The Labor Department reports the number of unemployment applications fell in the first week of November. The number of applications dropped to the lowest level since April 2011. The drop in applications may be an indication that employers are beginning to feel comfortable hiring again. Additionally, the Commerce Department announced the U.S trade deficit reached its lowest point of the year in September 2011. With foreign sales of American machinery reaching an...
As technology continues to evolve the manufacturing industry is sure to follow. Computers and robotics have undoubtedly changed the industry and in some ways made it more accurate and efficient. The Association for Manufacturing Technology and The American Machine Tool Distributors Association reported that in July of this year, manufacturing technology consumption amounted to more than $500 million dollars. The amount shows a 93% increase from July of 2010, when machine tool...
The Association for Manufacturing Excellence has been a driving force behind the Rebirth of Manufacturing Jobs initiative. The project hopes to stimulate the manufacturing job market by reaching out to policy makers locally and nationally. The goal of the program is to get executives and government officials motivated to join and develop efforts to increase awareness of the green movement and manufacturing’s goal in it. It also aims to unite nearby businesses...
Hydraulic systems are a vital aspect to an array of industries today, among them, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture. Hydraulic systems are used to conduct power through the use of pressurized fluids. Dealing with hydraulic machinery can be extremely dangerous and the fluids can be incredibly toxic. With the proper hydraulic training employees are less likely to injure themselves and others on the job. ITC offers basic and in depth industrial training courseware...
By choosing ITC’s engaging online courseware to train new and existing employees, you are offering your staff the opportunity to expand their industrial skills knowledge. At ITC, we believe it is important to make sure our adult learners succeed every step of the way. To ensure your trainees have the potential to perform well, we’ve provided you with some helpful tips to share in order to aid them in achieving the best...
Hydraulics provide the motion, power and the control required to achieve much of what we take for granted in modern life. Without it, we wouldn’t have attractions such as the London Eye or steel to produce skyscrapers. Manufacturing plants that use hydraulic system should be aware of the importance of keeping the equipment clean. In fact, hydraulic systems should be checked for potential oxidation problems and thermal degradation of additives in the...
A recent survey conducted by the National Association for Business Economics says that the U.S. economy’s health is improving “substantially.” “Companies appear to be positioning themselves for a firming economic environment,” said Shawn DuBravac, an economist with the Consumer Electronics Association, who analyzed the findings. The survey is conducted quarterly and expresses the views of economists from a select size of trade groups and privately held companies. Results are measured by the...
Knowing how to devise a solution to a problem and implement it is a skill that is much valued, especially by industrial organizations. Because equipment malfunctions for a variety of reasons skilled mechanics and maintenance personnel who know how to troubleshoot problems will always be in high demand. When mechanical seals and other parts wear out, wires overheat, and centrifugal pumps start to operate erratically, a mechanic will be needed to repair...
There are so many parallels to achieving excellence in sports and in an organization’s engineering and maintenance efforts; however, at their core, all successful organizations have at their foundation a strong emphasis on a continuing training program. When we are watching a sporting event, and we are mesmerized by a phenomenal act by an athlete, it is so easy not to realize that what we witnessed, was only possible through the hard...
The end of the year is the perfect time to evaluate your employees industrial, maintenance, manufacturing, mechanical, and plant skills. By evaluating your employees skills you’ll know be able to assess an individual’s mastery of a particular subject or procedure. In an industrial, maintenance, mechanical, plant or manufacturing workplace, it’s important to know what your employees are capable of doing. Do they have skills you don’t know about or are they unfamiliar...