As most of you know by now, the trade show formerly known as Gear Expo is now the Motion + Power Technology Expo. If you're a gear-industry veteran, you might be confused by this change. If you've been coming to the show for years - or exhibiting at it - you might even feel a little betrayed. But I'm here to tell you it's going to be alright.

We’ve just come off a very strong year for gear manufacturing, and most of you are looking forward to another good year in 2019. At least, that’s what the results of our annual State-of-the-Gear-Industry survey tell us.

Technical articles have been the hallmark of Gear Technology since we first started publishing, more than 34 years ago, in 1984. One of the achievements Iâ??m most proud of is the development of the GT LIBRARY at geartechnology.com, where you can find every single one of those articles, going all the way back to the beginning.

IMTS 2018 was the biggest ever, no matter how you want to measure it. With 129,415 registrations, the show far surpassed the previous record of 121,764 set twenty years ago, in 1998. There were also more exhibiting companies (2,563) taking up more floor space (1,424,232 sq. ft.) than ever before.

Don't let your busy schedule keep you from making the most of the great opportunity that is IMTS 2018.

Will tariffs and quotas affect your ability to operate in the fourth quarter this year?

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At most family reunions, everyone gets along, everyone puts on a good face, and everyone celebrates their togetherness. The AGMA annual convention held at the end of April was a lot like that.

Last issue, when I went over the results from our annual State of the Gear Industry survey, I was being too nice. Sure, there's still a lot of optimism about the business climate. Gear manufacturers are mostly busy. For most, 2018 looks like it will be at least a little better than 2017. But there are dark clouds ahead, and they've been building for some time.

It's probably no surprise to anyone that the majority of the gear industry had a pretty good year in 2017, and that most gear manufacturers are expecting a pretty good 2018 as well. After all, most major economic indicators - including the ones that focus on the manufacturing sector - have been positive for some time.