Industry News for 11/2016

A partnership between AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology,  McLean, Va., and the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) is expected to increase access to apprenticeships and assist employers in developing new programs that reach diverse talent pools, according an AMT news release issued Nov. 15.

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.

The Janesville, Wis., micromanufacturer Performance Micro Tool is part of a Janesville Gazette feature on local companies increasing their use of automation. The article notes that a recent source of revenue for the company is a tool contract with a company that makes the tiny housings in credit cards that hold those now-ubiquitous micro chips.

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.

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.”

Kyocera Group is exhibiting a range of newly developed metalworking tools at the Japan trade show JIMTOF 2016. These will include the new CA3 Series CVD coated carbide indexable cutting tool inserts for cast iron machining; the Magic Drill DRA, a high-performance modular drill; and the MFH Micro, a tiny-caliber high-feed cutting tool.

The Skills Gap dilemma in manufacturing shows little sign of abating amidst Baby-Boomer retirements. One possible solution: Bringing back the once-popular high-school shop class--but with a high-tech slant to interest and prepare a new generation for modern manufacturing. The Tampa Bay Times reports on a Florida high school that is doing just that.

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.

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.

In the past 18 months, several Whirlpool Corp. plants have added collaborative robots to the assembly process. Collaborative robots are at the forefront of manufacturing technology and are designed to work alongside their human counterparts. "Collaborative robots allow us to be much more flexible,” says Eric Howe, Whirlpool senior engineer and automation lead.

Following the election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) released a letter from more than 1,100 manufacturing and business leaders pledging to help bring the country together after a divisive election. NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons also pledged manufacturers’ efforts to find ways to work with the president-elect and the 115th Congress on the pressing issues facing the country.

Methods 3D, Inc., a newly formed subsidiary of Methods Machine Tools, Inc., continues to broaden its presence in 3D printing through the completion of seven additive manufacturing laboratories strategically located across the U.S. The labs are outfitted with printers capable of Direct Metal Printing (DMP), Select Laser Sintering (SLS), Stereolithography (SLA) and Multi-Jet, running 14 different materials.

Allied Machine & Engineering offers a program of technical education seminars. Allied’s highly trained and knowledgeable engineers focus the 3-day TES program on problem-solving.

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.

A report compiled from results of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) survey, a voluntary survey which provides statistics on a calendar-month basis for manufacturers' value of shipments, new orders, unfilled orders, end-of-month total inventory (at current cost or market value) and inventories by stage of fabrication. Click here to view the report, or click here for more information on the M3 survey.