E-Archive

MFN Trainer Column

in Vol. 8 - July Issue - Year 2007
Once upon a time...
MFN Trainer Peter Beckmerhagen

MFN Trainer Peter Beckmerhagen

This column is a regular feature and is written by one of our MFN trainers or the Editorial Office. Readers are invited to send comments or questions to info@mfn.li. For more information about the trainers, see our website www.mfn.li/trainers.

in a little country in Europe, there was a man who had a unique vision. 
It was his idea to create a magazine and a platform for people interested in information on shot peening, blasting, vibratory finishing in particular and surface treatment.

Thus the idea of MFN was born, but what about the realization of such a project? This could not be done alone. Help would be needed to transform the idea into reality.

It did not take a long time to convince two partners and after a few brainstorming meetings with the new partners, all three were equally enthusiastic and the decision was made in November 1999 to move forward with the project as a team.

In the fall of 2000 the first issue, with 12 black and white pages, was ready to be mailed to a relatively small readership throughout the world, interested in shot peening, blasting, vibratory finishing and its applications.

Even with all the overwhelming challenges, gathering information and publishing a magazine, it was still not enough for the young engineer from Switzerland and it was decided at the end  of  2000 to start organizing workshops focused on training those involved in Shot Peening. The first workshop organized solely by MFN was successfully held in Singapore at the end of 2002, with only a handful of trainers.

Many things have happened since the birth of the idea in 1999. MFN is now publishing 6 issues every year with 72 pages in a high-quality full colour format, and it is distributed and read in 64 countries on 4 continents. The magazine features now a number of different regular editorials such as interviews with key persons in the industry, the latest news and technical updates in the industry to mention just a few.

The MFN trainer team has grown since 2002 into a global team of 32 trainers from 13 different countries. The current workshop curriculum is the result of a team effort with contributions from every single trainer. Combining the knowledge and experience of so many experts in one training program makes it unique and it is setting a new world standard. This standard of excellence was recognized by the FAA in 2004 when the training program and the examinations received official acceptance from the institution. In 2006 MFN became a Partner in Education in Nadcap.

International workshops have now become annual events. The training programs are available in 6 different languages and made available through local workshops and on-site trainings held on demand.

Although the success of MFN is ultimately a team effort, without the initiative and passion of one person who brought this team together we would not be where we are today. On behalf of the entire trainer team I would like to thank the “young engineer from Switzerland”, Steven Baiker, for his continued efforts. Not only was it his idea initially to publish the magazine, he is still the backbone today, and is responsible for bringing us all together into a shot peening community that spans the globe. Steven has established a global platform for the open exchange of information between experts, scientists, process managers, end users and all other people interested in shot peening and surface enhancement. This is an achievement to be proud of and it is my hope that his dedication to the MFN magazine and workshops may never end. Thank you Steven, from all of us in the global community of shot peening, blasting and vibratory finishing.
Best Regards

Peter Beckmerhagen
peter@mfn.li

Author: Peter Beckmerhagen