Industry Trends & Analysis

The U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders report for May 2017 showed gains for the month and year over year, according to AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. May orders were up 3.1 percent over April, and 21.8 percent over May 2016.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that manufacturing employment rose by only 1,000 in June after falling by 2,000 in May. Manufacturing sectors with gains in June included machinery, electrical equipment and appliances, primary metals, and computer and electronic products.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in June—up 2.9 percent from May—and the overall economy grew for the 97th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.

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. CECIMO is the European association representing the common interests of the Machine Tool Industries globally and at EU level.

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.

Keeping manufacturing jobs from going overseas is the top recommendation Americans give as the best way to create more jobs in the U.S. Many also suggest reducing government regulation, lowering taxes, creating more infrastructure work and improving education. These responses, from a May 3-7 Gallup poll, are generally similar to what Gallup found when it asked this open-ended question in 2009 and 2011 -- except education, which is mentioned more frequently this year than in the past.

Economic growth is expected to continue in the U.S. throughout the remainder of 2017, say the nation's purchasing and supply executives in their Spring 2017 Semiannual Economic Forecast. Expectations for the remainder of 2017 continue to be positive in both the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors. Sixty-four percent of respondents from the panel of manufacturing supply management executives predict their revenues will be 8.5 percent greater in 2017 compared to 2016, 12 percent expect a 9.6 percent decline, and 24 percent foresee no change in revenue.

When your primary market tanks to its lowest level in 30 years, the impact can be drastic, according to the Manager's Desk column in the May 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine. Is your shop well managed and in a position to overcome such a hit?

In an interview conducted by CTE Editor Alan Richter at a global press event held at the company's headquarters in Sandviken, Sweden, Klas Forsström, president of AB Sandvik Coromant, discussed his new role, the state of the cutting tool market, the importance of attracting talent to manufacturing, tool recycling and the role of R&D.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in April, and the overall economy grew for the 95th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in March, and the overall economy grew for the 94th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.

In the 1987 movie "Wall Street," the archetypal corporate villain Gordon Gekko memorably argues that "greed is good"—and that the bottom line is the only good a dutiful company need pursue. Thirty years on, Ethisphere Institute has announced 124 companies spanning five continents, 19 countries and 52 industry sectors as the 2017 World's Most Ethical Companies honorees. Of these, four are in the category of Industrial Manufacturing: 3M Co., Deere & Co., Milliken & Co. and Timken Co. Kennametal Inc., Latrobe, Pa., is the only honored company in the category of Machine Tools and Accessories.