In October, the unemployment rate reached a 49-year low of 3.7%. This is great news for job candidates: With less competition for positions, candidates can afford to be pickier about roles and culture and to ask for better benefits. But what about employers? “Failure to attract and retain... Continue Reading
Manufacturing production rebounded strongly in December after some softness in the prior three months, jumping 1.1% for the month. Over the past 12 months, manufacturing production has risen 3.2%. More importantly, manufacturing capacity utilization soared from 75.8% in November to 76.5%... Continue Reading
What are some of the underlying reasons why hand injuries are still so common?Responding is Uzma Altaf, senior marketing specialist and social media strategist, Protective Industrial Products Inc., Latham, NY. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 2.8 million nonfatal workplace... Continue Reading
CBM can increase system reliability and productivity, and decrease maintenance costs. That means high ROI — which is appealing to every manufacturer. The machine condition-monitoring market is expected to grow from $2.38 billion this year to $3.5 billion by 2024, according to... Continue Reading
Each organization’s challenges may stack up differently based on considerations like industry sector, product/service type, customer base and culture. Figure 1. An interrelationship digraph in a matrix format was created to rate the relative importance of the priority quality challenges. ... Continue Reading
Cost avoidance, better networks make better financial sense. Even though industrial manufacturing companies are realizing greater efficiencies due to the implementation of new Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies, they are still under immense pressure to improve productivity and... Continue Reading
Montreal - Air travel will become more affordable and more environmentally friendly with 3D printing technology in the near future. The airplanes of American, Boeing, and European Airbus already have a few components produced with 3D printing. Although 3D printing technology becomes more and more... Continue Reading
Are you an artificial intelligence (AI) optimist or pessimist? Today, AI is often thought of as either the end of the world as we know it; when robots will take all of our jobs; or the answer to all our problems, when AI is the ultimate solution to save the planet. It’s ironic that such a... Continue Reading
Unplanned downtime is the single largest cause of lost production time for manufacturers in processing — that is food and beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, and oil and gas production. Production stoppages in these sectors can be attributed to several causes, perhaps a lack of ingredients... Continue Reading
Lightweighting isn’t new to the auto industry, but it’s finally mature enough to make a significant impact on manufacturers, drivers, and the whole planet. Even if you’re not a car aficionado, you can see why the Chevy Corvette C2—aka the Stingray—is revered... Continue Reading
HOW A NEW GENERATION OF GRIPPERS WITH IMPROVED 3D PERCEPTION AND TACTILE SENSING IS LEARNING TO MANIPULATE A WIDE VARIETY OF OBJECTS. Photo: Robotic Materials Inc. A gripper created by Robotic Materials Inc., founded by the author, Nikolaus Correll, performs a manipulation task during the... Continue Reading
Protect personnel and processes by conducting a thorough review before operating new or updated units. A pre-startup safety review (PSSR) is a critical element of the process safety management (PSM) program mandated by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).... Continue Reading
