News

In “Turning Point for Manufacturers,” U.S. and China Sign “Phase One” Deal and USCMA

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

Why Firewalls Aren't Going Anywhere

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

How Do the Best Leaders Avoid Miscommunication?

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

Additive Manufacturing Comes to Oil and Gas

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

NAM CEO, Jay Timmons Addresses Council of Manufacturing Associations

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

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Emerges from AI and the Internet of Things

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

Start the New Year with a Simplification Month

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

Women Could Solve Manufacturing's Labor Crisis

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

How to Safely Implement Collaborative Robots

As collaborative robots continue to be introduced in manufacturing, some key safety hazards need to be addressed before collaborative robots can be safely implemented on the line. The introduction of collaborative robots (cobots) in manufacturing has presented some unique safety challenges for... Continue Reading

Use Technology to Accelerate Through Uncertainty

Digital investments can help your company be resilient amid changes in the economic environment. There is a high level of uncertainty surrounding the pace of economic growth. The International Monetary Fund predicts that global growth will have slowed to 3.0% by the end of 2019, down from 3.6% in... Continue Reading

Robotic Exoskeletons: Coming to a Factory, Warehouse, or Army Near You…Soon

Robotic exoskeletons, from single-joint systems to full-body kits, are beginning to be deployed across industry and the military. Exoskeletons have been a staple of the sci-fi imagination for decades: think Tony Stark's Iron Man outfit, or Aliens' Ripley suiting up to shift containers (and battle... Continue Reading

NAM Achieves Year-End Victories on Trade, Health Care, and Taxes

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