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The Millennial Boss' Guide to Managing Gen Z, Based on 5 Stereotypes of the Younger Generation

What happens when you take a generation of young people, add a seemingly endless war, a climate crisis, and a pandemic on top for good measure? You get Gen Z, a new crop of workers born from about 1996 to 2012 who are determined that something's got to change. Not only is Gen Z the most... Continue Reading

MTI 2023 Spring Meeting Registration NOW OPEN

MTI is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2023 MTI Spring Meeting. The 2023 Spring Meeting provides all Members an opportunity to get away from the distractions and grind of day-to-day business to connect with top executives in both heat treating companies and suppliers who... Continue Reading

Is Your ‘Best Value’ Country Sourcing Missing the Mark?

Nine factors to consider in a total-cost-of-ownership analysis. Economic uncertainty, along with recent manufacturing-friendly legislation, has prompted U.S. businesses in 2023 to invest significantly in innovative sourcing strategies to maintain supply chain resiliency. Analyzing the various... Continue Reading

ISM Report: Manufacturing Contraction Continues

“The U.S. manufacturing sector again contracted, with the Manufacturing PMI at its lowest level since the coronavirus pandemic recovery began," said Timothy Fiore. For the third straight month, manufacturing economic activity shrank in January, according to the Institute for Supply... Continue Reading

Hot Off the Press: MTI 1st Quarter 2023 Sales Forecast Released

The one elements of certainty in the future is how dynamic the economic forces are that drive the ups and downs in the economy. This dynamic can change quarter-to-quarter making the need for having access to highly accurate sales forecasting of upmost importance. MTI’s quarterly sales... Continue Reading

How to Scale Supplier Finance Program in an Inflationary Environment

Ensuring your supplier finance program is set up for success is just one way to put yourself in the best possible position for whatever is in the year ahead. 2022 saw an inflationary environment unlike any we have seen in decades. As central banks have moved to combat inflation with higher... Continue Reading

What is the Best Software for Heat Treat Job Shops? Homegrown Software? ERP or MES? How do I know wh

The heat treating industry is a unique one, in the sense that it provides so much for the manufacturing industry in its entirety, but seldom gets recognized for these critical jobs. When metal finishing job shops seek a software solution to button up their operations with better workflows and... Continue Reading

MTI Finalizes Details for Midwest Chapter Meeting

The Metal Treating Institute is excited to announce it has finalized details for the Spring Midwest Chapter Dinner Meeting. The meeting will be hosted on April 5th at Lake City Social in Lake Geneva, WI from 4:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Heat Treaters and suppliers from all across the Midwest... Continue Reading

What is the Purpose of a Manager Nowadays?

A few months ago, I saw a piece of research which has stuck with me. Research by Microsoft was looking into how Hybrid Work was working, and found out the following shocking statistic: 87% of employees feel like they are just as productive working remotely as they are in the office But 88% of... Continue Reading

Manufacturing Robots: Buy? Lease? or As-a-Service?

Behrens Metalware discovers that robot ownership and robots-as-a-service models can provide simultaneous success. Integrating robots into manufacturing may require long lead times, substantial capital investments, operator training, and long-term maintenance plans if companies pursue purchase or... Continue Reading

What Makes a Work Culture Toxic?

A toxic environment is different than one that's less-than-ideal. We’ve all heard the term “The Great Resignation.” It describes the recent sharp uptick in resignations as the COVID pandemic ended. In 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 47 million... Continue Reading

US Economic Activity Tepid but Prices Seen Easing: Fed

Although supply chain disruptions have eased in many areas, manufacturers said activity still "declined modestly on average," the Fed's report said. Economic activity in the United States remained lukewarm in recent weeks, said a report published by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, with... Continue Reading