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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Engineering: A Crucial Element Of A Burgeoning Firearms Industry
June 19, 2013 8:00 am | by ATW | Articles | CommentsFirearm sales have increased exponentially over the past few years, and forecasts are continuing to escalate, reflecting an increase in the popularity of hunting, a rise in the desire for personal protection, and a variety of other socio-economic factors. As manufacturers seek to meet demand while decreasing costs, reducing weight, and increasing durability, the spotlight is turning to engineering and design capabilities in the industry.
We Need More Vocational Training
June 17, 2013 4:54 pm | by Mike Collins, author of Saving American Manufacturing | Blogs | CommentsThe concept of “everyone should go to college” is finally being questioned, which I think is long overdue. In fact, the U.S. Labor Department says that most jobs (69 percent in 2010) don’t require a post high school degree.To get an idea of what the economy is going to offer in the next ten years, look for the Labor Department chart titled “Occupations with the largest job growth, 2010 and projected 2020.”
An Easy Reach: Industrial Ergonomics
June 17, 2013 4:45 pm | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | Articles | CommentsErgonomics can be thought of as much like a dinner table setting: Everything should be in easy reach and no one should have to reach too far or stretch into an unnatural position to get at what they need, says Ed Metzger, president of BioFit. “By ensuring that workers have the freedom to move comfortably and naturally, companies can prevent many of the musculoskeletal injuries and fatigue that leads to lost time and productivity.”
Toshiba: Made In America
June 17, 2013 3:34 pm | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | Articles | CommentsMany don’t think of Toshiba as an American-made brand, especially when it comes to the U.S. automotive market. And for quite some time, that was true. Since 2003, Toshiba had manufactured HEV motors for Ford Motor Company at its Japan facility. But in 2011, under the weight of supply chain pressures and growing currency risks, Toshiba Industrial Corporation began manufacturing motors for Ford’s hybrid vehicles in Houston, TX.
June 2013: Toshiba, Made In America
June 13, 2013 10:49 am | Digital Editions | CommentsIn this issue, check out the 2013 Jobs Report, which feature's American-made Toshiba HEV engines, veterans in today's skilled labor jobs, the latest industry numbers, how manufacturers can take back American-made, and more.
GM Tells Analysts It's Making Progress On Costs
June 12, 2013 1:39 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors says it's making progress cutting costs to improve profit margins. The company's product development chief, Mary Barra, tells analysts GM is saving money by using the same parts on many vehicles. It also has moved parts suppliers closer to factories to cut shipping costs.
U.S.-China Climate Deal Was Long In The Works
June 12, 2013 9:47 am | by Josh Lederman, Associated Press | News | CommentsAlthough it took most proponents by surprise, the deal was in the bag before President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the California desert retreat where they announced it over the weekend. And for China, it came only after a change in financial incentives made it more lucrative to get on board.
EEOC Sues Over Criminal Background Checks
June 12, 2013 9:45 am | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed lawsuits Tuesday against discount retailer Dollar General Corp. and a BMW manufacturing plant in South Carolina over their use of criminal background checks to screen out job applicants or fire employees.
Strong Tours Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of
June 12, 2013 8:05 am | by Cory Schaeffer, Co-Founder of Listen Technologies | Blogs | CommentsHumans are curious creatures. We like to see how things work, and we want to know what makes things tick — we have a deep-seated desire to make a connection with our environment by understanding the process of creation. That, in part, is what is so appealing about facility tours.
How Iron Man Can Help Make It In America
June 11, 2013 8:05 am | by Mandy Mallott, Industrial Specialist, NIST MEP | Blogs | CommentsCommunities investing in manufacturing and economic development apply the same techniques as Iron Man, working in a region, scanning the environment and applying resources (tax incentives, workforce development and infrastructure upgrades instead of repulsor rays) to come out on top with robust economic growth.
A Model For American Manufacturing Growth
June 11, 2013 8:00 am | by Kevin Duggan, Duggan Associates | Articles | CommentsAt the recent Building America conference at Hypertherm, Inc., one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of advanced plasma cutting systems, something amazing happened: the 50+ customers and distributors in attendance stopped a Q&A session with the president to praise the company for its success in supplying a high quality product, delivering performance and exceeding customer expectations.
Make RCA Easier With PROACT Templates Webinar
June 10, 2013 2:52 pm | by Reliability Center, Inc. | EventsWhere do you start in an analysis and how do you streamline and manage this process? Beat 'paralysis by analysis' with this valuable webinar where you will learn RCI's proven methods and tools that work! It's easy to become overwhelmed with so much information and so many options that one doesn't know where to start and how to keep it all organized.
Make RCA Easier With PROACT Templates Webinar
June 7, 2013 11:25 am | by Reliability Center, Inc. | EventsWhere do you start in an analysis and how do you streamline and manage this process? Beat 'paralysis by analysis' with this valuable webinar where you will learn RCI's proven methods and tools that work! It's easy to become overwhelmed with so much information and so many options that one doesn't know where to start and how to keep it all organized.
Where Has All The Training Gone?
June 4, 2013 8:05 am | by Robert Allen and Kathleen Bellemare, Connecticut Spring & Stamping | Articles | CommentsTraining is extremely important to the future of manufacturing in the United States, yet in many states, it has fallen by the wayside. Training for skilled manufacturing positions has been hit by a perfect storm of budget cuts and the mistaken idea that all young workers should go to college.
Does Your Storeroom Database Do This?
May 29, 2013 8:05 am | by Mike Dyson and James Rogers, Storeroom Solutions, Inc. | Blogs | CommentsHere’s a test. Go into your parts storeroom and try to find a part that you can’t match to any piece of equipment in your plant. It’s a very rare plant that doesn’t have a box of parts that no one is quite sure exactly where they go, but the storeroom is keeping, “just in case.”
Driving Out Costs Using Manufacturing Project Management
May 23, 2013 10:51 am | by Manufacturing Business Technology | Videos | CommentsProject management is particularly effective in a manufacturing environment, considering the number of variables involved such as maintenance schedules and projects, run times, and quality control. But if you're like a lot of manufacturers, project management is really a five-letter word.
Webinar: Clean Up The Process
May 22, 2013 2:41 pm | by Manufacturing Business Technology | EventsProject management is particularly effective in a manufacturing environment, considering the number of variables involved such as maintenance schedules and projects, run times, and quality control.
2013 Society of Manufacturing Engineers Annual Conference
May 22, 2013 11:36 am | by Society of Manufacturing Engineers | EventsSharing information, driving innovation in manufacturing and preparing an advanced manufacturing workforce will be the focus of the 2013 Society of Manufacturing Engineers Annual Conference to be held June 2-4, 2013, at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, Md.
Continuous Improvement: Real Improvement Or Mediocrity?
May 22, 2013 8:00 am | by Mark Latino, President, Reliability Center, Inc. | Blogs | CommentsIncremental improvements are more or less feel good measures that say to management “there was a problem and we did this to solve it.” In reality, most continuous improvements have come from technology advancements, not from employee performance advancements. Has the continuous improvement mentality caused manufacturing to settle for mediocrity?
Human Error Reduction Workshop
May 20, 2013 11:22 am | by Reliability Center, Inc. | EventsThis training provides attendees with the requisite skills and knowledge necessary to provide a rigorous understanding of human performance that will result in significantly reduced human errors and improved operational excellence in the workplace. this will answer the question "why" it happened.
Labor Productivity And Global Competiveness
May 20, 2013 8:00 am | by Simon Macpherson, Senior Director Operations, Kronos EMEA | Articles | CommentsWhen it comes to managing the workforce, very few industries are under more pressure than manufacturing. With tremendous price competition from developing countries and a world where products can be replicated across the globe and transported with ease, manufactures need to look at every aspect of their operations for competitive advantage and productivity improvements.
Crash Course: Spacer Shaft Alignment
May 16, 2013 8:03 am | by LUDECA Inc. | Videos | CommentsMisalignment between machines can cause unscheduled downtime, increased power consumption, and increased vibration. In this video, LUDECA focuses on spacer shaft alignments, describing the unique benefits, tolerances, and alignment methods specific to spacer shaft machines using laser alignment equipment.
MRO Data Key To Unlocking Cost Savings & Operational Efficiency
May 15, 2013 8:00 am | by IHS | Articles | CommentsMaintenance, repair and operations (MRO) groups at many companies are facing a major challenge: toxic MRO master catalogs stuffed with incomplete data on replacement parts, a problem that drives up costs and creates large-scale problems for multiple corporate divisions.
Mind The Gap
May 14, 2013 8:05 am | by Neil Mehltretter, System Design and Engineering Manager, Kaeser Compressors, Inc. | Blogs | CommentsVariable speed control compressors can be an important component of an optimized system provided that it is properly applied. Variable speed is not, however, a simple panacea for instant compressed air system efficiency. The dynamics of the control must be understood and the machines properly sized.
By The Numbers
May 10, 2013 3:42 pm | by Anna Wells, Executive Editor, IMPO | Articles | CommentsConveying equipment can’t just keep getting faster – it has to get smarter as well. Learn how market conditions, design elements, and maintenance issues work together to create positive trends in the conveyor industry.
