All Features
Gleb Tsipursky
A tall, thin man in his late 50s approached me after my closing keynote for a manufacturing association conference on how leaders can avoid business disasters. He looked distraught and agitated. I hoped he wasn’t angry with something I said.
Mark introduced himself and asked me to tell him more…
Ben Bensaou
For many organizations, the biggest challenge of innovation isn’t coming up with good ideas—it’s making sure those good ideas are noticed and acted upon. This is a particular challenge for multinationals, such as global pharmaceutical and health company Bayer, which have thousands of staff spread…
Quality Digest
(Vision Research: Wayne, NJ) -- Vision Research, a leading manufacturer of digital high-speed imaging systems, brings extreme throughput to machine vision applications with the introduction of the Phantom S991 machine vision camera. The Phantom S991 employs CoaXPress-over-Fiber technology to…
Quality Digest
(Pall Corp.: Port Washington, NY) -- Pall Corp., a leader in filtration, separation, and purification technology, and a Danaher operating company, launched the Supralon hydraulic and lube oil-filter element range, a direct upgrade for Pall’s Coralon, Ultipor, and Red1000 series filters. Supralon…
Lisa Anderson
Global supply-chain disruptions are rampant. Manufacturers and business owners now routinely deal with triple and quadruple lead times, widespread shortages, escalating prices, and transportation delays. Every link in the supply chain is out of alignment. Think of the imbalance as a sixth-grader on…
Tahira Reid, James Gibert
People interact with machines in countless ways every day. In some cases, they actively control a device, like driving a car or using an app on a smartphone. Sometimes people passively interact with a device, like being imaged by an MRI machine. And sometimes they interact with machines without…
Mike MacPherson
For managers seeking to boost employee engagement, this is something that can only be earned, not enforced. If the past two years have shown us anything, it’s that genuine employee enthusiasm, motivation, and drive at work come from a passion for the work. No amount of free lunches, ping-pong…
Emily Newton
Welding technology has progressed over the years, thanks to innovations that improve accuracy and overall productivity. Some advances have been in welding automation handled by advanced robots. Other breakthroughs rely on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine vision for better defect detection.…
Daniel de Wolff
Most successful entrepreneurs know that simply inventing a smart or disruptive technology isn’t enough to make customers come running. Among other things, business development involves connecting with the right people in the corporate hierarchy. Yet aspiring entrepreneurs often underestimate the…
(AMUG: Milwaukee, WI) -- The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced its keynote speakers for the 2022 AMUG Conference, which will be held in Chicago April 3–7, 2022. Kevin Czinger, founder, lead inventor, and CEO of Divergent 3D and Czinger Vehicles,; and Ellen Lee, technical…
Quality Digest
(LMA Consulting: Claremont, CA) -- Manufacturing and supply-chain expert Lisa Anderson, president of LMA Consulting Group, has advised manufacturers and distributors throughout the pandemic on maximizing and leveraging their supply chains. She suggests that prioritizing is a must to optimize the…
Ryan E. Day
Chickens come home to roost, and canaries meet their demise in coal mines. But hey, we knew there was a high probability of each happening eventually, right? However, when a black swan shows up with severe impact and consequences, everyone is caught off guard. I’m wondering if it’s a black swan…
Chip Bell
It all started when we drove up to the speaker menu at a quick-service restaurant. “Can I take your order?” the attendant coldly barked. When my wife, on hearing the deep voice of the attendant, politely said, “Thank you, sir,” she got back a sharp, “It’s ma’am.”
The attendant bristled with…
Quality Digest
(Marposs: Auburn Hills, MI) -- Marposs, with more than 60 years’ experience in developing solutions for quality control during the production process, has announced its solutions for monitoring the roll-to-roll (R2R) production process of electrode foils (cathode and anode) used in lithium-ion…
Mark Hembree
From asking Siri to suggest a nearby restaurant to programming a drone flight on Mars, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a part of everyday life—and its presence and influence will inevitably grow.
What do manufacturers need to know about it?
First of all, it’s already here. Capgemini…
Rebecca Saenz
There are three key things cobot developers and employers using cobots must remember when considering implementation: 1) human life takes precedence, 2) human life takes precedence, and 3) human life takes precedence.
Dictionary.com defines cobot as “a computer-controlled robotic apparatus that…
Bert Thornton, Sherry Hartnett
The past two years have been tough. Many of us are feeling bogged down, burned out, and wary of what the future holds. But instead of creeping into 2022 with a sense of dread, what if you bounded into it with optimism and confidence?
Yes, there’s a way to revitalize your career, your outlook, and…
Josh Wilson
Paraphrasing Winston Churchill, Rahm Emanuel, a former White House chief of staff and Chicago mayor, famously quipped that you never want a serious crisis to go to waste. Few of us will face the number of crises that a big-city mayor or a presidential aide may deal with in a day, but we still need…
Megan Wallin Kerth
In the wake of manufacturing and chip shortages, some may think that Covid-19 slowed down production on the whole as supply chain issues and remote work presented significant obstacles for manufacturers. However, there were both struggles and some unexpected benefits that arose as professionals…
(Datanomix: Nashua, NH) -- Datanomix, the leading automated production intelligence platform for precision manufacturers, today announced a major new reporting workflow designed to give business leaders and continuous improvement personnel insights into overall factory performance, as well as top…
Quality Digest
(AW-Lake: Oak Creek, WI) -- AW-Lake Company introduces the TRP Pelton Wheel High Temp Turbine Flow Meter specifically designed to monitor and control the cooling and process efficiency of high and ultra-high temperature oil used in heating and cooling circuits.
Maintaining ideal temperatures is…
William A. Levinson
The U.S. Military Academy’s Honor Code says that “A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the USMA’s superintendent, elaborated, “The tenets of honorable living remain immutable, and the outcomes of our leader development system remain the same,…
Katie Rapp
For manufacturers, artificial intelligence (AI) can be a game changer. Greater efficiencies, lower costs, improved quality, and reduced downtime are just some of the potential benefits. This technology isn’t just for large manufacturers. High-value, cost-effective AI solutions are more accessible…
(Gartner: Stamford, CT) -- From semiconductor shortages that shut down car factories to timber prices that skyrocketed due to unprecedented post-lockdown demand, supply-chain leaders have had their hands full trying to keep business going.
As the second pandemic year comes to an end, interviewer…
Prasad Akella
We are a full two years into post-pandemic manufacturing life, with the omicron variant the latest cause for concern. It might sound hyperbolic, but I’m pretty sure manufacturing will never be the same as it was in 2019. In some ways, that’s a good thing.
One silver lining of the novel coronavirus…
