Industry News

A report compiled from results of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) survey, a voluntary survey which provides statistics on a calendar-month basis for manufacturers' value of shipments, new orders, unfilled orders, end-of-month total inventory (at current cost or market value) and inventories by stage of fabrication. Click here to view the report, or click here for more information on the M3 survey. 

ANCA Inc. will expand its plant in Wixom, Mich., by 50 percent, expanding its inventory and spare parts warehouse capacity, adding a dedicated customer focus and training center, and doubling its machine demonstration area. The announcement was made by Russell Riddiford, ANCA president. ANCA, a private company, did not disclose the dollar value of the investment.

From wearables to business intelligence applications, technology can transform manufacturing, impacting everything from plant floor productivity to product quality and top-line growth. Where do you start? More importantly, how do you separate vendor hype from the practical, useful tools that can make your business better today? Each year, Plex surveys hundreds of manufacturers to understand how and where they use technology to run their business operations.

DP Technology joined the College of Electromechanical Engineering at Beijing Union University and the Beijing Intelligent Mechanical Innovative Design Engineering Research Center to host the ESPRIT CAM & Smart Manufacturing seminar in Beijing on Sept. 22, 2016. The seminar brought into focus the most critical manufacturing topics in China today in order to better support the 10-year national plan, Made in China 2025.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., recently visited Performance Micro Tool, a manufacturer of micro tools in Janesville, Wis.  The senator said he intends to give American manufacturing a boost by easing regulatory burdens and smoothing tax rules, which are among his major campaign platforms.

For National Manufacturing Day, Aerotek, a leading provider of industrial staffing services, today released its second-annual list of "Opportunities in Manufacturing," including the top 10 fast growing U.S. industries for manufacturing employment as well as the top states driving employment. Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a softening in the manufacturing industry, Aerotek notes the demand for manufacturing talent is still critical.

Especially within the aerospace, energy and mechanical engineering sector, production managers have to bridge the gap between economic efficiency and high process reliability when working with materials that are difficult to machine. Fortunately, there is peace of mind in knowing that the machine technology innovations continue to develop to meet the ongoing demands of manufacturing.

Manufacturing Day - Oct. 7: This week, the U.S. Census Bureau joins a group of public and private organizations in celebrating the importance of the manufacturing sector of the nation’s economy. This marks the fifth annual organized observance of Manufacturing Day. The Census Bureau releases manufacturing statistics that inform businesses and policymakers. Collectively, the data paint a picture of the state of this important economic sector.

Emuge Corp. has announced the opening of a new technology center, located at the company’s North American headquarters in West Boylston, MA, USA. The center, designed to be a full-service resource for manufacturers to apply cutting tool application strategies, is equipped with the latest 3 and 5-axis vertical machining centers, precision measuring devices and tool monitoring, in addition to an interactive classroom for training and seminars. The technology center will serve customers across the U.S. and Canada, enabling manufacturing professionals to test cut their applications and develop milling, drilling, and threading strategies to optimize tool life and performance and reduce cycle times.

Here's a look at manufacturing from the point of view of potential investors: At Nibletz ("The Voice of Startups Everywhere Else"), Jane Brown writes, "For an idea to be commercially viable it has to be in the Goldilocks zone—one that’s neither too old nor too new. And many manufacturing ideas fall within that ideal zone." She goes on to offer six ideas to consider before making the leap into manufacturing.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering is the new home of a unique machine that is capable of 3D milling precise to one nanometer. The machine, called the ROBONANO α-0iB, is the first of its kind in North America, and it brings extremely advanced technological capabilities that could represent the future of advanced manufacturing. The ROBONANO, which is on a multi-year loan from the Japanese robotics manufacturer FANUC, is housed in the laboratory of Sangkee Min, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UW-Madison. The ROBONANO’s extremely precise capabilities offer Min and colleagues new research opportunities, which he hopes will open up improved and novel approaches to manufacturing.

"Global capital investment, a main engine of economic growth, remains stagnant amid concerns over a slowdown in emerging markets and the U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union, writes Mikio Sugeno in Nikkei Asian Review. "Masahiko Mori, president of major Japanese machine-tool manufacturer DMG Mori, painted a downbeat picture of global business investment in an interview with The Nikkei, saying that a full-scale recovery is still two to three years away." Mori explains his reasoning in this Q&A with Sugeno.

“Manufacturers who conduct a lot of machining know that the cost of productivity of a machining operation is inextricably connected to the selection of the cutting tool and the process for managing them,” writes GE Industry Analyst Andy Henderson in a GE Digital blog post. “In the utopian future, the manufacturing intelligence system will automatically control how cutting tools are used and automatically optimize the cost of machining operations.”

Helical Solutions LLC recently announced a top-tier finish in the 2015 Boeing Industry Challenge II, which is an invitational tournament meant to test the world's strongest and highest-performing milling tools in aerospace titanium.

Handshake, which offers B2B commerce technology for manufacturers and distributors, announced key findings from its 2016 Manufacturing & Distribution Sales and Technology Survey Report. This annual survey explores how manufacturers and distributors around the world are changing the way they sell and deliver products to their customers in the wake of new challenges, disruptive technologies and shifting customer expectations.

Abrasive, brush and power tool manufacturer Pferd Inc., Milwaukee, appointed Jon-Michael Raymond as its vice president of sales.

Automation equipment manufacturer FANUC America Corp., Rochester Hills, Mich., named Mike Cicco president and CEO and Rick Schneider chairman.

Camfil Air Pollution Control, Jonesboro, Ark., appointed John Poehler director of reseller/rep sales. As part of its reorganization, the manufacturer of dust, mist and fume collection equipment named Matt Caulfield director of mining/pharma and Kevin Tucker automotive market manager.

Osborn, the Richmond, Ind.-based supplier of industrial brushes, polishing compounds and buffs, named Ty Weber product manager for its abrasives division.

Cline Tool, Newton, Iowa, added two new field application engineers: Bill Gindhart at the toolmaker’s Rockford, Ill., branch and Thomas Koons, who will serve Knoxville, Tenn., and the surrounding area.