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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Solar Carports: Refueling Stations Of The Future
January 21, 2013 8:08 am | by Seth Cutler, GE Energy’s Industrial Solutions business | CommentsSolar photovoltaic (PV) technology has been around for most of the 20th century; however it has only made financial and commercial sense in the last five to 10 years. The growth of the PV industry has been driven by the improving economics associated with a PV install as a result of cost reductions and incentives.
A Closer Look At The American Taxpayer Relief Act Of 2012
January 21, 2013 8:00 am | by Mary Balmer, CPA, director of research and development for Sage North America | CommentsThe American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, signed into law on January 2, 2013, avoids the scheduled increases to individual income tax rates for most Americans andextends a host of expired and expiring tax provisions for both individuals and businesses. A sigh of relief has been heard as at least one portion of the fiscal cliff was narrowly averted. It also ends the long and acrimonious debate over the Bush-era tax cuts.
USMTO: U.S. Manufacturing Tech Orders Up From 2011
January 18, 2013 8:00 am | CommentsNovember U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $421.83 million according to AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was down 11.0 percent from October and down 8.5 percent when compared with the total of $460.86 million reported for November 2011. With a year-to-date total of $5,212.17 million, 2012 was up 4.8 percent compared with 2011.
When Lightning Strikes Your Plant Floor
January 16, 2013 8:08 am | by John Amann, Vice President of First Aid & Safety, Cintas Corporation | CommentsSeveral disaster-related hazards can impact your business including, fires, natural disasters, chemical spills, medical emergencies, blackouts and more. Preparing a disaster plan that details how to maintain safety and productivity, and reviewing it with employees can help your business be proactive and ensure the correct reactive solutions are onsite to limit the impact of workplace emergencies.
How To Ensure A Motor’s Energy Efficiency
January 15, 2013 8:08 am | by Baldor Electric Company | CommentsSince the inception of the first industrial electric motors, manufacturers have been developing technology to produce better motors which use the least amount of energy possible. While perhaps increasing the efficiency of electric motors is not a relatively new phenomenon, the last several decades of technological advancements in motors, as well as manufacturing methods, has vastly improved the efficiency of electric motors.
Rugged Tablet Evolution: What’s Next?
January 14, 2013 8:05 am | by Tom Callahan, General Manager & Chief Technology Officer, QRC Technologies | CommentsThe industry as a whole has come a long way since the rack-mounted era, but industrial computing’s nuanced operational requirements have driven an evolutionary path quite different from its consumer counterparts — like the Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle or new Microsoft Surface.
Simple Ergonomic Steps To A More Productive Workplace
January 11, 2013 8:08 am | by Jim Norton, President, Custom Products & Services, Inc. | CommentsOccupational diseases often mean repeated surgery, intractable pain, inability to work, time off for the affected employee and, ultimately, higher costs for the employer. Here are four steps a company can take to address this growing problem.
Opening The Operator’s Eyes: Internal Inspections For Overhead Lifting Equipment
January 11, 2013 8:00 am | by Konecranes | CommentsAnyone who works with overhead lifting equipment will tell you that safety is absolutely crucial. From machine shop owners to warehouse floor managers, professionals who work in these environments understand how important it is to invest in the reliability and lifecycle of their heavy-duty equipment.
Five Ways To Minimize Manufacturing Downtime
January 9, 2013 8:08 am | by Tom Bonine, President, National Metal Fabricators | CommentsDowntime is dangerous to any manufacturing group. After all, the old saying that compares time to money is true. If people or machines are idle, then products are not being made, which certainly affects the business’s bottom line — minimizing manufacturing downtime makes money for a company.
Getting Your Capital Acquisition Process In Gear For The New Year
January 8, 2013 8:00 am | by Sudeep Menon Global Practice Leader - Equipment, Engineering and Construction at Procurian | CommentsTo compete and win in today’s marketplace, manufacturers have begun to re-evaluate what was once a technical undertaking and an administrative afterthought: the capital acquisition process. Changing the way that major equipment purchases are made is not easy, but the savings are real and measurable.
Enabling The Digital Plant
January 7, 2013 8:08 am | by Dan O’Brien, Global Leader, Collaborative Manufacturing, Honeywell Process Solutions | CommentsGlobalization is presenting industries with myriad challenges to growth, sustainability and profitability. Vertical markets across the process industries are confronted daily with these challenges, and compete in an increasingly rigorous environment marked by tighter regulation, growing margin pressures and an aging workforce, among other issues.
The Year Ends On A Better Note In U.S. Manufacturing
January 7, 2013 8:00 am | by Jon Minnick, Associate Editor, MBT | CommentsThe overall economy continued to grow for the 43rd consecutive month while economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded, moving the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) back over the 50 percent mark in December, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
From Innovation To Commercialization: Closing The Productivity Gap
January 4, 2013 8:02 am | by Michael Doyle, Ph.D., Director of Product Marketing and Principal Scientist, Accelrys | CommentsToday’s science-driven enterprises are increasingly challenged by a “productivity gap” that exists within the innovation-to-commercialization lifecycle. Errors that slow innovation to a halt are all too common due to disjointed processes, siloed information systems, and a lack of data visibility across the product discovery-design-test-manufacture continuum.
MAPI: Sluggish Expansion To Continue
January 2, 2013 8:00 am | by MAPI | CommentsWeak overall economic growth persisted in the third quarter of 2012, increasing by 2.7 percent, and the sluggish pace characteristic of the current expansion is likely to continue, according to the quarterly Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation U.S. Industrial Outlook (EO-115), a report that analyzes 27 major industries.
How to Maintain Your Conveyor System Like a Pro
December 21, 2012 8:09 am | by Diane Blair, Director of Customer Service Field Operations, Intelligrated & Ryan Balzer, Case Conveyor Product Manager, Intelligrated | CommentsMost manufacturing and distribution warehouses rely on conveyor systems to keep their daily operations running. Fortunately, well-trained operators and maintenance technicians can reduce the risk of conveyor downtime by executing a preventive maintenance plan. In addition to avoiding the stress of missed shipment deadlines and lost profits, preventive maintenance keeps conveyors running at peak efficiency.
