Industry News

News • July 3, 2017

The Atlantic: ‘Death of Manufacturing Exaggerated’

The sector has shrunk, but "it still draws more than a third of foreign direct investment in the country, and foreign companies still employ nearly 1 in 5 people in manufacturing jobs," the feature points out.

News • June 30, 2017

Start ’em old? 70-year-old graduates from welding course

Canada's CBC News reports on Allan Robichaud, who decided to go back to school at age 69—making him twice as old as his instructor—after nearly a decade of retirement. Now 70, he just completed a year-long course in welding and metal fabrication at New Brunswick Community College—the best year of his retirement, he said.

News • June 30, 2017

Start ’em young: Nebraska companies awarded grants to expose middle-schoolers to manufacturing

Omaha World-Herald: The grants, worth up to $175,000 each, are provided through a program proposed by Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and started in 2015 to help meet Nebraska's need for skilled workers. The initiative aims to reach middle school students and get them thinking about careers in manufacturing and technology. The companies will work with their local schools in developing the local programs.

News • June 30, 2017

Milling in Motion: Interesting Engineering’s ’10 Most Satisfying CNC Milling Machine Videos’

The Interesting Engineering web site has collected what it calls the "10 Most Satisfying CNC Milling Machine Videos on the Internet." Mazak, Datron, Ingersoll and Te-Co are among the companies represented. Cool visuals made possible by cool machines.

News • June 27, 2017

Study: automation may extend job losses beyond the factory floor

Communities with large numbers of residents who have only high school degrees or earn low salaries are at risk of losing many jobs to automation and offshoring, says a new report from Ball State University. "How Vulnerable Are American Communities to Automation, Trade and Urbanization?" also found that the rise of automation and offshoring could extend such job losses beyond the factory floor. n

News • June 27, 2017

The Lean Journey

"I wish I knew then what I know now". Who among us would disagree with that statement? Such is the case for so many things in life, and Lean is no different. As we all progress along our Lean journeys, we will sometimes pause and wonder why we didn't see certain things as we do now. It's important to remember that you can only make decisions based upon the data you have at the moment … so in other words, don't beat yourself up because you only achieved "better" and not "best." It is referred to as "continuous improvement" for that very reason – it's a process, not a magic bullet, and it takes time to do right.

News • June 16, 2017

Certification as a Manufacturing Skills-Gap Solution

An article at HR (as in Human Resources) Dive revisited the ongoing skills-gap issue, noting that "today's talent lacks the skills required to complete manufacturing tasks in a computerized world." Two experts—Mitch Free, chairman and CEO of ZYCI CNC Machining and founder of MFG.com, and Chris Hobbs, reliability solutions manager at Advanced Technology Services—make the case that certification programs offer "at least a partial solution" to the problem.

News • June 13, 2017

ARNO USA adds tech engineering support for Midwest

ARNO USA, Harvard, Ill., has hired Kevin S. McCabe as the company's new Regional Technical Support Engineer for the Midwest region of the country. McCabe will provide technical sales, engineering and training activities for ARNO USA's range of cutting tools over a four-state territory that includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.

News • June 13, 2017

Star Cutter Co. marks 90th anniversary

The Star Cutter Co., Farmington Hills, Mich., plans to mark its 90th anniversary throughout 2017 by reflecting on the company's past and future. Founded in 1927 by Howard B. Lawton and Frank Burgess, Star Cutter is a fourth-generation, family owned business and one of the oldest Michigan-based manufacturing companies.

News • June 12, 2017

Study: U.S. manufacturing, logistics industries grew dramatically over last generation

Contrary to public perception, U.S. manufacturing and logistics industries experienced dramatic growth over thepast generation, says a new report from Ball State University. U.S. manufacturing production grew 11 percent since the dot.com bust (2000-03) and the ensuing economic turbulence of the 2001 and 2007-09 recessions.

News • June 1, 2017

Frost & Sullivan eyes future of AI in manufacturing

According to Frost & Sullivan's Industrial Automation and Process Control team, cognitive technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are "poised to transform all manufacturing sectors." Partnership, collaboration, and technology investment are crucial for growth opportunities in an era when "data is the new currency." n

News • May 30, 2017

WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 names Mastercam exclusive CAM partner

Mastercam, a global partner of WorldSkills, is the official supplier to the four machining competitions at WorldSkills 2017: CNC Turning, CNC Milling, Plastic Die Engineering, and the Manufacturing Team Challenge. The Manufacturing Challenge requires the teams to use Mastercam to produce parts on turning and milling machines that may be assembled together to produce a workable product.