Industry Trends & Analysis

News • January 4, 2017 • Alan Richter

December 2016 Manufacturing ISM Report On Business

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in December, and the overall economy grew for the 91st consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.

News • January 3, 2017 • Evan Jones Thorne

Problem: too many jobs that can’t find workers

While rumblings of a jobless economy may be increasing, the biggest problem facing the U.S. jobs market is a lack of applicants—skilled or otherwise, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek report.

News • January 3, 2017 • Evan Jones Thorne

Majority of U.S. mfg. jobs lost to productivity gains, study finds

While U.S. workers are still losing jobs to outsourcing, a report by Ball State University finds that 87 percent of American manufacturing job losses over the last 16 years are due to productivity gains, including better supply chains, more capital investment and advancing technology.

News • December 21, 2016 • Alan Richter

AMT report shows signs of economic recovery

While manufacturing technology sales were down in October compared to September (and the high order volume that came along with IMTS), the latest U.S Manufacturing Technology Report from AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology shows October sales were 0.2 percent higher than October 2015.

News • December 16, 2016 • Dennis Spaeth

Washington Post: U.S. manufacturers need help

The Wonkblog, a regular business feature on The Washington Post website, tackled the need for skilled labor among U.S. manufacturers in its Dec. 15 post. The news item features the plight of the Mursix Corp., an Indiana company that produces seatbelt buckles and bed frames, and has had trouble finding skilled workers to help keep up with the company's growth. It's a story that's been repeated throughout the news media on a fairly regular basis for the past couple of years. What caught my eye with this particular article, however, was a comment from Michael Hicks, a business professor at Ball State University in Muncie, which is where Mursix is located.

News • December 14, 2016 • Dennis Spaeth

Unemployed retrained for high-tech manufacturing jobs

A group of long-term unemployed men last week received high-tech manufacturing training certificates from the Central Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board and MACWIC (Manufacturing Advancement Center Workforce Innovation Collaborative) at the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) in Worcester, Mass.

News • December 7, 2016 • Kip Hanson

Entrepreneurs crowdfund machine launches

Have a great idea for a machine tool but lack the cash to fund its commercialization? Crowdfund it! That's what Matthew Hertel did when he leveraged a Kickstarter campaign to raise more than $355,000 for the development and creation of his Pocket NC 5-axis milling machine. And then there's the WAZER, the world's first desktop waterjet cutter, which runs $4,499 on Kickstarter, and is expected to be affordable to hobbyists and small businesses.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Michael C. Anderson

Industry experts predict better, but not great year

Industry experts predict better, if not yet spectacular, times for manufacturers in the coming year.

News • November 23, 2016 • Steven L. Blue

Opinion: ‘Smart Manufacturing? Dumb Idea’

In a guest editorial, CEO and author Steven L. Blue argues that "Smart manufacturing should start with people, not machines" and that companies should "start by building a workforce that is engaged, enlightened, and empowered. A workforce that trusts in its leadership."

News • November 18, 2016 • Michael C. Anderson

Are ‘Made in USA’ iPhones Coming?

Could it really happen? An unnamed source tells Nikkei Asian Review that iPhone maker Apple has asked two Taiwan-based iPhone assemblers, Foxconn and Pegatron, to examine the feasability of manufacturing the devices in the U.S.

News • November 16, 2016 • Dennis Spaeth

Manufacturing groups to Trump: Think hard about trade threats

Reuters reports that America's manufacturers are urging President-elect Donald Trump to back off from his most threatening trade rhetoric and pursue a more nuanced approach to trade with China and Mexico, avoiding unilateral tariff actions and focusing on negotiations. Corporate lobbying groups, some chief executives and pro-trade lawmakers also say they eventually even hope to persuade Trump that free-trade agreements can help grow the U.S. economy and create jobs.

News • November 2, 2016

Competitiveness in Mfg. index posted

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. and the Council on Competitiveness have released their 2016 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index. In it, CEO survey respondents were asked to rank nations in terms of current and future manufacturing competitiveness. Top performing nations have each demonstrated strengths across multiple drivers of manufacturing excellence. They also clearly illustrate the close tie that exists between manufacturing competitiveness and innovation. The 2016 study takes a closer look at six focus nations: United States, China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and India.