Why building a digitally enabled supply chain is hard, and what to do about it. In an earlier article, we looked at an inconvenient truth of supply-chain technology: the modern supply chain is still a fundamentally human endeavor. Smart algorithms may be able to generate faster, more accurate... Continue Reading
Exoskeletons for work and industry are being utilized by early adopters, especially in the automotive industry. These are wearable devices that are worn on top of workers’ clothing that aim to reduce fatigue, increase safety, and in some cases, improve productivity. However, many questions... Continue Reading
At a ceremony at the White House on Wednesday, attended by NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons, the United States and China signed the “Phase One” trade deal between the two countries, securing a key victory for manufacturers in the ongoing trade talks between the two countries. Timmons... Continue Reading
Written off multiple times as obsolete, firewalls continue to elude demise by adding features and ensuring that VPNs keep humming. Not that long ago, bold predictions were being made by some of the most noteworthy pundits in the technology community that the majority of Internet infrastructure... Continue Reading
U.S. homebuilding surged to a 13-year high in December as activity increased across the board, suggesting the housing market recovery was back on track amid low mortgage rates, and could help support the longest economic expansion on record. There was also some encouraging news on manufacturing,... Continue Reading
Being able to communicate effectively is perhaps the most important of all leadership skills. It is what enables us to pass information to other people and to understand what is being said to us, the foundation of productivity and strong relationships. It was Dale Carnegie who stated, in How to... Continue Reading
As industrial applications of additive manufacturing become more prevalent, the oil and gas industry looks to technology to speed up prototyping and the manufacturing of spare parts. Over the years, additive manufacturing has become prominent in different industries and has significantly... Continue Reading
The Council of Manufacturing Associations (CMA) is a non-profit in affiliation with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). CMA represents over 250 trade associations in the world of manufacturing, including MTI, with a combined membership of over 120,000 businesses. CMA meets twice a... Continue Reading
Big data, analytics, and machine learning are starting to feel like anonymous business words, but they're not just overused abstract concepts—those buzzwords represent huge changes in much of the technology we deal with in our daily lives. Some of those changes have been for the better,... Continue Reading
Leaders can gain clarity by using January to simplify operations and focus on desired outcomes for the coming year. This time of year always ushers in resolutions and thoughts of what will be different when we wake up on January 1, but commitments to make lasting changes to diet and fitness... Continue Reading
Manufacturing has a critical shortage of skilled workers -- more than 2 million are needed now, and the problem is getting worse, but very few women are rushing to fill the gap. Just 29% of manufacturing's labor force is female, including only 7% in middle-skilled jobs. That's not because... Continue Reading
The NAM scored significant legislative wins for manufacturers this week, many of them years in the making. Recently the House approved the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, in a strong bipartisan vote of 385-41, sending it to the Senate for a vote in early 2020. Both chambers... Continue Reading
