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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
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
Manufacturing Cloud ERP – What Can We Agree Upon?
April 5, 2013 3:16 pm | by Pat Garrehy, President & CEO, Rootstock | CommentsAfter more than a decade of controversy, there is now unanimity of thought on many of the benefits and evolution of Cloud ERP. Indeed, today, there is common thinking among business and market analysts, software vendors, and system integrators about the role of this vital technology in a business environment. At last, this consensus is finally trickling down to end-users.
Reduce Electronic Waste Heat Without Breaking The Budget
April 5, 2013 3:13 pm | by Kimberley Dawn, CEO, Noren Products | CommentsThermal management has been one of the primary concerns for today’s industrial facilities that must rely on maximum performance of sophisticated and highly advanced computers and components. Excess heat generated by electronics, if left unchecked, can damage the effectiveness of components and other intricate equipment inside panels and enclosures.
Control The Flow
April 5, 2013 3:09 pm | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | CommentsControlled-volume metering pumps (also known as metering pumps, feed pumps, or dosing pumps) are reciprocating positive displacement pumps typically used for proportional liquid blending or metered single liquid transfer. These pumps need to be able to perform flawlessly, which means highly accurate, repeatable, and adjustable flow rates.
Understanding The True Value Of Anti-Seize
April 5, 2013 3:05 pm | by Michael Feeney, E.I.T., Henkel Corporation (Loctite® Brand Products) | CommentsAlthough the purpose of an anti-seize may be obvious due to its name, it is a subject not well understood and certainly under utilized. Anyone who has snapped the head off a bolt or screw would sympathize that a lot of time, blood, sweat, and maybe even tears, are wasted when anti-seize is an afterthought.
BMW Manufacturing Reports Record Production Volume
April 5, 2013 2:53 pm | CommentsBMW Manufacturing achieved another record production year. Annual production of 301,519 vehicles marks 2012 as the highest production volume in the Spartanburg, South Carolina plant’s 19-year history. This represents a nine percent increase over the production volume for 2011 (276,065). Since 2010, the plant’s production output has increased by 90 percent (159,284).
