Industry News

Across every industry, manufacturers are working to meet growing customer demand in a globally competitive market. Despite a widening skills gap, by organizing advanced technology into highly optimized work cells, manufacturers are maximizing productivity through automation.

The economy is not just the stock market. A number of factors contribute to the overall health of the economy, and one of them is manufacturing. Although the jury is still out on whether a recession is coming for the broader economy, some people are concerned that a recession has arrived in the manufacturing sector.

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology developed robots that have the ability to reason about shape, function and attachment of unrelated parts. This lets the robots build basic tools by combining objects. The breakthrough is a significant step toward enabling intelligent agents to devise tools that could prove useful in hazardous situations.

A third of Generation Z — adults ages 18 to 22 — have had manufacturing suggested as a career option compared with 18% of millennials and 13% of the general adult population, according to a new study. Gen Z is 7% more likely to consider working in the manufacturing industry and 12% less likely to view it as in decline compared with the general population.

The aging U.S. population and labor force weigh particularly heavy on one economic sector: manufacturing. While an aging population affects most sectors, its impact on manufacturing could be outsized for a couple of reasons.

Sean Holt, head of sales area Americas for Sandvik Coromant, welcomes Annika Langéen to the vice president of marketing role for the Americas. Annika is responsible for the strategic direction of global marketing and brand positioning for the sales area.

For the first time, the annual World Robotics report includes a specific analysis on the market for collaborative robots, documenting a robust 23% growth worldwide. The International Federation of Robotics' report indicates that a substantial part of the adoption will be driven by more intelligent components, such as smart grippers, "plug and play" interfaces and programming by demonstrations.

Cameron Perkins is named director of business development – Eastern U.S.A. for Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions (RYMS).

Halter CNC Automation B.V. from the Netherlands and Fastems Oy Ab from Finland have an intention to establish a joint venture, the Halter Group. Relevant parts of Fastems Systems GmbH related to R&D and production of the Halter LoadAssistant product range will be transferred to the newly founded Halter CNC Automation GmbH. This company will be located in Issum, Germany, and, together with Halter CNC Automation B.V., it will form the Halter Group.

Toolmaker LMT Tools and Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH, a leading manufacturer of CNC gear cutting machines and automation systems, are collaborating to continue the success story of the patented ChamferCut method. The two technology partners signed a cooperation contract for the new ChamferCut-CG (collision gear) and ChamferCut-IG (internal gear).

L Squared Capital Partners and GWS Tool Group announced that L Squared has partnered with GWS management to recapitalize the GWS. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

ARCH announced the appointment of Lori Lorant to the position of vice president human resources. Lorant has been with the organization for almost five years and has held the roles of employee relations manager and director of human resources prior to her promotion to vice president.