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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Rugged Computers Enable True Workforce Mobility
April 24, 2013 10:35 am | by Dale Kyle, CEO of Handheld US | CommentsWirelessness alone doesn't make for truly usable mobile devices — just ask the professionals who’ve dropped cell phones into water, vibrated tablets to death on their dashboards, or watched PDA screens shatter as they hit the ground. To continue to drive true workforce mobility, data devices need to be compact, connectable, quick and able to withstand whatever they encounter — whether that’s a river, a sandstorm or a warehouse floor.
A Vegetable Packing Plant Saves Time And Money
April 24, 2013 8:00 am | by BDI | CommentsA national producer of canned fruits and vegetables had to halt production on its conveyor line whenever the type of product to be filled changed. For dry fill production, the setup uses gravity fillers, which are mounted under a vibrating hopper and rely on gravity to fill the cans.
Practical Advice For Virtualizing Your Manufacturing Applications
April 23, 2013 8:05 am | by Frank Hill, Director of Manufacturing Business Development, Stratus Technologies | CommentsAs manufacturers continue to increase plant automation, virtualization is gaining traction as a way to control costs, increase efficiencies, and drive better long-term planning. Virtualization, the practice of using a software layer to let one physical computing server run multiple applications on virtual machines, enables manufacturers to maximize their return on hardware investments while conserving real estate on the plant floor.
How Wearable Technology Is Transforming Facilities
April 23, 2013 8:00 am | by Mark Wheeler, Director of Supply Chain Solutions - North America, Motorola Solutions | CommentsMobile devices are necessary tools to increase the efficiency and productivity of workers across many industries and markets, including the warehouse. But wearable, voice-directed and multimodal mobile technologies are helping to transform the warehouse environment at an even faster pace than standard mobile tools in other markets.
Engineering Answers: Fail Faster
April 19, 2013 8:00 am | by Chris Fox, Associate Editor, PD&D | CommentsAs the market gap between hobbyist makers and professional engineers continues to close, desktop 3D printing is emerging as the next golden nugget in prototyping and small-scale manufacturing. MakerBot has been at the cusp of this revolution.
CAGI Data Sheets: An Apples To Apples Performance Comparison
April 17, 2013 8:00 am | by Werner Rauer, Compressors Product Manager, Kaeser Compressors, Inc. | CommentsComparing compressor performances across different manufacturers has long been a difficult task. For a many years, it was all too easy to present data that, although accurate, was potentially misleading. Manufacturers were selective about what information they published as well as what conditions they chose to specify performance. The result was a numbers game that the buyer frequently lost.
How to Choose A Manufacturing System
April 16, 2013 8:05 am | by Jean Huy, senior director of product marketing for ERP, Sage North America | CommentsOur experience has taught us that people need more than just product information; they also need other kinds of input to make sound decisions about their accounting and manufacturing software. Use these questions to determine just how ready your company is to adopt a new manufacturing system.
Performance Plans Create Results, Maximize Performance
April 12, 2013 8:00 am | by Timothy F. Bednarz, Ph.D., Author & Publisher, Majorium Business Press | CommentsA performance plan differs from a conventional plan in that it is a proactive document. It is designed for continuous use throughout the year as a guide and reference tool to direct the leader and his or her unit's activities. The primary purpose of a performance plan is to create results and maximize performance.
How To Benefit From Mobile, From The Floor To The Field
April 9, 2013 4:30 pm | CommentsYes, there’s a place for mobile in manufacturing. Seven, actually. Today’s mobile solutions can help your business run more profitably and predictably, by putting the right tools and information right where they’re needed. Load tablets with videos, manuals and instructions to deliver the training and education employees need, where they need it most — on the floor.
ISM: Manufacturing Dips, Remains In Positive Territory
April 9, 2013 8:00 am | by Jon Minnick, Associate Editor, MBT | CommentsAlthough U.S. manufacturing declined in March, it continues a positive push into 2013. “The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Index was 51.3 in March, down from 54.2 in February but is still above 50, the dividing point between growth and decline,” said Daniel J. Meckstroth, Chief Economist for the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI).
American Built, Building America
April 8, 2013 8:00 am | by Michelle Avila | CommentsMore than a quarter century after hitting its peak, U.S. manufacturing appears to be back. More and more companies from Apple to General Electric, Ford and Caterpillar, are deciding to make their products here. But what is behind this manufacturing renaissance? Why are companies bringing back jobs and what makes those companies think they can succeed?
How To Develop A Welder
April 5, 2013 3:49 pm | by Anna Wells, Executive Editor, IMPO | CommentsAccording to a 2011 article in Welding & Gases Today , the welding industry is poised for significant growth over the next decade. But with well over 200,000 available welding jobs predicted, the industry is not exactly jumping for joy. In fact, this key area of metalworking has long been known for the skill gap it consistently faces. So what’s the problem, who will solve it, and – perhaps most importantly – how?
Industry Profile: Phillip Slater, Founder of SparePartsKnowHow.com
April 5, 2013 3:27 pm | Comments"Because spare parts are different.” It sounds like common sense, but Phillip Slater will tell you that it’s not always intuitive for manufacturers to view spare parts as a unique area, especially due to some pervasive myths that exist around inventory reduction.
Such Great Heights
April 5, 2013 3:24 pm | by Anna Wells, Executive Editor, IMPO | CommentsMuch like the rest of the physical world, the manufacturing environment is constantly battling against the challenges of time and space. And when it comes to space constraints, as cost conscious manufacturers know, it can often be more economical to go up than out. But when work platforms, or mezzanines, enter the mix, so do a host of potential safety issues.
China Is The World’s Largest Manufacturer, And By An Increasing Margin
April 5, 2013 3:19 pm | by Daniel J. Meckstroth, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Economist, MAPI | CommentsChina1 displaced the United States as the world’s largest manufacturing nation in 2010 and widened its lead in 2011, according to recently published data from the United Nations. Manufacturing value-added in China totaled $2.35 trillion in 2011 while U.S. manufacturing value-added was $1.90 trillion.2
