Author: Victor M. Cassidy
Date: 5/1/2013
It’s amazing what these teenagers can do when they’re committed to doing it," says David Tuttle. "They’re not afraid of technology at all."Tuttle speaks from experience. He heads the Manufacturing Technology Department at Platt Technical High School (Milford, CT). In June, Jacob Hudson, his star student, won a Silver Medal and a $1500 prize in Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Milling at the National SkillsUSA Championships in Kansas City, MO.
Full Article Author: Editor in Chief Sarah A. Webster
Date: 4/25/2013
The honorees selected for recognition in Manufacturing Engineering's innaugural 30 Under 30 program will be revealed publicly in the July 2013 issue of our monthly magazine. Do you know someone who has shown extraordinary promise in manufacturing and the skills that underpin the discipline such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics? If so, please keep them in mind for next year's program. More information can be found in this
Full Article Author: Joe Micallef, Media Engineer, ACE Clearwater Enterprises
Date: 4/1/2013
As manufacturers we all have a story to tell. At ACE Clearwater it began 60 years ago with Ray Wyckoff, a neighborhood handyman from El Segundo, California. Returning home from the Korean War he found work as a welder, which landed him a job making igniters for Aerojet. At just 13¢ apiece this humble igniter was the spark that propelled ACE into the future.From that moment on ACE grew.
Full Article Author: Dr. John Irwin and Marilyn Clark
Date: 3/28/2013
Michigan Tech Enterprise Corporation (MTEC) SmartZone is a business incubator funded by Michigan Economic Develop Corporation with a mission to create jobs in the technology sector. MTEC SmartZone has been a 501 3-C (non-profit) organization since 2003, and is funded through direct contributions, revenue from investments, restricted contributions from grants, program services revenue/rent grants, and local tax capture.
Full Article Author: Gary Hargreaves
Vice President, Business Development
CNC Software, Inc.
Date: 3/21/2013
One of the premier venues for countries anxious to show the world the skill levels achieved by their best youngsters is the
WorldSkills Competition held in a different member country every two years.Begun in Madrid shortly after World War II to bring attention to the need for skilled workers in Spain, the event has grown to attract over 1,000 competitors from more than 50 countries.
Full Article Author: Woodruff Imberman, PhD, Imberman and DeForest, Inc.
Date: 3/20/2013
Our latest survey of how 427 companies, including 21 precision machining job shops, are persuading workers to improve productivity in today's shaky economy not surprisingly finds growing numbers of employees are still primarily motivated by basics, such as job security and pay.
Full Article Author: Barry Johnson & Katherine DeRosear
Date: 3/1/2013
Workforce development is arguably the most significant drag on the country’s advanced manufacturing sector. We’re exploring a new workforce model in Virginia, however, that could give the sector the lift it needs to gain altitude.Don’t get me wrong. Advanced manufacturing is by no means stalled. While the US is likely to continue losing labor-intensive manufacturing to low-wage regions of the world, it maintains a leadership position in specialized, highly technical production of next-generation materials and products.
Full Article Author: Beth Love, STEM Academy English Teacher and FIRST Team 3824 RoHAWKtics Mentor, Hardin Valley Academy, Knoxville, TN
Date: 1/8/2013
The future of U.S. manufacturing is evolving rapidly. This presents educators like myself with a fundamental problem: How do we develop tomorrow’s manufacturing workforce? One possible solution has emerged in the community that, 70 years ago, secretly manufactured the materials that won World War II: Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It all began three years ago when a handful of students at Hardin Valley Academy (HVA) approached a teacher and asked a simple question: "Can we start a FIRST Robotics team?"
Full Article Author: Mark C. Tomlinson, CMfgE, EMCP, Executive Director/CEO
Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)
www.sme.org
Date: 1/1/2013
We are hearing in the daily news about the impending fiscal cliff. All of us know this problem needs to be solved quickly if we are going to stay on the path of economic growth. If not resolved, all the good work that has been accomplished around workforce development in 2012 will take a backseat to real economic and financial worries, which will ultimately affect our manufacturing vitality.
Full Article Author: Delcam North America
Date: 12/19/2012
The
Society of Manufacturing Engineers Educational Foundation has named Westfield Vocational Technical High School (WVTHS), Westfield, Massachusetts, one of nine exemplary schools that are collaborating, networking and creating partnerships with local manufacturers and community colleges. WVTHS has created partnerships with precision manufacturing companies in its area who provide internships for students and have formed a waiting list to hire its graduates. A key part of the school’s curriculum is encouraging students to bring their ideas to life by using Delcam’s FeatureCAM computer numerical control (CNC) software to create programs to build parts on CNC machines.
Full Article Author: Editor-in-Chief Sarah A. Webster
Date: 12/13/2012
It’s difficult to determine what facts are the most disturbing about our nation’s skills gap: The fact that U.S. students recently finished 25th in math and 17th in science. Or that employers – already strained to fill about 600,000 current vacancies -- have a bevy of issues with their current workers, too.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor James D. Sawyer
Date: 12/12/2012
The Pittsburgh region is once again a hotbed of energy production and manufacturing -- thanks to the Marcellus Shale and fracking.
Full Article Author: Manufacturing Engineering Media
Date: 12/4/2012
Over the next five years, manufacturing stalwarts such as the US, Germany and Japan will be challenged to maintain their competitive edge against emerging nations, such as China, India and Brazil, according to the 2013 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited’s Global Manufacturing Industry Group and the US Council on Competitiveness. Read the rull report here.
Full Article Author: Garrett Reim, Sales Support Coordinator, Southwestern Industries, Inc.
Date: 12/1/2012
November marked the one year anniversary of the opening of Wentworth Institute of Technology’s new $3 million Manufacturing Center in Boston, and the school’s engineering faculty said they are seeing the fruits of their labor.
Full Article Author: Editor in Chief Sarah A. Webster
Date: 11/20/2012
I am struck by how much the basics still matter. Basics such as: Leaders who (duh!) lead. Competent workforces that can execute in increasingly advanced environments. Lean Plan-Do-Check-Adjust approaches that are not just rooted in management memos but also in a company’s culture—and in reality.
Full Article
Author: Phillip S. Waldrop, PhD.
Professor of Manufacturing and MER Steering Committee member
Date: 11/19/2012
Given the shortage of skilled front line workers and leaders, it is critical to the employer to not only hire qualified people, but to then protect their recruitment, selection, and training investment by keeping them on board into the future.
Full Article Author: Editor in Chief Sarah A. Webster
Date: 11/9/2012
I was quite surprised – astonished really – when a report landed in my in-box this October from the Boston Consulting Group with this headline: “Skills Gap in US Manufacturing is Less Pervasive Than Many Believe.”
Full Article Author: Mark Doman, Pawley Professor in Lean Studies, Oakland University
Date: 11/1/2012
When I start my undergraduate Lean Studies course at Oakland University, I ask the students to raise their hands if they have ever been in a plant. Usually, very few hands reach for the sky. When I ask if they are interested in manufacturing, most say, “Not really.” Yet I teach in a suburb of Detroit, the Motor City.
Full Article Author: Manufacturing Engineering Media Staff
Date: 10/10/2012
“We’re a manufacturing hotbed. And yet, some of the basics in manufacturing -- the core jobs -- you can’t find anyone." -- Jeannine Kunz is director of professional development at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Full Article Author: Dennis S. Bray, SME President-Elect
Date: 10/1/2012
Dennis S. Bray, PhD, FSME, President-Elect, SME, explains the concept of the Technical Community Network, SME's growing role in the development of additive manufacturing and SME's dedication to lifelong learning and innovation.
Full Article Author: Manlio Castillo, STEM Coach, nConnect
Date: 10/1/2012
During his senior year at Fort Vancouver High School (Vancouver, WA), Daniil Popov wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after graduation. Even though he was a bright student—maintaining a 4.0 GPA—and enjoyed math and science classes, he wasn’t sure about going to college either. However, his outlook changed completely after finishing a 90-hour internship at the local Frito-Lay manufacturing plant in Vancouver, WA.
Full Article Author: Editor in Chief Sarah A. Webster
Date: 10/1/2012
To attract more students and workers, the manufacturing sector needs to prove that it's an industry that offers long-lasting, reliable career after a long rocky period marked by layoffs and outsourcing.
Full Article Author: Editor in Chief Sarah A. Webster
Date: 9/10/2012
Manufacturing education is, indeed, in crisis. When manufacturers have hundreds of thousands available jobs and nobody to fill them, during a period of high unemployment, the crisis is obvious. There’s just not enough people to get the job done.
Full Article Author: Stacey Jarrett Wagner, Manager, NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Date: 9/1/2012
I’ve been alive over half a century and many would say that I was born and raised during the golden age of American manufacturing. But I don’t see it that way. I think our best days are in front of us—if we can capitalize, right now, on the opportunities.
Full Article Author: JoAnn Mitchell, Senior Project Leader, Sandvik Coromant US
Date: 8/1/2012
As the nation that was home to both Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, the United States has long been considered a world leader in technology and innovation—a fertile ground for forward-looking and enterprising manufacturing. But such leadership in ideas didn’t appear out of thin air.
Full Article Author: Manufacturing Engineering Media Staff
Date: 7/26/2012
Wednesday, August 15, at 2 p.m. EDT Manufacturing Engineering Media will host a webinar on improving shop floor productivity. The focus will be on a new direction for manpower efficiency that includes machines, tooling, and automation.
Full Article Author: Manufacturing Engineering Media Staff
Date: 7/24/2012
In an era of high unemployment, manufacturing jobs are going unfilled. In addition, service personnel are in need of jobs once they leave the military.
Full Article Author: Terry M. Iverson, Founder, C.H.A.M.P.I.O.N.-NOW!, President and CEO, Iverson & Co.
Date: 7/1/2012
Inspired by Father’s Day last month I’ve been reflecting on some of the things that my father taught me. One of his pearls of wisdom was to always do your best no matter what you end up doing with your life. I have spent the first 32 years of my machine tool career doing just this.
Full Article Author: Terri Helmlinger Ratcliff, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Executive Director, North Carolina State University, & Louis A. Martin-Vega, Dean of Engineering, North Carolina State University
Date: 7/1/2012
For too long, manufacturing’s vital role in our nation’s economy has been misunderstood, downplayed, or even ignored. Occasionally politicians or the media pay short-term attention to manufacturing, when it suits their own agendas, but that kind of attention is not always positive.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor James D. Sawyer
Date: 7/1/2012
The Great Recession was not kind to manufacturing, but the industry has bounced back in fine fashion. It grew a phenomenal 91% from 2009 to 2010 and an impressive 66% from 2010 to 2011. Thus far this year manufacturing has grown 20%—beating forecasts.
Full Article Author: Kevin LaComb, President, Fitzpatrick Mfg. Co.
Date: 6/1/2012
Fitzpatrick Manufacturing Company, a 60-year-old CNC job shop in Michigan, has witnessed and contributed to manufacturing’s on-going technical evolution. As technology increases, the skills and knowledge required to use it increases, and the company has embraced the changing times with advanced technology and highly trained employees.
Full Article Author: Jesse Paschall, 2011 SME Education Foundation Family Scholarship Winner
Date: 5/1/2012
At North Carolina State University, I have quickly learned how to deal with situations that will be beneficial for the rest of my life. While much of my learning has been school based, my first year of college has essentially been about learning how to navigate college and life on my own. Living 850 miles from home, I have had to learn how to solve many of my own problems.
Full Article Author: Susan Lavrakas, Director Workforce, Aerospace Industries Association
Date: 5/1/2012
Preparing for and adjusting to fundamental changes in the workforce have been the focus of much discussion and joint effort by aerospace and defense firms for several years. The "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" report raised alarm among leaders of our industry, which was facing unprecedented workforce shifts as baby boomers became eligible for retirement.
Full Article Author: Edited by Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 5/1/2012
Erosion in American manufacturing has been far more dramatic than commonly thought, with sharp declines in both employment and output, according to a new study released by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF; Washington, DC).
Full Article Author: SME Director of Events and Industry Strategy Debbie Holton
Date: 4/1/2012
Maybe you’ve heard the theory that people who live together for a long time start to look alike. The same is true when benchmarking competitors in our same marketspace, or worse yet, simply looking inward at our own operations. The smaller the circle of investigation and curiosity, the less likely true innovation will happen. Full Article
Author: Rodney Grover, Senior Development Officer, SME Education Foundation
Date: 4/1/2012
In 2011, the NAM Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte documented that 81% of Americans identified manufacturing as the No. 1 industry they would like in their community to build wealth and create jobs. Unfortunately, only 35% of those people would advise their children and grandchildren to work in manufacturing. That is a huge gap and much of it is created by the millions of Americans with an old, outdated image of manufacturing.
Full Article Author: Carlos Cardoso, President and CEO, Kennametal
Date: 4/1/2012
This is an exciting time to be in manufacturing! Our industry is leading the economic recovery and all of us should feel proud to be a part of this sustaining force. As I travel across the country, I take every opportunity to promote our successes in the manufacturing sector and share the many examples I hear about that companies are taking to advance manufacturing in the US. However, despite these positive stories, I continue to encounter many that contradict the truth about manufacturing. Full Article
Author: SME Director of Membership Joseph J. LaRussa
Date: 3/1/2012
Growth is many things. It’s a business objective, a sign of health, a personal goal, and a measure of satisfaction. SME and its members consider growth to be all of these, and together we’re achieving it. Considering growth as a business objective, SME membership grew by 4% in 2011. More than 6700 new members joined the Society in 2011, demonstrating that our value promise to our members is strong and compelling. Full Article
Author: Eric V. Gearhart, Director, Skills USA; Bob Skodzinsky, Manager, Haas Technical Education Center Network
Date: 3/1/2012
Every year, more than 300,000 kids in the US are involved in student competitions of all shapes and sizes, validating a variety of skills, knowledge and expertise. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers supports a number of these programs, but in 2011, SME had the great privilege to support the SkillsUSA Championships in Kansas City, MO, featuring 94 different trade, technical, and leadership competitions for SkillsUSA members.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 3/1/2012
When Rob Simmons, owner of Machine Specialties Inc. (MSI; Whitsett, NC), listened to a seminar speaker in 2005 discussing the looming economic downturn, he raised his hand to comment. "I’m not going to participate in that," he stated. And he didn’t.
Full Article Author: Editor in Chief Sarah A. Webster
Date: 3/1/2012
That nation is finally listening. From President Barack Obama, who made manufacturing a central theme of his State of the Union, to Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney, who also pledges to bring manufacturing jobs back to America, manufacturing is now a major topic of conversation. This is the moment we've been waiting for—that some say its overdue—right? So, manufacturers, what do you want?
Full Article Author: Simon Nance, Manager, STIHL Inc.
Date: 2/1/2012
S
TIHL transformed the concept of summer camp in July, turning the school break into a manufacturing lesson for more than 30 high school sophomores and juniors. In turn, the global power tool giant helped expose the group to new concepts that might inspire many to pursue a career in manufacturing. Five student teams, each led by a volunteer coach and a team assistant, spent three and half days preparing for and working in the clock-making competition.
Full Article Author: Chas Manning, SME Student Chapter Chair, Boston University S063
Date: 2/1/2012
SME’s Boston University S063 student chapter had an amazing opportunity in June 2011 when it sent three of its student members (myself, Brianna Nelson, and Colleen Neely) to Seattle for the 2011 SME Annual Conference. This occasion was made possible because of the support from Boston University’s College of Engineering and the incredible generosity of SME’s Boston No. 33 chapter.
Full Article Author: Don Lane, President and CEO, Makino Inc.
Date: 2/1/2012
According to the headlines and recent stock market performance, overall economic conditions remain unsteady. However, the machine tool industry is experiencing a recovery from the recession that has been quicker, stronger and more robust than any other in history.
Full Article Author: Kenneth McGuire
Date: 12/1/2011
Creative leaders are vital to any organization, especially in this reset economy, but too many organizations are citing a shortage of likely candidates coming from within the thinned-out ranks of their existing managerial workforce. The manufacturing community, which has endured declines in its overall ranks for several decades, is facing an even greater challenge in both numbers and sufficient breadth.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor James D. Sawyer
Date: 11/1/2011
The way Chuck Sibley tells it, enlightened self-interest lies behind the employment practices and policies at the Navistar Engine Group plants he manages in Huntsville, AL. “We try to treat everybody from the top to the bottom the same way,” he says. “There is a payback to this. It’s not just about being super-nice people. It’s a business decision. It’s not just a feel-good story.”
Full Article Author: Jim Lorincz
Date: 11/1/2011
It’s difficult to remember a time when manufacturing and education shared as many headlines as they do today. In fact, the continued success of one, manufacturing, is inextricably related to the quality of the other, education of the young people who will shape and lead manufacturing in the future.
Full Article Author: Mark Hoper & John Catalano
Date: 10/1/2011
There’s been a lot written about the retirement of the baby boomers creating a skilled labor shortage in manufacturing and about the need for students to become knowledgeable in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) to fill these openings. But what if retirement is still 15, 20 or even 30 years away? What training might you need to get a promotion?
Full Article Author: Ben Brown
Date: 9/1/2011
It has been two years since being awarded the SMEEF Family scholarship and I’m truly living my dream. Currently I have three semesters left at Missouri University of Science and Technology to finish my mechanical engineering undergraduate degree with an emphasis in manufacturing.
Full Article Date: 8/1/2011
SME proposes a plan for attracting and training workers who are qualified to run tomorrow’s high-tech manufacturing facilities.Collaborative engineering and workforce development are big buzzwords in manufacturing today—and for good reason.
Full Article Author: Bill Weier, Human Resource Manager, MAG IAS
Date: 6/1/2011
What does it take to interest young people in a career in manufacturing? It’s a challenge all of us in this industry face, especially in light of an aging workforce and an educational system that places little emphasis on technical careers.
Full Article Author: Pamela Hurt
Date: 5/1/2011
Western Michigan University’s (Kalamazoo, MI) Manufacturing Research Center is helping manufacturers to "green up" their manufacturing plants, processes, and products through the Green Manufacturing Initiative (GMI).
Full Article Author: Peter Schmitt
Date: 4/1/2011
The development of new and innovative products is paramount to the strength and success of any industrial company. However, a new product development strategy must be coupled with the ability to also manufacture efficiently.
Full Article Author: Jim Reynolds
Date: 3/1/2011
In South Carolina, high school students choose to major in one of 16 clusters of study. One of those clusters is manufacturing and only 2% of students choose manufacturing as a career in their education plan. That’s a problem, since manufacturing accounts for 9% of projected job openings in the next decade.
Full Article Author: Mark C. Tomlinson
Date: 2/1/2011
As companies start the process of replacing the aging/retiring workforce, what problems will they face? One area of major concern will be the development of a new, highly skilled technical workforce. What challenges will they confront to find the qualified individuals needed to support a growing economy?
Full Article Author: Bart A. Aslin
Date: 1/1/2011
Many times I have been asked: "Why is manufacturing relevant as an industry, and why should we encourage young people to consider it as a career?" My passionate response is that throughout history, manufacturing has been the backbone of strong economies, and without a strong and vibrant manufacturing base, the US economy will continue to weaken over time.
Full Article Author: Lea A.P. Tonkin, Executive Editor, Target Magazine
Date: 7/1/2010
Before Eusebio J. (E.J.) Tamez, a plant superintendent for Del Monte Foods, started studying and working toward lean certification at the bronze level in December 2007, he sought the advice of a senior manager who offered suggestions for gaining the most benefit from the process. "He suggested areas where I needed to focus on improvement, and he also impressed on me the importance of tracking my progress—a PDCA [Plan-Do-Check-Act]approach," Tamez said.
Full Article Author: Pamela Hurt, SME Development Program Manager
Date: 6/1/2010
For better or worse, California is a place known for new ideas. The list of items is diverse, from hot rods, Frisbees, and surfboards to skateboards, the microchip in Silicon Valley, and health food. "Would you like sprouts on that tofu sandwich?" California has long been the incubator for products and trends that have changed the way we live, work, and play. Recently, another new idea has come alive in San Diego County, where a company called Aptera is taking a new approach to personal transportation aimed at providing the most efficient mode of travel the world has ever seen.
Full Article Author: Bill Fetter, Hexagon Metrology Inc.
Date: 5/1/2010
In August 2009, Clemson University graduated its first class of automotive engineers with master's degrees. While advanced degree programs in automotive engineering are rare in the US, in Europe things are very different, as there are a number of automotive engineering degreed programs. This workforce development approach enables overseas automotive companies to access a pool of very qualified candidates for employment on a consistent basis.
Full Article Author: Marilyn Barger, Richard Gilbert, PhD, and Mark Snyder
Date: 4/1/2010
What is the NSF-ATE program? What can NSF-ATE do to help manufacturing in the United States? How can you get involved?
Full Article Author: John Irwin & Daniel Kirby & Paul Nutter
Date: 3/1/2010
At educational institutions, online CNC training has proven to be an advantage for students and educators alike. Software that simulates common production machines, such as Haas VF Series milling centers, and simulation of CNC lathes with emulation of Fanuc controllers, provides an opportunity for offline training.
Full Article Author: Mel Schiavelli, President, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Date: 2/1/2010
Realizing the value of technology-based manufacturing jobs, the city of Harrisburg started its own University of Science and Technology. Americans clearly still believe that manufacturing remains the backbone of the economy, according to a June 2009 study by the Manufacturing Institute (Washington, DC).
Full Article Author: Mark C. Tomlinson, CMfgE, EMCP, Executive Director/CEO Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)
Date: 1/1/2010
For the past several years, SME has been suggesting that a highly skilled workforce is necessary to meet the needs of 21st Century manufacturing. A year ago, Manufacturing Engineering magazine launched its workforce development section, which highlights industry practices and training/academic programs that support, educate, and prepare the workforce for manufacturing positions.
Full Article Author: Alex Miller, Presidnent, AE Miller Group
Date: 12/1/2009
Just as in business, any capital investment in Workforce Development must be thoroughly analyzed and supported by tangible industry drivers and positive forecasts for future market demand. As such, the recently announced relationship between Vincennes University (VU; Vincennes, IN) and ABB Robotics (Auburn Hills, MI) bodes well for the future of advanced manufacturing training and the further penetration of industrial robots in automating plants, warehouses, and other commercial operations in the Midwest and beyond.
Full Article Author: Patrick E. Dessert, PhD, CMfgT, Professor of Engineering, Oakland University
Date: 11/1/2009
A doctoral candidate named Mike walked into my office the other day. I asked him what field he was researching for his degree. He told me he was working in metal stamping, and that he liked it a lot. I asked him how he could do that without the benefit of having a toolroom, materials, or even a stamping machine available to use to learn and experiment. He told me that he was using computer software to simulate all of that, and that he didn't think he needed those things.
Full Article Author: Bob Crigler, Mike Marlowe, and Kim Belinsky
Date: 10/1/2009
The issues are familiar. The Baby Boomer generation of workers is retiring in droves. The next generation isn't well-trained for manufacturing, and manufacturing doesn't have a glamorous reputation. The myth exists that manufacturing industry careers are dusty/dirty, low-paying, blue-collar positions, and just plain boring. While some of this may have been true in the past, this doesn't describe today's manufacturing environment. Currently, many people and organizations have dedicated their efforts to working together to dispel these myths.
Full Article Author: Chris Kahlick, Technical Writer/CAD Design, ARC Specialties Inc.
Date: 9/1/2009
The future can be made a place where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes. That statement is the vision of US FIRST founder Dean Kamen, whose organization has excited youth across the nation into science and technology careers through FIRST Robotic Competitions. Kids start as young as 9 years old with LEGO robot leagues and progress to national competitions at the high school level, all the while receiving invaluable mentoring from manufacturing professionals.
Full Article Author: Ben Mund, CNC Software Inc.
Date: 8/1/2009
The Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology (SiMT; Florence, SC) is an educational institution—but it's also a factory. The SiMT is associated with nearby Florence Darlington Technical College, which is the degree-granting authority. However, SiMT's 146-acre (59-hectare) site and physical plant (i.e., factory) is located about three-quarters of a mile (0.47 km) down the road.
Full Article Author: Joseph J. LaRussa, PE, Visteon Corp.
Date: 7/1/2009
Whether you're a student, a practicing professional, or an experienced leader, constructive engagement has value and will benefit you, your organization, and your network. Constructive engagement is one of those things you do without knowing you're doing it. You do it as a part of your everyday routine. You do it at work, at church, at school, or anywhere else where there are people.
Full Article Author: Sandy Feola, Customer Engagement Manager, National Center for Manufacturing Education
Date: 6/1/2009
"Can I use this website to find companies that might be interesting for me to job shadow?" "What if I want to find a company that would hire me for a summer internship? Could I post my resume for companies to look at it?" These were just two of many questions asked by a group of high school juniors and seniors when the National Center for Manufacturing Education (NCME) at Sinclair Community College (Dayton, OH) visited the classroom to learn what they would want to find on a Web site devoted to the promotion of advanced manufacturing careers.
Full Article Author: David Csokasy, President, DJC Group Inc.
Date: 5/1/2009
Perhaps this is manufacturing's perfect storm. The factors for this storm would include the challenges of an expanding global marketplace and pricing pressures, the downturn in the world's financial markets with the likelihood of a different model emerging once the economy rebounds, negative press about manufacturing caused by the challenges faced in the automotive sector, and the retirement of the baby-boom generation taking out many, if not most, manufacturing leaders.
Full Article Author: Jennifer M. McNelly, Vice President, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
Date: 4/1/2009
Even in tough economic times, manufacturers report they cannot find workers with the right skills, at the right time, to remain competitive. Manufacturers need a consistent means of validating the knowledge and skills an applicant and/or employee possesses, because talent is the most important driver of business success.
Full Article Author: Chuck Guise, Training Director, Penn United Technologies
Date: 3/1/2009
"You can't change the past, but you can and should shape your future, because if you don't, someone else surely will." Joel Barker, an independent scholar and futurist, coined this phrase as a result of his long, in-depth exploration into the power of paradigm shifts and their effect on the corporate world. Looking back through time, it's easy to find many examples that validate Joel Barker's statement.
Full Article Author: Larry Maier, President, Peerless Precision Inc.
Date: 2/1/2009
There is much dialogue about the shortage of skilled labor and people with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) educations. The solution is in the building of industry-led coalitions focused on realistic, achievable, continuously improving goals and actions. We build the road one foot at a time with many substrates. The question for industry is, "Can executives and senior management afford not to make time to solve the problem and lead the way to the solution?"
Full Article Author: Mark C. Tomlinson, CMfgE. EMCP, SME CEO
Date: 1/1/2009
It's no secret that manufacturing is changing. The US is currently facing one of its greatest financial crises ever. The Big Three are in dire straits. Plants are closing daily, and a record number of skilled workers are losing their jobs. During this turbulent time, SME is committed to helping manufacturing practitioners and companies address their most critical competency gaps. The Society is also very dedicated to filling the pipeline with the next generation of talented engineers and skilled manufacturing practitioners.
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak
Date: 12/1/2008
By going online, manufacturers save in training the skilled workers of tomorrow
Full Article Author: Harry Moser, Chairman, AgieCharmilles
Date: 12/1/2007
Adopting some aspects of the Swiss approach to workforce development might help US manufacturers find the skilled personnel they need
Full Article Author: Senior Editor Jim Lorincz
Date: 7/1/2007
This is the sixth annual installment in an article series we call Masters of Manufacturing. In these articles, Manufacturing Engineering magazine honors a distinguished figure in manufacturing technology. By doing so, we hope to remind readers that a career of great achievement in manufacturing is still possible.
Full Article