Industry News

The CECIMO General Assembly that recently concluded in Rotterdam confirmed that, based on solid booking numbers, the European production of machine tool is set to grow by almost 4% in 2017 and surpass a volume of 25 billion euro. Members also agreed that policy-makers should refrain from designing strict regulations on access to and sharing industrial data.

Boeing and Georgia Tech formally opened a new advanced development research center designed to solve some of the toughest technical challenges in manufacturing. In the Boeing Manufacturing Development Center, company researchers and Georgia Tech engineering students will work together to implement automation in industrial applications.

Capgemini's Digital Transformation Institute reports that manufacturers expect investments in smart factories will drive a 27 percent increase in their operation efficiency over the next five years. This would add $500 billion in annual added value to the global economy.

Creditsafe USA has released the findings of an in-depth analysis of the US manufacturing industry. Despite recent overall consistent performance, the study highlights several areas of concern across the entire sector in particular the rate of bankruptcy signaling the possibility of an industry slowdown.

Communities with large numbers of residents who have only high school degrees or earn low salaries are at risk of losing many jobs to automation and offshoring, says a new report from Ball State University. "How Vulnerable Are American Communities to Automation, Trade and Urbanization?" also found that the rise of automation and offshoring could extend such job losses beyond the factory floor. n

"I wish I knew then what I know now". Who among us would disagree with that statement? Such is the case for so many things in life, and Lean is no different. As we all progress along our Lean journeys, we will sometimes pause and wonder why we didn't see certain things as we do now.

For a wide range of facilities that manufacture, process, blend, convey, repackage, generate or handle items that could be categorized as combustible dusts or particulate solids, new NFPA standards and even the first deadline to conduct a dust-hazard analysis are now on the books, adding to the responsibilities of owners and operators of such facilities.

The GROB Group and Open Mind are joining forces to offer a complimentary two-day technology seminar on August 1-2, 2017. Grob, a manufacturer of universal machining centers is partnering with Open Mind, a developer of CAM/CAD systems, to present innovative production solutions for aerospace and other industries at GROB's U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Bluffton, Ohio.

When was the last time you took a serious look at your supply chain? You may be surprised to learn that many of the advantages to offshoring have eroded in recent years.

Pinch grinding offers aggressive material-removal rates, excellent concentricity and low part runout when prepping cutting tool blanks.

In 2007 the KUKA Titan entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest and strongest robot in the world. A decade later a modified version of the behemoth has been given accuracy unprecedented for its size—better than 100µm (0.0039").

Industrial part cleaning equipment manufacturer Dürr Ecoclean uses virtual reality in training its global service staff to carry out maintenance support on its complex manipulators.