Industry News

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.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in November, and the overall economy grew for the 102nd consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. The November PMI registered 58.2 percent, a decrease of 0.5 percentage point from the October reading of 58.7 percent.

FANUC Corporation, supplier of robotics, CNC and factory automation has announced the production of its 500,000th robot. The company is working toward ramping production up from 6,000 to 11,000 units per month. To that end, FANUC is building a new factory, which is scheduled to open in August 2018.

In the digitized manufacturing world being born, the product that a job-shop produces is less a piece of engineered metal and more a piece of intellectual property. So said Tom Kelly, the executive director and CEO of Detroit's Automation Alley. That difference brings risks but also unprecedented opportunities for those who are ready.

Photo etching is a fast, efficient and cost-effective method for the manufacture of small precision metal parts using etchant chemistries. It is well-suited for development, prototype and production volumes, and has the ability to ramp up from low- to high-volume runs extremely quickly.

Regal Cutting Tools, Roscoe, Ill., has been part of Hononegah Community High School's Workplace Readiness Program for years, including job shadowing and training workshops. The company also is very involved in Beloit Memorial High School's technical programs, providing mentorship, summer apprenticeships and internships.