Industry Trends & Analysis

Articles • July 1, 2013

New approach needed for STEM

The national conversation about the "skills gap" and its role in manufacturing continues to simmer, writes Alan Rooks of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine, in his Lead Angle column for the July 2013 issue.

Articles • May 1, 2013

New energy drives manufacturing

The Lead Angle editorial in the May 2013 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering ponders some major developments that are remaking the energy market and, with it, manufacturing.

Articles • February 1, 2013

Fight, fight for old Manufacturing U.

When I read about The Brookings Institution's proposal to develop 20 U.S. manufacturing universities, my first thought was "what will the mascots be for the football teams?" Purdue already has the time-honored "Boilermakers" moniker but what about the others? Would they be the Michigan Machinists, the Caltech CAD/CAMs, the Lehigh Lasers or, maybe, the Fightin' Facemills?

Articles • January 1, 2013

A tale of two companies

In early December, two companies announced plans to make substantial investments in U.S. manufacturing. One was Apple Inc. and the other was Detroit Diesel Co. Guess which one got more coverage in the media. I'll help you. Even though Detroit Diesel's investment was more than Apple's and despite President Obama showing up at Detroit Diesel's announcement ceremony, my casual Web review showed Apple beat Detroit Diesel in news references by about 7 to 1.

Articles • January 1, 2013 • Alan Richter

The Road Ahead

AMT's latest Global Forecasting & Manufacturing Conference found reasons for both caution and optimism.

Articles • December 1, 2012

Mixed signals

Manufacturing faces more uncertainty than usual in 2013, but the year ahead could be a good one.

Articles • December 1, 2012

What manufacturing skills gap?

Many reasons are given, including the bad image of manufacturing, lack of training in high schools and competition from other economic sectors. All of these reasons seem plausible. But now comes a study by The Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm, that seems to throw cold water on the idea of a serious skills gap. According to the authors, the skills gap in U.S. manufacturing is more limited than many believe. The study is part of BCG's ongoing "Made in America, Again" study, which examines the changing economics of manufacturing.

Videos • October 9, 2012

Trends in manufacturing

Don Nelson, publisher of Cutting Tool Engineering and MICROmanufacturing magazines, interviews David J. Povich, president of Tool Alliance, Huntington Beach, Calif. Povich also was recently elected president of the United States Cutting Tool Institute.

Articles • October 1, 2012

Help wanted: humans need not apply

There's no doubt that the U.S. manufacturing boom has created jobs. The question is, are they for humans or robots?

Articles • August 1, 2012

Made (or not) in the USA

Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks ruminates over the "Made in America" debate that flared once again thanks to the U.S. Olympic team's uniforms.

Articles • August 1, 2012 • Alan Richter

2012 Salary Survey

Cutting Tool Engineering's 2012 Salary Survey reveals how much various metalworking professionals are making, and the results are mixed.

Articles • July 1, 2012

Retaining through training

The Lead Angle column in the July 2012 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering addresses the growing interest in retaining manufacturing workers through training and retraining.