Management

Students in the University of Washington's mechanical engineering program successfully petitioned the Dean of Engineering for a new furnace at the school's Engineering Instructional Shop as a replacement for an antiquated, unreliable, smaller unit. The new furnace, a model HL7-P36 from Lucifer Furnaces Inc., Warrington, Pa., with a work chamber of 18"x24"x36", will allow students to heat treat more parts in-house.

Jenoptik Industrial Metrology has announced a 2014 event, The Better Parts Challenge., where U.S. manufacturers send their part quality challenges  to be reviewed by the Rochester Hills, Mich.-based metrology manufacturer's experts. These challenges will be reviewed  at "road shows" across the U.S., showing how Jenoptik measuring devices and software can help manufacturers make better quality parts and potentially reduce the cost of production.

A mobile digital edition app to view Cutting Tool Engineering magazine on smartphones and tablets is now available.

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), Fairfax, Va., announced that it awarded a record number of credentials last year to individuals seeking to enter into or advance in jobs in the metalworking industry. In 2013, NIMS issued 13,888 industry-recognized credentials, representing a 58.8 percent increase from 2012.

Minneapolis machine shop NTM Inc. was named a partner in the KOMET SERVICE network and will provide localized tool regrinding and refurbishment services for tools from KOMET and other toolmakers, as well as sell standard and special KOMET solid-carbide tools.  

Seco Tools, Troy, Mich., was recognized for participating in the John Deere Cost Reduction Opportunities Process (JD CROP), part of Deere & Company's Achieving Excellence program. The toolmaker received the honor for the quality of its cost-reduction ideas and for demonstrating its commitment to continuous improvement, according to Seco.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in January for the eighth consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 56th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. Yet, the January PMI registered 51.3 percent, a decrease of 5.2 percentage points from December's seasonally adjusted reading of 56.5 percent.

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), vice chair of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, released a new report detailing the revitalization in U.S. manufacturing. The report shows over 500,000 have been added jobs since February 2010, up 38% since 2009 and exceeding the industry's pre-recession peak for exports.

Third Wave Systems, a Minneapolis-based provider of machining modeling technology, has been awarded a $3 million contract by the U.S.  Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. The contract, one of the largest funded projects in Third Wave's 20-year history, is to expand its metalcutting simulation solutions to composite materials used on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Michigan Manufacturing International (MMI), a supplier of mechanical assemblies and components, opened its  new headquarters in Stevensville, Md., on Thursday, Nov. 21.