Industry Trends & Analysis

News • May 8, 2018

Colleges add programs in a once-decimated industry—manufacturing

Manufacturing, which shed nearly a third of its workforce between 2000 and 2010, is rebounding as a solid path to the middle class. The industry has taken a more tech-intensive twist, making skills like practice in 3D design critical for future employment. Schools are taking notice.

News • April 19, 2018

Staffing firm outsourcing is eroding manufacturing’s pay advantage

One benefit of expanding manufacturing employment is that workers are paid a premium. However, there is less of a pay advantage in manufacturing than there used to be. This suggests that policies to expand manufacturing employment should be accompanied by policies that maintain or strengthen compensation standards.

News • April 19, 2018

US cutting tool consumption up in February

February U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $190.12 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute and the Association for Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report collaboration, was up 3.5 percent from January's $183.61 million and 8.7 percent when compared with the $174.98 million reported for February 2017. With a year-to-date total of $373.73 million, 2018 is up 7.4 percent when compared with 2017.

Videos • April 19, 2018

USCTI: Cutting tool economic health looking up

The United States Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) reported total billings of nearly $168 million among the 43 cutting tool companies included in USCTI's Current Business Report (CBR) for February 2018. The total represents an increase of almost 7 percent over total billings in February 2017, which topped $156 million, and a 6 percent jump compared to total billings of nearly $157 million in February 2016.

News • April 5, 2018

Nonprofit addresses challenges in finding and developing skilled workers

U.S. manufacturers face an aging workforce, concerns regarding safety best practices, ongoing movement toward lean manufacturing and the rapid emergence of new technologies. At the same time, people are struggling to pay bills, find work that provides a living wage, and support themselves and their families.

News • March 20, 2018

Next for US manufacturing: Increasing pay and benefits

Optimism among U.S. manufacturers is growing as the nation adopts policies that prioritize them, according to an industry advocacy group. The latest tax changes have "transformed the business climate," said Jay Timmons, CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers. "Manufacturing in America is a confident industry."

News • March 17, 2018 • Alan Richter

DMDII launches Cyber Hub

As the factories for U.S. manufacturers are increasingly becoming digitized and connected, the surface for cyberattacks is broadening. To allow experimentation on cybersecurity technology for the factory floor, the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute, Chicago, officially launched its "Cyber Hub for Manufacturing" earlier this month. DMDII reported that the U.S. Department of Defense contributed $750,000 in seed funding for the hub.

News • March 14, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Losing my religion

There's a Sands Casino where the Bethlehem Steel Corp. once stood. The casino was completed in 2009, just 8 years after the 100-year-old steel company filed bankruptcy. Ironically, the biggest obstacle facing the casino's developer was a shortage of structural steel. Even more ironically, the developer ended up buying it from Nucor Corp., the onetime "minimill" competitor that Bethlehem executives scoffed at decades earlier for the startup's embrace of electric arc furnace technology.

Videos • March 5, 2018

Starting a CNC business

A life-long entrepreneur involved in starting and growing seven different businesses and a successful blog, Bob Warfield of the CNCCookbook devotes the 13th episode of the CNC Chef video series to a question his CNC machining audience often asks: How do you start a new business?

News • February 27, 2018 • John Wiborg

2018 outlook on manufacturing

This year should be an exciting one for manufacturers. First, we must recognize the long-term trend where large corporations' productivity gains have been outstripping mid and small-size manufacturing companies (500 employees and less). This year we expect those large manufacturers to continue celebrating those productivity gains.

News • February 20, 2018

The MEP National Network advances US manufacturing

The MEP National Network is a unique public-private partnership that aims to deliver comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers, fueling growth and advancing U.S. manufacturing. Focused on helping small and medium-size manufacturers generate business results and thrive in today's technology-driven economy, the network comprises the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, and over 1,300 advisers and experts at more than 400 MEP service locations, providing any U.S. manufacturer with access to resources for success.

News • February 8, 2018

ISM: New orders, production and employment continue growing

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in January, and the overall economy grew for the 105th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. The January Purchasing Managers' Index registered 59.1 percent, a decrease of 0.2 percentage point from the seasonally adjusted December reading of 59.3 percent. This indicates growth in manufacturing at strong levels for the 17th consecutive month, led by continued expansion in new orders and production activity, with employment growing at a slower rate and supplier deliveries continuing to struggle.