Industry Trends & Analysis

News • August 12, 2019

The potentially ominous future of manufacturing

The Brookings Institution found that while 58% of respondents see manufacturing as vital to the U.S. economy, only 17% are confident in its future.

News • August 6, 2019 • John Wiborg

Haphazard tariffs are a bellwether for a manufacturing sector slowdown

When geopolitical decisions, whether regulatory, tax or immigration, appear to be made arbitrarily, it's going to cause pullback by business leaders. The current climate of tariffs, uncertainty and risk is a wake-up call for a slowdown.

News • August 6, 2019

How offshoring by multinational corporations contributed to the decline of US manufacturing

Between 1990 and 2011, the U.S. manufacturing sector lost 1 of every 3 jobs. This scarring decline has left policymakers seeking explanations, as well as appropriate policy responses.

News • July 16, 2019

The new face of global manufacturing

Local microfactories democratize innovation, making production more readily available to entrepreneurs, inventors and makers.

News • July 9, 2019

The blueprint for manufacturing in New York City

Two statistics seem unrelated but, taken together, say something significant about New York City's future as an engine of opportunity, innovation and equity. The first is that manufacturing lost more jobs than initially estimated and now accounts for only 69,000 jobs in the city, or 1.5% of the total. The second is that information jobs grew by 6% to about 200,000.

News • June 20, 2019

Partnership formed to boost manufacturing supply chain on blockchain

SyncFab, a Manufacturing Blockchain solution for parts suppliers and buyers, has announced a strategic partnership with the National Tooling and Machining Assocation. The new relationship will grant access to SyncFab's advanced manufacturing blockchain platform for over 1,300 NTMA members across the U.S.

News • June 18, 2019

Manufacturing institutes need benchmarks for progress

The federal agencies funding 14 institutes created to jump-start the manufacturing industry have no set criteria to measure progress, according to a government report. The departments of Commerce, Defense and Energy need a way to gauge whether they're meeting the goals of the 2014 law that formed this nationwide network of manufacturing hubs, the Government Accountability Office announced.

News • June 18, 2019

American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative launches

The American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative, in collaboration with the Northeast-Midwest Institute and the Century Foundation, is a new national organization building on the foundation of the 24-region Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership initiative, helping regional communities across the U.S. devise and implement sustainable economic development plans that lead to good-paying jobs in thriving manufacturing sectors.

Articles • May 30, 2019 • Mike Hook

Fluid recycling can aid profits

Prioritize metalworking fluids when market factors reduce profit margins.

News • May 17, 2019

Jamestown, New York, is open for manufacturing

Jamestown is slowly becoming a manufacturing hub in western New York. New Flyer of America Inc. is one of the country's largest manufacturers of transit buses. The company's plant in Jamestown has been open since 2016 in a former grocery store.

News • May 6, 2019

Advanced manufacturing is a key economic driver for northeast Ohio

Advanced manufacturing is a significant driver of the northeast Ohio economy and has been a key factor in the region's recovery from the recessions of the early 2000s and 2008. However, growth in employment in the sector has fallen behind increases in gross regional product, and efforts to address this challenge will require an increase in the area's skilled workforce.

News • April 26, 2019

Top U.S. manufacturing cities are in surprising locales

When we think about the quality of life in U.S. cities, we think about affordable housing, good schools and hospitals, strong public services, excellent parks, bike paths and cultural resources. And of course, there's the employment factor. Usually, larger cities offer more employment stability because there are simply more jobs. But this is changing now that manufacturing jobs are more readily available in cities with populations under 700,000.