Industry News
02/01/2016
![](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/headline_teaser_images/ISM-logo.png?itok=TlZCi8CL)
Though up two-tenths of 1 percentage point since December 2015, economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in January for the fourth consecutive month as measured by the Manufacturing ISM Report on Business, which is published monthly by the Institute for Supply Management, Tempe, Ariz.
01/31/2016
Irvine, Calif.-based CGTech, the developer of Vericut CNC verification and simulation software, recently formed a subsidiary company in South Korea. Headquartered south of Seoul, CGTech-Korea is responsible for marketing, sales, technical support and reseller support throughout South Korea, according to a company news release.
01/31/2016
![](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/headline_teaser_images/kearney-chart-fig1.png?itok=lsiSmlqA)
While data used to calculate the 2015 A.T. Kearney U.S. Reshoring Index contradicts reports of a reshoring trend for U.S. manufacturing, the index itself should not be construed as opposition to reshoring efforts, according to A.T. Kearney, the Chicago-based global management consulting firm that publishes the index.
01/29/2016
![](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/people_and_companies/Knuth-Catalog.jpg?itok=675OGKnc)
With the successful introduction of its STAHLWERK Premium Line, KNUTH Machine Tools USA Inc. reportedly achieves new standards for quality and technical innovation in the company's new 2016 catalog, which includes new and updated products.
01/28/2016
![Kathleen Buse, Ph.D., adjunct professor, faculty director, Leadership Lab for Women in STEM Kathleen Buse, Ph.D., adjunct professor, faculty director, Leadership Lab for Women in STEM](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/headline_teaser_images/krb50.jpg?itok=-_sP_qJW)
Women in Manufacturing (WiM) and Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management recently announced the creation of a Leadership Lab for Women in Manufacturing, which will provide executive education and training to WiM members in mid- to high-level management roles in the industry.
01/27/2016
![](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/headline_teaser_images/NIMS-credential-Graphic.jpg?itok=ve1XXrBf)
The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), Fairfax, Va., last year awarded a record number of credentials to individuals seeking to start or further a career in manufacturing, NIMS announced in a Jan. 26 news release. In 2015, NIMS issued 21,420 industry-recognized credentials, with 18,901 of them issued in the United States, the organization reported. Compared to 2014, that's a 20 percent increase in U.S. credentials issued by NIMS.
01/27/2016
![](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/headline_teaser_images/WorldSkills2016.jpg?itok=5DagkOsW)
WorldSkills International, an Amsterdam-based organization promoting the need for skilled professionals through various means, recently welcomed Mastercam to its global partnership group, according to a CNC Software news release issued Jan. 26. The partnership begins in early 2016.
01/26/2016
![](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/people_and_companies/05b96784-c5ce-4f6b-83c8-b8c8c58d55e9.jpg?itok=Hoj2dIqH)
GMN USA today announced the company will be moving to a new state-of-the-art facility on Feb. 1. The new facility will allow for the expansion of assembly and manufacturing areas to better meet customer needs, the company reported in a brief email-based news release.
01/24/2016
Harry Moser, the founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative, an industry-led group out to prove offshoring is not always the best economical decision for companies, takes issue with the recently released 2015 A.T. Kearney U.S. Reshoring Index, which suggested that the reshoring trend was an aberration. A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm headquartered in Chicago, reported in December that its reshoring index dropped to -115 in 2015. A negative value is said to indicate net offshoring, according to the consulting firm.
01/22/2016
![Mike Moffit Mike Moffit](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/people_and_companies/Moffit.png?itok=JMFBXx3i)
Solar Atmospheres of California, Fontana, Calif., recently named Mike Moffit as its new vice president of operations, the company announced in a Jan. 20 news release. Moffit has been with the company for 21 years in a variety of departments, and served as the quality manager for the past 5 years at Solar Atmospheres of California.
01/22/2016
![Josh Bauer Josh Bauer](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/people_and_companies/Bauer2.png?itok=vDETUE-e)
Waterjet systems manufacturer Jet Edge Inc. recently promoted Josh Bauer to service manager, the St. Michael, Minn., company announced in a Jan. 13 news release. The promotion puts Bauer in charge of managing all aspects of Jet Edge’s waterjet service department, which supports customers worldwide.
01/22/2016
![Jeff Hampton Jeff Hampton](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/people_and_companies/Okuma-NewAppTeam.gif?itok=LUqTDI-4)
Okuma America Corp., a CNC machine tool manufacturer based in Charlotte, N.C., this month added three new members to its applications engineering team: Brad Fitzpatrick, Jeff Hampton and Lee Johnston, according to a company news release issued Jan. 13.
01/22/2016
![Scott Hecht Scott Hecht](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/people_and_companies/Hecht.png?itok=F13zewDP)
Citing an outlook for continued business growth, Seco Tools LLC this month appointed new members to its executive and management teams, according to a Jan. 12 news release from the Troy, Mich., company. David Mrdjenovic is the company's new director of operations, and Scott Hecht now serves as market channels and business development manager.
01/22/2016
![Jess Sargent Jess Sargent](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/people_and_companies/Sargent.png?itok=pYc9HjVG)
In a move to enhance its technical sales team, PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P., an Auburn, Mass.-based manufacturer of precision motion control and positioning components and systems, this month named Jess Sargent as its Western region field sales engineer for OEM customers.
01/22/2016
![](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/people_and_companies/BernieNagle.jpg?itok=oQwdyels)
Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA) this month named Bernie Nagle as its new executive director. "I'm honored and very excited to assume the role of executive director for PMPA," said Nagle, who will provide purpose, focus and constructive guidance to the association in his new role. "I have been a passionate advocate for manufacturing throughout my career, and I am eager to help PMPA provide the information, resources, advocacy and networking opportunities to help the manufacturing companies in PMPA to become more productive and profitable."
01/22/2016
Lincoln Frazier has been appointed Southeast regional sales manager for Dorner Mfg. Corp., Hartland, Wis. In his new position, Frazier will work with sales channel partners and key accounts to grow the company's industrial and sanitary conveyor business throughout the Southeastern United States, according to a Jan. 4 news release from the company.
01/21/2016
![Caron Engineering Caron Engineering](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/headline_teaser_images/CaronEng-PartnerYear.jpg?itok=6tvOBKIn)
Okuma America Corp., Charlotte, N.C., recently named Caron Engineering its Partner of the Year, according to an Okuma news release issued Jan. 6. Based on Okuma's annual distributor survey, Caron Engineering received the highest overall partner rating from among all 50 members of Okuma's Partners in THINC, which is a collaboration network of more than 40 industry leaders who come together to solve problems and explore new productivity ideas for real-world manufacturers.
01/21/2016
![Addition of 5-axis training program draws national attention Addition of 5-axis training program draws national attention](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/headline_teaser_images/GFM_CCD_Biden.jpg?itok=-Wetj3Je)
A partnership between GF Machining Solutions, Lincolnshire, Ill., and a Colorado community college that brought 5-axis training to the school's machine technologies program recently earned recognition from the Obama administration for its efforts to confront an estimated 2 million manufacturing jobs expected to go unfilled over the next decade, according to a GF Machining Solutions news release issed Jan. 21.
01/21/2016
![William "Mac" McKenna William "Mac" McKenna](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/people_and_companies/Screen%20Shot%202016-01-21%20at%203.28.08%20PM.png?itok=xvTl8dQT)
Rollomatic Inc., Mundelein, Ill., recently promoted William "Mac" McKenna to regional sales manager for several key manufacturing areas in North America, according to a Rollomatic Inc. news release issued this month. Rollomatic builds CNC tool/cutter and peel grinding machines, as well as laser cutting machines.
01/20/2016
![Cam Mackey, MAPI Marketing Council manager Cam Mackey, MAPI Marketing Council manager](/sites/default/files/styles/podcs/public/headline_teaser_images/mackey_0.jpg?itok=blIzLSUq)
Manufacturers face "unprecedented global complexity," according to a Jan. 12 blog post on the website for the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI). "The sector is now powered by software and data every bit as much as by steel and electricity," continued the post, which was authored by MAPI Marketing Council Manager Cam Mackey. "The ability to access insights about how to survive and thrive has never been more critical. "Recent shifts in technologies, demographics and markets have created a new normal for manufacturers. Those that adapt quickly will emerge more innovative and agile than their competitors, but not without undergoing a transformation in everything from the people they hire to how they create value," Mackey observed in report titled, "The Impact of Megatrends on U.S. Manufacturers."