Industry News

Harrison Manufacturing, a custom plastics injection molding manufacturer specializing in molded plastics and light assembly, recently deployed Rethink Robotics' Sawyer robot at its Jackson, Miss. facility and saw immediate tangible benefits. Deployed within hours, Harrison Manufacturing is reducing labor costs and increasing throughput by using Sawyer in ergonomically challenging tasks.

October U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $198 million, according to the United States Cutting Tool Institute, Cleveland, and The Association for Manufacturing Technology, McLean, Va. This total, as reported by companies participating in the collaborative Cutting Tool Market Report, was up 13.2 percent from September's $174.92 million and up 17.2 percent when compared with the $169 million reported for October 2016.

Satellites gather speed and travel through a variety of different atmospheric conditions during orbit. Many of the fluctuations in temperature and atmosphere are unlike anything experienced on Earth. This is one of the challenges faced when sourcing materials for the construction of satellite parts.

Sonaca Montreal, a manufacturer of large aerostructures and a subsidiary of Belgium-based Sonaca Group, inaugurated a new high-speed milling center at its plant in Mirabel, Que.

Clemson University announced the creation of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing. CU-CAM will consolidate all interdisciplinary education, research, innovation and engagement involving manufacturing-oriented activities under one umbrella with the overarching goal to improve manufacturing effectiveness, quality and sustainability. This confluence of expertise and infrastructure will enable the center to provide timely, relevant translation of innovation directly to industry partners.

A former NFL linebacker, Pete Shufelt credits his post-football career as the owner of Backerworks Manufacturing LLC to the day he asked his high school counselor/football coach about what elective classes to take.

The unemployment rate in the manufacturing industry for private wage and salary workers is at its lowest point in 17 years, reports the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. November had a rate of 2.6 percent unemployment, down from a high of 13 percent in January 2010 and the lowest since 3.1 percent in June 2000.

I attended 'Integr8,' an Industrial Internet of Things conference hosted by Automation Alley at Detroit's Renaissance Center last month. At numerous breakout sessions, a common question from participants was, "How do I get started with getting my shop floor connected?" This was an event full of experts enthused by the possibilities that IIoT hold for manufacturers, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear many of them reply, in effect: "With moderation."n

Deloitte projects that in the next decade, 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will need to be filled. However, many manufacturers struggle to fill the employment vacancies they have now. With five website enhancements, a manufacturer can improve its chances of recruiting talented, experienced millennials.

The structural steel industry is bracing for – and counting on – a huge increase in demand for structural steel products. The anticipated surge in demand arises from a renewed focus on improving the country's infrastructure, as well as a high level of private sector construction.

The job training programs at Hononegah Community High School and Beloit Memorial High School include job shadowing, mentoring, summer apprenticeships and training workshops at cutting tool manufacturer Regal Cutting Tools, Roscoe, Ill.—but no internships.

Not every holemaking job requires a high-performance, solid-carbide or PCD-tipped drill with an advanced coating. For many, a HSS jobber drill will suffice.