Management

Money as a motivational tool can take the form of an employee's pay rate, commissions, bonuses and, perhaps once a certain level of seniority is reached, paid health insurance premiums. Not only do employees like it, but it's often a simpler solution. Adding a few bucks to a paycheck is a lot faster and easier than establishing many other incentives.

States near the Marcellus Shale, a huge natural gas formation centered in Pennsylvania, are feverishly pursuing a $4 billion ethane “cracker” to be built by Royal Dutch Shell. The cracker will process ethane-rich gas from the Marcellus Shale into ethylene, and the ethylene will be used by the pharmaceutical, chemical and plastics industries. The plant will create 10,000 construction jobs and several hundred permanent jobs.

At my shop and others I've been in contact with, cash flow and timely payment have become issues that require greater scrutiny. If that's the case at your shop, dealing with them effectively will be a test of your management skills.

United Grinding Technologies Inc. celebrated 30 years in its Fredericksburg, Va., location with an open house on Feb. 22 and 23. The event included technical presentations, facility tours and a ribbon-cutting event for the newly expanded and renovated facility.

It's getting to be a broken record. February was another up month for U.S. manufacturing as output increased 0.4 percent. Output rose 0.7 percent in January after jumping 1.5 percent in December—the biggest gain in 5 years. Also, U.S. manufacturers added 31,000 jobs in February, on top of adding 227,000 jobs in 2011. Of course, the big question is how long can this last?

As we climb out of the winter grind, we've all had our share of weighty issues to manage.

Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks ponders one of the metalworking industry's biggest challenges of late—filling numerous job vacancies.

In spite of my good intentions, trying to understand an employee's logic for engaging in certain behaviors can be bewildering, writes Manager's Desk columnist Keith Jennings in the May 2012 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.

Check out the Shop Operations column in the May 2012 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering to learn how a WWII-era Russian spy continues to serve as a cautionary tale about the perils of daydreaming.

My relationship with suppliers as of late can be summed up as, “no news is good news.” Even so, just as we like to receive gratitude and recognition from our customers, it's important to remember that our suppliers should be recognized and their value shouldn't be overlooked.