alliance.

This is a historic change. Each organization has more than a century of rich history. As someone who got to witness some of the behind-the-scenes discussions, I can assure you that it’s a change the leaders of AGMA and ABMA didn’t take lightly. It came after thousands of hours of discussions with members, multiple town hall meetings and very thoughtful deliberation by dedicated leaders on both sides.

Over the past decade or more, we’ve all witnessed consolidation of our industries, with the big getting bigger and the small getting absorbed or disappearing. We’ve also seen a convergence of roles within organizations, with one engineer responsible for gears, bearings and much more, a trend amplified by the push for more systems-based solutions as opposed to individual components.

Gears and bearings have always gone together, but this seems to make more sense now than it ever has before.

You can read about some of the thought process and reasoning behind the merger in the Voices article (p. 10) by Michael Cinquemani, the outgoing Chairman of the Board for AGMA, and Matt Frady, the outgoing Chairman of the Board for ABMA, who talk about building an organization that will last at least another 100 years.

What’s clear from their message is that both associations are stronger than either would be alone. Members get more value, resources and opportunities, and the two industries gain a stronger, united voice.

What’s also clear is that despite this joining of forces, the hard-earned reputation and recognition of the AGMA and ABMA names will remain. The pride of being an AGMA or ABMA member will continue.

Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah, oh
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, Right now, Over me