Industry News

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order on assessing and strengthening the manufacturing and defense industrial base and supply chain resiliency of the United States. He said strategic support for a vibrant domestic manufacturing sector, a vibrant defense industrial base and resilient supply chains is a significant national priority. A comprehensive evaluation of the defense industrial base and supply chains, with input from executive departments and agencies, has been ordered to assess the nation's strengths and weaknesses.

Riverside Tool Corp., Elkhart, Ind., a Techniks Industries company, has acquired Cape Coral, Fla.-based General Saw Corp.

The Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, TX) reports on how tool and die technology at Texas State Technical College has given student and former college dropout Andy Juarez "a new lease on life." Juarez plans to get his associate degree this Fall. "After speaking to supervisors at Arlington-based United States defense contractor and industrial corporation, Raytheon, he has a position waiting for him immediately after he graduates." The whole story is at the link.

Japan's manufacturing activity has fallen to an eight-month low in July, according to IHS Markit survey results. The Nikkei Flash Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for July is calculated to be a seasonally adjusted 52.2, following a 52.4 level in June. The Flash Manufacturing Output Index was pegged at at 51.4, down from 52.2 in June and the weakest growth in 10 months.

Midwest Industrial Tool Grinding Inc., Hutchinson, Minn., has been named a finalist in the Workforce Development Award category for the Minnesota Business 2017 Manufacturing Awards.

AGCO Corp., a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment, announced ths week that it is increasing the efficiency, quality and safety of its manufacturing programs by doubling the number of Glass, an assisted reality, wearable headset device being used in its Jackson, Minnesota, factory, and will begin using Glass at six additional factories.

Allied Machine & Engineering Corp., Dover, Ohio, a tooling manufacturer of complete holemaking solutions, has announced its new engineering training department, which provides comprehensive, hands-on education programs for new employees, end users and distributors from around the world.

Lincolnshire, Ill.-based GF Machining Solutions LLC's System 3R, which supplies modular workholding/tooling systems, automation and software, is celebrating its 50-year anniversary.

Seco Tools, LLC has partnered with Ferris State University (FSU) in Big Rapids, Michigan, to offer local area engineering students an opportunity to participate in a multi-year internship program at Seco. The program invites the top three engineering applicants to participate for an initial first year internship. Based on their interest and performance, the students may be asked back for a second year. Graduates of the program will often be offered employment by Seco.

For today's manufacturers of precision components, there's no getting around deburring, rounding and polishing. These production steps are often seen as a necessary evil due to the high costs associated with them in some cases. Use of the right technology permits reliable processing at reduced costs.

The 6 S system is a modified version of the lean manufacturing principle of 5 S. Developed by Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer for Toyota, lean production is a systemic method designed to optimize the efficiency of a business. Lean was born from the more specialized Toyota Production System, which is a system that helped Toyota grow from a small automobile manufacturer when it was founded in 1937 to where it is today: one of the largest manufacturing conglomerates in the world.

The clunky, AR device never really clicked with 'cool cache' in the public domain, but in the professional or industrial workplace Google Glass is turning out to be incredibly useful. Stripped of the Insta-photo, email-checking trimmings, the device is now being used to cleverly enhance workflows and make it easier for people to do their jobs.