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People, Not 3D Printers, the Most Valuable Assets at On-Demand Manufacturer

People, Not 3D Printers, the Most Valuable Assets at On-Demand Manufacturer

When I found out one of IndustryWeek’s scheduled plant tours in Raleigh for our recent conference was going to be at an on-demand 3D printing manufacturer, Protolabs, I knew what I had to do: Demand I be the tour guide. I thought of all the reasons I needed to go, from seeing all the high-tech machines to seeing cool processes such as stereolithography (SLA) up close to a recent chat with Protolabs CEO Vicki Holt. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to storm into my boss’s office lik

Rutgers study touts benefits of ESOPs

Rutgers study touts benefits of ESOPs

The average worker at companies that offer an Employee Stock Ownership Plan has accumulated $134,000 from his or her stake, a new Rutgers study found. Researchers Joseph Blasi and Douglas Kruse of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations shared the study, which has yet to be published, with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., during the drafting of the Main Street Employee Ownership Act. The bill

RACC receives grant for manufacturing job training

RACC receives grant for manufacturing job training

Reading Area Community College will receive funding to provide young adults with basic manufacturing production and employability skills to help them get jobs with area manufacturers, Gov. Tom Wolf's office announced Thursday. "One of the most important ways we can strengthen our manufacturing sector is by providing Pennsylvanians with the skills they need - both on-the-job and employability skills - to help them begin successful careers in manufacturing," Wolf said in a stat

A Roadmap for Pushing Manufacturing Forward

A Roadmap for Pushing Manufacturing Forward

A sector once thought to be on its last legs continues to surprise. The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that 24,000 manufacturing jobs were added in April. This suggests that despite the sea change happening for businesses today—driven by fluctuating commodities, tariff wars and trade standoffs—manufacturing remains a reliable economic engine. From my point of view, developed over decades spent on factory floors around the world, we’ll continue to see

How Smart Manufacturing Apprenticeships Can Give Students College Alternatives

How Smart Manufacturing Apprenticeships Can Give Students College Alternatives

Manufacturers face several technology issues around robotics, automation, and modernizing their operations, but the biggest challenge may be finding skilled workers who can maintain the smart factory of the future. One group aiming to help companies facing such shortages is Catalyst Connection, a non-profit economic development organization based in Pittsburgh whose focus includes manufacturing apprenticeships. Petra Mitchell, president and CEO of Catalyst Connection, said on

Inclusion & Industry 4.0 - Chicago

Inclusion & Industry 4.0 - Chicago

On June 6, labor, workforce, community, business, and political leaders will come together to develop an action plan to revitalize manufacturing in the Chicago region and support the needs of diverse communities. Hear remarks from Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, other major regional leaders, and new research presented by The Century Foundation and the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) that examines the untapped potential of manuf

Historic merger: $11 billion Wabtec, GE deal sees future in railroads

Historic merger: $11 billion Wabtec, GE deal sees future in railroads

The first major move in General Electric's great unwinding targeted the Pittsburgh region on Monday, with the troubled conglomerate sending its century-old transportation business to a Wilmerding company that has an even longer legacy in the rail industry. Wabtec Corp. has signed a $11 billion deal to merge with GE Transportation and fold the operation into its ever-growing empire of rail products and services. The combination is expected to more than double Wabtec's annual r

State to help fund Ephrata manufacturer's $2.4M expansion

State to help fund Ephrata manufacturer's $2.4M expansion

More than $600,000 in state funds will help Spartan Motors Inc. expand its truck-body manufacturing facility in Ephrata to handle incoming work from the U.S. Postal Service. The $2.4 million expansion project is expected to create some 189 new full-time jobs over the next three years, according to a press release issued Thursday by Gov. Tom Wolf's office. Spartan is upgrading its current site to fulfill a $214 million contract with the U.S. Postal Service. The company is bein

How My High School FIRST Robotics Team STEMpunk Used Lean to Build a Winning Robot

How My High School FIRST Robotics Team STEMpunk Used Lean to Build a Winning Robot

For the last five years I’ve been part of a team of students named STEMpunk, building robots that compete in the global FIRST Robotics Competition. For four of those years our robots regularly ranked in the lower third of the 55-plus teams at our regional competitions. But this year, after our leadership group used lean methodology to transform the way we build robots, our machine ranked second overall at the regional in Lacrosse, Wisc. You could say our team completely agree

Operational Objectives for a Business

Operational Objectives for a Business

Operational objectives differ from strategic objectives in that they focus more on “how” than “what.” For example, a business might decide it needs to improve profits by improving its margins, rather than increasing sales. It would pursue this strategic goal using operational objectives targeted at reducing overhead or manufacturing costs, changing the way the business operates in those areas. Improved Staffing Operational objectives in the human resources department help mee

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