People & Companies

A Boston Consulting Group survey finds that US companies consider digital technologies a priority, but that many manufacturers feel no urgency and have no strategy to implement them. For example, nearly 90% of manufacturing leaders regard adopting new digital industrial technologies as a way to improve productivity, but only about one in four see opportunities to use these advances to build new revenue streams.

Penn State reports that it will team with researchers and analysts from Case Western Reserve University, the GE Global Research Center and Microsoft on a $1.5 million collaborative research project to develop a cloud-based wireless sensing and prognostic system for monitoring manufacturing machinery. The initiative will make it possible for such a system to detect early signs of wear, aging and fault conditions in the machines.

The Look Ahead department in the December 2016 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering features a platform for Industry 4.0 connectivity.

While attending IMTS in September, it was nice to meet fellow machine shop owners and managers, many of whom expressed optimism and reported a robust year for their businesses. That was good to hear, considering our market is in the midst of a downturn and requires aggressive management to persevere.

There was plenty to see, eat, drink, hear and learn at the United States Cutting Tool Institute's 2016 Fall Meeting, held in New Orleans Oct. 15-17.

Tungaloy America Inc. offers the DuoJustCut parting tool for Swiss-style lathes. The clamping system rigidly clamps inserts, and the optimized overhang length delivers stable and productive machining, according to the company.

As useful and commonplace as robots are in manufacturing, buying one is rarely a one-stop shopping experience. However, robot manufacturer Universal Robots A/S has launched a new service, UR+, which may change the way robots are bought and sold.

The Associated Press is reporting that air-conditioner manufacturer Carrier Corp. has reached a deal with President-elect Donald Trump to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in Indiana. Last February the company had said it would close the Indianapolis plant, lay off its 1,400 workers there and relocate the work to Mexico.

Carr Lane Manufacturing CEO Nance Frost recently announced the promotion of Colin W. Frost to Chief Operating Officer of the company, which is headquartered in St. Louis. Known primarily for jig & fixture components, Carr Lane Manufacturing offers more than 100,000 products, including quick-change tooling plates and accessories, hoist rings, toggle clamps, handles, knobs, ball and spring plungers, threaded inserts, clamp straps, drill bushings, alignment pins, fixture bases, and power workholding devices.

To spur significant innovation and growth in advanced manufacturing, as well as save over $100 billion annually, U.S. industry must rectify currently unmet needs for measurement science and "proof-of-concept" demonstrations of emerging technologies. This is the overall conclusion reached by economic studies funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of four advanced manufacturing areas used to create everything from automobile composites to zero-noise headsets.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., recently visited Performance Micro Tool, a manufacturer of micro tools in Janesville, Wis. The senator said he intends to give American manufacturing a boost by easing regulatory burdens and smoothing tax rules, which are among his major campaign platforms.

IMTS 2016 featured more tools and systems for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) than ever, observed Cutting Tool Engineering Editor Alan Richter in his October 2016 Lead Angle column.