Oil, Gold and Silver On The Rise... What Does It Mean For Manufacturers?

With the rumors of $5 and $6 a gallon gas on the horizon and a continued rise in the price of commodities, what does this mean for United States manufacturers?

Demystifying Die Protection

Originally die protection was developed just to prevent damage to the tool and die during the operation of a stamping press. As sensor and controls technology knowledge has evolved and stampers knowledge of it has expanded, die protection technology has been expanded into other applications, such as increasing production rates and to perform quality assurance.

Google Going Head to Head With Microsoft & Apple

Google announced their first series of notebooks powered by their Chrome OS will ship mid-2011 and come with 2 years of free Verizon Wireless internet.

Quantitative Easing Explained

10 Design Laws For Tool Designers

This informative video will help tool designers and makers to make more efficient and durable tools. If you are looking for a metal stamper, these are some great tips to make sure your stamper is creating a quality product.

Employers Getting More Bang For Their Buck In New Hires

Employers seem to be getting more bang for their buck with their new hires in the "new economy". BMW is hiring and getting higher skilled workers for less money.

We NEED More Stimulus!

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said today the US needs more fiscal stimulus to aid the economy and that more unconventional monetary easing by the Federal Reserve would do little to spur the recovery.

Overhauling Manufacturing’s Image

The public’s image of manufacturing still conjures up an ugly building with spewing smokestacks. Just ask anyone. People’s attitude toward manufacturing turned positive for a time during World War II as U.S. manufacturing prowess emerged as a deciding factor in our winning the war.

Young Workers Not Interested In Manufacturing Jobs

According to recent research, a majority of younger workers think manufacturing is important to the country’s success and prosperity — but they don’t want to be the ones with manufacturing jobs.

Gold Hits Record High

Gold hit record highs for a fourth day on Monday as speculation the Federal Reserve may announce further moves to stimulate the U.S. economy after its policy meeting this week piqued interest in the precious metal. Spot gold hit a record $1,283.25 an ounce.

Manufacturing Group Spent $1.11M In 2Q Lobbying

The National Association of Manufacturers spent $1.11 million lobbying the federal government during the second quarter, according to a recent disclosure report. That's up slightly from the $1.05 million it spent lobbying in the same quarter of last year.

The Importance of the Daily Meeting

The daily stand up meeting is critically important in the Lean process, and it does change company culture. Traditional organizations wait a week or two between staff meetings to discuss issues, and by the time the meeting rolls around many subtle issues have been forgotten. Rigid agendas often prevent the surfacing and discussion of unplanned topics.

10 Questions Metal Stampers Should Be Prepared to Answer

Competition from offshore metal stamping and declines in demand due to the recession has wreaked havoc on domestic metal stamping suppliers in the last few years. With a declining base of financially solvent metal stampers, OEMs find themselves struggling to find suppliers who they can transition their business to quickly and efficiently.

Lean Proves Lucrative for Medical Device Manufacturer

Thomas Medical has adopted a Lean approach to become one of the top medical device manufacturers in the Greater Philadelphia area. Thomas Medical Products in the Great Valley Corporate Center has adopted a "pay it forward type of mentality" to help spread the benefits of lean manufacturing in the region.

The Pros and Cons of Globilization

People around the globe are more connected to each other then ever before. Information and money flow more quickly than ever.Global Manufacturing Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel is more frequent and international communication is commonplace. Globalization is an economic tidal wave that is sweeping over the world.

7 Questions to Ask About Machine Safety

Machinery is involved in one in four workplace deaths, according to the Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA). To protect workers from hazards surrounding machinery, the IAPA urges supervisors to ask these questions: 1) Is the guarding in place and used properly?

Copper On the Rise as Dollar Slides

Copper rose for a sixth session Tuesday as a weakening dollar sent investors in search of other assets seen as stable stores of value. The dollar continued its slide against the euro as economic data suggests that a debt crisis may not be hurting European countries as much as previously thought.

8 Keys to Just in Time Production

Just-in-time (JIT) is defined in the APICS dictionary as “a philosophy of manufacturing based on planned elimination of all waste and on continuous improvement of productivity”. It also has been described as an approach with the objective of producing the right part in the right place at the right time (in other words, “just in time”).

Manufacturing Surging, Housing Suffering

MarketWatch (6/13, Nutting) reported, "US manufacturing is on a tear, one of the few unambiguous positives in an economy that's still struggling to recover from the deepest downturn in generations. In some ways, this economic recovery fits the classic mold, as factories are running overtime to restock inventories depleted during the panic and to meet renewed demand for capital equipment and consumer goods."

Union Workers Reach New Labor Deal With Hershey

Hershey Chocolate seems to be staying put as unionized workers approved a new labor deal. However, 500-600 workers could lose their jobs. Hershey says they are going to spend approximately $200 million dollars on upgrading their West Hershey plant.

Are U.S. Manufacturers Gaining Ground on China?

Does Chinese manufacturing still yield the benefits it has over the last decade? As the dollar weakened through the economic meltdown, manufacturing in China didn't seemed to make as much financial sense ($$). Over the last decade, many companies have gone over seas for their die building and stamping needs. Die building in China can save sometimes as much as 40-60% off the cost of tooling. However, quality can sometimes be compromised. The tools usually need to be debugged and reworked in the US unless you have a reliable engineer on foreign soil.

Ford to Invest $135 million into Electric Car Jobs and Development

May 24 (Bloomberg) -- Ford Motor Co., working to make a quarter of its vehicles run at least partly on electricity, plans to invest $135 million and add 220 jobs at three Michigan facilities to help it introduce five such models by 2012.

Handling Supply Chain Disruptions

With the recent volcano eruption in Iceland, major manufacturers with global suppliers have had to halt operations as flights were grounded throughout Europe. Earlier this year, an earthquake in Chile ground supply chains in the area, halting major food source supplies.

Toyota Suspends Sales Of Lexus LS On Recall

Toyota Motor Corp. has suspended sales of Lexus LS vehicles in the United States as it waits to receive new parts following after a worldwide recall of the model, The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday on its Web site. On Friday, Toyota recalled about 3,800 late 2009 and certain 2010 Lexus LS 460 and LS 600h L vehicles due to a problem with the steering wheel.

Toyota Issues New Recall

Earlier today, Toyota issued a recall on some Lexus 460 and 600 models. There have been customer issues with the steering wheels on those models.