News

Can Software-Based Communication Help Train and Retain Manufacturing Workers?

A close-looped feedback system, delivered on an app, provides front-line workers training which can lead to higher retention rates. Technology on the plant floor has proven its worth. It has helped improve just about every metric that manufacturers measure, and it continues its march to soon... Continue Reading

MTI to Host Events at Nadcap

The Metal Treating Institute (MTI) has finalized details on two events it will host at the Fall Nadcap meeting in Pittsburgh, PA, Oct. 18-20. The Nadcap meeting brings together commercial and captive heat treaters and suppliers in the aerospace industry to work through issues related to audit... Continue Reading

The Electric Vehicle Boom is Pay-Dirt for Factory Machinery Makers

DETROIT, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The investment surge by both new and established automakers in the electric vehicle market is a bonanza for factory equipment manufacturers that supply the highly automated picks and shovels for the prospectors in the EV gold rush. The good times for the makers of... Continue Reading

Warehouse Jobs go Unfilled While Former Workers sit it out — Report

Unemployment rate among former warehouse workers much higher than national average, Newmark study finds. The logistics warehousing sector is on the horns of the same dilemma befalling numerous American industries since the economy began reopening in earnest: As warehouse jobs go begging, there... Continue Reading

Producer Prices Rose Faster than Expected in July

Producer prices jumped by more than expected. Some economists think it could be the peak rate of increase, but the spread of the Delta variant poses a big uncertainty. Why it matters: Producer prices reflect what businesses pay for the materials that go into the stuff they eventually sell to... Continue Reading

ISO 26262 – Law or Framework?

Collaboration between supplier and customer is key to achieving functional safety goals. The ISO 26262 standard is a weighty series of documents that many believe has all the force of law or regulation; however, it is not a dictate. It is an agreement on best practices for participants in the... Continue Reading

Senate Passes Infrastructure Bill

As we’re sure you’ve heard, the U.S. Senate passed a historic bipartisan bill yesterday designed to repair and strengthen America’s infrastructure, according to The Wall Street Journal (subscription).A quick recap: The $1 trillion bill comprises $550 billion in spending above... Continue Reading

Be Proactive to Block Ransomware Threats

Rapid technology advancements, shorter product lifecycles, and an increasing demand for more personalized products are driving manufacturers to implement digital technologies, embracing the “digital transformation (or Industry 4.0) in order to compete in the technology-driven business... Continue Reading

Monday Economic Report

IHS Markit: Supplier Shortages and Cost Pressures at Record Levels in July The IHS Markit U.S. Manufacturing PMI notched another record in July, with strong growth in demand, production and hiring, and respondents remained... Continue Reading

They Said What?!

The media reported the following for May retail sales: Retail Sales Fell in May, in Latest Sign of a Bumpy Recovery (The New York Times) US Retail Sales Drop… (various) US Retail Sales Take a Step Back… (Reuters) These statements are extremely interesting, because the... Continue Reading

MTI Educational Foundation Scholarship Award Winners Announced

The MTI Educational Foundation is excited to announce that it has finalized and awarded $41,500 in scholarships to 9 recipients. Educational Foundation Chair, Buster Crossley from Texas Heat Treating in Round Rock, TX stated, “Year end and year out, it is amazing the applications and... Continue Reading

Additive Ups the Ante in a Changing Supply Chain

The technology is quickly evolving from prototyping and special applications to a process that can authentically fit on many factory floors alongside CNC. Nearly all supply chains are experiencing stress coming out of the pandemic, even if only in transportation of their products. Labor,... Continue Reading