These companies keep your car, gadgets working

Each time you look at your car, your mobile device or even your home appliances, you probably don't think of Dukane, Tox, or Ixmation.

These companies, along with others in the assembly industry, play an important role in making all those things work. They make components that make your life easier. They also serve the medical, military and other industries.

Dukane Corp. in St. Charles; TOX Pressotechnik in Warrenville; Ixmation Group in Roselle; and Genesis in St. Charles are among the 190 companies here and nationwide that will demonstrate their new technology at The Assembly Show on Oct. 28-30 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

"They do anything that's assembled," said Tom Esposito, publisher of Assembly magazine and host of the trade show. Troy, Mich.-based Assembly magazine has offices in Deerfield and is read by about 56,000 engineers and managers.

The trade show started in the 1980s in Rosemont, but then went to McCormick Place for a few years. It was brought back to Rosemont last year. It had 154 exhibitors that covered 35,000 square feet and had about 3,200 attendees last year.

This year, more than 190 exhibitors, over 49,000 square feet of space, and up to 4,000 attendees are expected, Esposito said.

While the show is expected to demonstrate the latest in automation, robots and other machines, it also will focus on issues related to the industry, such as reshoring or bringing back more manufacturing jobs to the United States, he said.

In addition, companies aim to meet growing demands for components.

"If GM's assembling Chevy Novas and demand for trucks is going up, the plant can shut down to retool and make more trucks," Esposito said. "They need to turn around quickly and need have to be faster to meet demands of the marketplace."

So yes, even the assembly has to master the art of the quick change.

And besides new technology in automation, there's new technology related to adhesives. It doesn't sound sexy, but new adhesives keep those parts together without the use of traditional screws. It's used a lot in cars, refrigerators and even airplanes, he said.

"There are less rattles and less moving parts and can be less expensive to use," he said.

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• Sprint said its network received a first-place RootScore Award for data performance at O'Hare International Airport, according to a recent report by RootMetrics, an independent mobile analytics firm that offers insights into the consumer mobile experience and tests the networks of the four major wireless carriers twice per year.

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