Industry News

Tolland, CT – CNC Software, Inc., the developers of Mastercam, announced that Mike Nicholson has been hired as the European Territory Manager to further develop the company’s European distribution channel.

The International Manufacturing Technology Show was great. It was fun to actually meet some of the people I’ve worked with over the past couple of years, plus there were the new machine tools, Industry 4.0 and industrial-internet-of-things technology, software systems, cutting tools, robots, metrology equipment and 3D printers. My dogs were killing me every night, but I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. And Chicago—what a cool town. As the saying goes, I wouldn’t want to live there, but it’s a nice place to visit.

Although automation is occurring in manufacturing, as it is in other sectors of the economy, the evidence does not support the idea that automation was the main cause of the sudden decline in manufacturing employment after 2000. It’s difficult to precisely pin down what was to blame, but a large body of research suggests that economists and pundits are wrong to so quickly dismiss trade and to blame machines.

Texas could be in line to land thousands of additional aerospace-related manufacturing and engineering jobs if companies in the fast-growing sector heed a new ranking of the most competitive places for them to operate. The report by PricewaterhouseCoopers lists Texas behind only Washington state as the top location in the United States for “aerospace manufacturing attractiveness.”

In preparation for this year’s celebration of Manufacturing Day on Oct. 5, I read the book "Finding America’s Greatest Champion: Building Prosperity Through Manufacturing, Mentoring and the Awesome Responsibility of Parenting" by Terry M. Iverson, president of machine tool distributor and rebuilder Iverson & Co., Des Plaines, Illinois. The word “champion” in the title connects with the organization Iverson started called CHAMPION Now! CHAMPION is an acronym for Change How American (or Advanced) Manufacturing’s Perceived In Our Nation.

The metal fabrication and manufacturing industry has adjusted in recent years to meet the demands of an evolving global economy, impacted by social, political, economic and technological advancements that effect all aspects of the industry. In changing times and in a historically male-dominated industry, manufacturing has seen a steady rise in women playing key roles in the industry, shaping the next generation of manufacturing to be more gender diverse, innovative, and rewarding for those who pursue a career path in this compelling field.

Robots and the programming they rely on have certainly made huge leaps in recent years. But manufacturers have little use for jumping or cuddling machines. They need performers that can do specific production jobs. Do robots fit the bill? Will they replace all our manufacturing employees?

ROWLEY, MA (August 29, 2018) – Harvey Performance Company is proud to announce, effective immediately, the entire end mill tool libraries for both Harvey Tool and Helical Solutions, representing more than 14,000 SKU’s, are available to upload into Autodesk’s Fusion 360 CAM Software.

Syracuse, NY – Gear Motions announces long-time employee Dan Bartelli has been promoted to Director of Operations of Nixon Gear, and Anna Pastore has been hired to the position of Corporate Controller.

West Dundee, IL – August 29, 2018 – Renishaw, a manufacturer of advanced metal additive manufacturing (AM) systems, has opened a new Additive Manufacturing Demonstration Center in Newbury Park, California.

CERATIZIT S.A., Mamer, Luxembourg, 23 August 2018--Under the auspices of its marketing partnership with Messe Stuttgart, the CERATIZIT Group has obtained the right to choose a name for Hall 3 on the trade fair grounds for the next 10 years.

CLEVELAND, OH—August 28, 2018—The National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) announced today the appointment of Dean Bartles, PhD as its new President.

For its new “Manufacturing Perception Report,” Thomas surveyed more than 1,000 participants from across the U.S. to examine their awareness and views about the manufacturing industry. When respondents were asked about which industries automation will have the biggest impact on, the New York-headquartered information, data and analysis provider reported that manufacturing took the lead at 34 percent, followed by transportation (15 percent), retail (11 percent) and fast food (10 percent).

Kitchener, On— August 24th, 2018 — CAMplete Solutions Inc. and Doosan Machine Tools America have joined forces to offer CAMplete TruePath to their new and existing customers.

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill., [August 28, 2018] – Toyota Racing Development (TRD), U.S.A. has named GF Machining Solutions, a provider of machine tools, automation solutions and services to manufacturers of precision components, as an Official Technical Partner.

[FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ – AUGUST 2018]  Mitsui Seiki, known for its ultra-precise machine tools providing high volumetric accuracies, celebrates its 90th anniversary this fall, and one of the ways the company will mark it is with a champagne toast during IMTS 2018.

HARTLAND, Wis., (August 27, 2018) — Anthony Sherrill has been named Regional Manager covering Texas and Louisiana for Dorner.

If debris or contaminants are not removed from parts, then measured values and physical dimensions can be affected, causing parts to behave unreliably and unpredictably, according to Cincinnati-based Cleaning Technologies Group LLC. “A new generation of industrial manufacturing is characterized by highly accurate machining and finishing processes, as well as precision manufacturing methods,” the company writes in a new e-book available online. “Manufacturing tolerances and acceptable limits in part variation are tighter than ever.”

Sept. 25 marked 39 years to the day since I first stood in front of a Hardinge hand screw, scratching my head over the knobs and handles and wondering what I’d gotten myself into. To say that machine tools have improved since then is like saying this year’s computers are only slightly more powerful than those of a decade ago or that salted caramel ice cream is marginally more flavorful than vanilla. Today’s machine tools rock.

A close look at the performance of America's top manufacturing companies reveals a surprising story of industrial growth. It also suggests an alarming future.