Industry News

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in July, and the overall economy grew for the 98th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. At 56.3 percent, the July PMI shows a decrease of 1.5 percentage points from the June reading of 57.8 percent.

Jasper, Ind.-based NAP Gladu, a Techniks Industries, Indianapolis, company, has acquired Ace Saw and Supply Co., Los Alamitos, Calif.

Growth in China's manufacturing sector slowed marginally in July, reinforcing expectations that the world's second-largest economy will cool in coming months as borrowing costs rise and regulators clamp down on riskier types of financing.

Padded reamers are utilized throughout the manufacturing industry to generate the final hole geometry and meet demanding surface finish tolerances. Some examples of padded reamer applications are automatic transmission valve channels, engine valve guides and engine crankbore/cambores.

GF Machining Solutions LLC, Lincolnshire, Ill., has named Ellison Technologies Inc., Los Angeles, as its distributor to serve customers in two regions in the upper Midwest.

Massachusetts Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and Primetals Technology USA manufacturing support manager Jim Laliberte have co-authored a plea to Massachusetts manufacturers to hire at least one high school student for a paid STEM internship. "Companies with a STEM intern program can nurture a strong pipeline of skilled talent, one that can fill critical job openings," they write in the Worchester Telegram.

Eriez Manufacturing Co., Erie, Pa., named Ezio Viti as the sales director at Eriez-Australia, Epping, Australia.

Doerken Corp. USA, Grass Lake, Mich., an operating unit of Dörken MKS-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG, Herdecke, Germany, has appointed Kent Anderson as president.

Doug Yates was having trouble finding folks to run his CNC machines, so he called his buddy John Dodson at the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C. Dodson had an answer for Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines in Mooresville, but it would cost him.

Without irony, Wal-Mart Stores on Wednesday outlined its recommendations to improve the U.S. manufacturing sector, writes Steve Goldstein for MarketWatch. "Wal-Mart could arguably be said to be a contributor to the demise of U.S. manufacturing, with its rapacious sourcing of consumer goods from China as it became the nation's dominant retailer.

Everyone's talking about it – the fourth industrial revolution. Rollomatic S.A., based in Le Landeron, Switzerland, is one of the companies setting a course for an interconnected future for machinery. After all, although precision is still a top priority for Rollomatic customers, aspects such as monitoring of machinery and production processes from anywhere in the world are growing more important by the day.

Heller Group COO Manfred Maier and Heller Machine Tool president Keith Vandenkieboom describe and demonstrate ways a machine tool builder prepares for the future of mobility—whatever it turns out to be.