Industry News

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in May for the third consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 84th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. The report was issued June 1 by Bradley J. Holcomb, chair of the Tempe, Ariz.-based Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.

The sales, engineering and executive staff at Doosan Machine Tools America hosted a festive open house recently, celebrating the company’s recently expanded Technical Center in Pine Brook, N.J. The company welcomed valued customers and its North American distributor network.

As part of a global business initiative, seven business schools from around the world, including Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, executed a multi-year research effort focusing on current practices and strategies associated with the sourcing of production and trends in a global supply chain.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, manufacturing accounts for one-fifth of the annual energy consumption in the United States—approximately 21 quintillion joules (20 quadrillion BTU) or equivalent to 3.6 billion barrels of crude oil. To reduce this staggering amount and improve sustainability, manufacturers need to accurately measure and evaluate consumption of energy and materials, as well as environmental impacts, at each step in the life cycles of their products.

For most manufacturers, the productivity of their CNC equipment can be measured in fractions of seconds when it comes to things like cutting or grinding cycle times and the intervals between tool changes. The performance of the spindle—the workhorse of the CNC machine—has a dramatic impact on that productivity.

The 2016 World Cutting Tool Conference offered informative, entertaining speakers and social events that provided ample opportunities to meet with and learn from colleagues from around the world.

Dorner Holding Corp., the parent company of Dorner Mfg. Corp., Hartland, Wis., on May 12 announced the acquisition of Jülich, Germany-based Geppert-Band, a leading European manufacturer of belt and modular belt conveyors. 

March billings among 40 U.S. cutting tool companies increased 5.7 percent over February and 15.4 percent over January, according to a recent report from the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI), which surveys U.S. cutting tool companies each month for USCTI's Current Business Report. Total billings in March reached nearly $166 million, compared to nearly $157 million in February and nearly $144 million in January.

GF Machining Solutions, , will purchase micromanufacturing machine builder Microlution Inc., Chicago, according to a comany news release issued May 11. Described as a specialist of micro-machining based on milling and laser technologies, Microlution was founded in 2005 and reportedly generated $10 million in 2015 with a workforce of 30 employees.

IBAG, which offers a broad line of machine tool spindles, has launched a new website at www.ibagnorthamerica.com featuring content-rich product coverage about high-speed spindles.

NanoMech announced that it has secured $10 million in capital for leading its Series C Financing round from Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV), the corporate venturing subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s national oil company. This capital infusion and new global customer relationship with the largest producer of oil in the world will significantly accelerate NanoMech’s manufacturing of the most advanced nanoengineered and nanomanufactured lubricants, coatings and specialty chemicals, addressing major industries such as energy, transportation, aerospace, manufacturing, automotive, racing, agricultural equipment and military.

The Berghoff Group, a German manufacturer, recently announced plans to open its first U.S. plant, which will be located in Auburn, Ala. The company reportedly will invest $30 million to open the manufacturing facility, which is expected to create 100 precision-machining jobs over the next 5 years, according to a news release from the Alabama Department of Commerce.

Once word got out that PTooling, a self-described small, family-owned machine shop in Amherstburg, Canada, had added a Lasertec 65 3D laser deposition welding and milling machine to its arsenal, major aerospace manufacturers began knocking on its door. 

Standing in front of a ma-chining center, waiting for the drilling cycle to end so you can squirt some tapping compound into the holes is a big waste of time. But with challenging materials, such as Hastelloy or Inconel, it’s the only way to avoid a broken tap. Or is it?

Doug Wetzel, managing director at contract manufacturer Protomatic, Dexter, Mich., is finding business to be slower than he wishes. Like many other U.S. job shops, the 45-year-old company is experiencing a slowdown caused by tumbling oil prices and worldwide political and economic uncertainty. The difference is Wetzel isn’t too worried. His advice to fellow manufacturers is to not let market uncertainty paralyze them from seeing a slowdown’s silver lining— namely, time to prepare for the inevitable upturn.

In America’s factories, jobs are inevitably disappearing. But despite the political rhetoric, the problem is not mainly globalization. Manufacturing jobs are on the decline in factories around the world.

General Motors officials are expected to make a "positive plant manufacturing announcement" at the Bay City Powertrain factory this week.

MachiningCloud GmbH, a product content provider for cutting tools, CNC machines and workholding, today announced partnerships with Mitsubishi Materials and Destiny Tool to make product data from both companies available through its web-based platform, according to an announcement from MachiningCloud issued today.

David A. Dornfeld, mechanical engineering professor, founding faculty director of the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation and a leader at the College of Engineering, died of a heart attack on March 27. He was 66. Dornfeld was a renowned manufacturing expert, widely admired as a teacher and well-regarded as a thoughtful leader.

Ceramics Expo takes place April 26-28, 2016, in Cleveland and is dedicated to providing a marketplace for all raw materials, equipment, machinery and technology used within the ceramic manufacturing supply chain. Ceramics Expo is attended by technical leaders, production directors, engineers, project leaders, buyers and senior executives interested in exploring the latest ceramic manufacturing innovations.