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Manufacturing Engineering

Survey: U.S. manufacturers ready to embrace Industry 4.0

The U.S. manufacturing industry is rushing to embrace technology as a critical part of its processes and plans to make new technological investments in 2017, but barriers to Industry 4.0 adoption still exist, according to Automation Alley’s 2017 Technology Industry Report. According to the report, 85% of national manufacturing executives said their company plans to increase budgets for technological advancements; nearly a third of them plan to increase their budgets by 10% to 15%.

Look Ahead: Remotely interesting monitoring

03/16/2017
Author:
Michael C. Anderson
One roadblock for parts makers to begin implementing Industrial Internet of Things technology is psychological: Implementation sounds like a big, time-consuming undertaking. It can be, of course. But a good way to start might be to take about 20 minutes and fire up Smart Attend, an all-in-one manufacturing-facility communication system from Smart Attend Inc.
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As available jobs increase, manufacturers get that old school spirit

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that hiring in December 2016 was at a four-month high, while the number of manufacturing hires tied that of November for its best monthly performance since 2010. Separately, the BLS said that manufacturing companies created 5,000 new jobs in January for a second straight month of growth. That’s good news for those who remember the dark days of the Great Recession—but for employers who have more work to be done than workers to do it, it’s a headache. One solution has been to reach that next generation early—while they’re finishing high shool.

Mfg. & design tech courses now available online

Chicago-based Digital Manufacturing and Design Institute has opened enrollment for the first three of a planned 10 online "101"-style courses on manufacturing and design technology. Developed in partnership with the University at Buffalo and coordinated by The Center for Industrial Effectiveness for the Coursera online learning platform, Digital Manufacturing and Design Technology launches on Jan. 30.

Manufacturing and millennials

12/30/2016
Author:
Alan Richter
On the one hand, many employers in the manufacturing industry view millennials as being self-absorbed, unfocused, disloyal, addicted to mobile devices and lazy. On the other, most millennials don’t view a career in manufacturing as something they want to pursue.
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Going to New Orleans

12/01/2016
Author:
Don Nelson
There was plenty to see, eat, drink, hear and learn at the United States Cutting Tool Institute’s 2016 Fall Meeting, held in New Orleans Oct. 15-17.
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NIST: Fortify Manufacturing, Save $100 Billion, by Closing Tech Gaps

To spur significant innovation and growth in advanced manufacturing, as well as save over $100 billion annually, U.S. industry must rectify currently unmet needs for measurement science and "proof-of-concept" demonstrations of emerging technologies. This is the overall conclusion reached by economic studies funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of four advanced manufacturing areas used to create everything from automobile composites to zero-noise headsets.

Manufacturers to President-Elect: We are the solution

Following the election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) released a letter from more than 1,100 manufacturing and business leaders pledging to help bring the country together after a divisive election. NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons also pledged manufacturers’ efforts to find ways to work with the president-elect and the 115th Congress on the pressing issues facing the country.