All Features
Gleb Tsipursky
A ccording to a recent Monmouth University poll, 55 percent of Americans are worried by the threat of artificial intelligence (AI) to the future of humanity. In an era where technological advancements are accelerating at breakneck speed, it’s crucial to ensure that AI development is appropriately…
Del Williams
In industry, fossil fuel-fired boilers are commonly used to produce steam or hot water for space and process heating. However, traditional boilers might not be flexible enough to respond quickly to demand surges during peak periods.
To compensate, processors and manufacturers often keep more than…
Henning Piezunka, Oliver Schilke
Top management teams often find it difficult to agree on a course of action for their firm. Whenever we participate in firm strategy retreats, we see managers grappling with collective decisions. After weeding out inferior strategic alternatives, they are left with a set of promising but mutually…
(The L.S. Starrett Company: Athol, MA) -- The L.S. Starrett Company, a leading manufacturer of precision measuring tools and gauges, metrology systems, and more, recently was featured on the Made in the USA podcast series by Modern Machine Shop Magazine. The interesting, insightful 40-minute…
(SAKOR Technologies: Owosso, MI) -- SAKOR Technologies, a recognized leader in high-performance dynamometer systems, has released the DynoLAB GenV test automation controller, which allows even a nonprogrammer to implement complex test systems and testing standards. Delivering a new benchmark in…
Stephanie Ojeda
Quality management and environmental health and safety (EHS) have traditionally existed as siloed processes and roles in most organizations. It’s easy to see why, given the forces that have shaped quality and safety during their history.
Modern quality management was born from the post-World War…
National Physical Laboratory
Through their exceptional material properties, graphene and related 2D materials have the potential to disrupt technologies such as energy-storage devices, composites, and electronics. Depending on the material, these properties can include high electrical conductivity, high mechanical strength,…
(CIMdata: Ann Arbor, MI) -- CIMdata, a global PLM strategic management consulting and research firm, announced the publication of a white paper, “PLM Components,” centered on Siemens’ Digital Industries Software’s PLM Components solutions.
Software developers face many challenges when building a…
Donald J. Wheeler
Ever since 1935 people have been trying to fine-tune Walter Shewhart’s simple but sophisticated process behavior chart. One of these embellishments is the use of two-sigma “warning” limits. This column will consider the theoretical and practical consequences of using two-sigma warning limits.…
Robert Mazzucka
Manufacturing has always had an element of matchmaking at its core. As a supplier, you want to be found quickly by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), prime contractors, and tier one and two suppliers. Buyers want to find companies capable of doing their work.
The ability of manufacturers and…
(AWP Safety: North Canton, OH) -- AWP Safety joined many others in construction- and infrastructure-related industries by raising awareness about the importance of safety in roadway work zones during National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, from April 17 through 21, 2023.
“It’s our job to ensure…
(API: Rockville, MD) -- Automated Precision Inc. (API), a global leader in metrology and automated inspection solutions, will be showcasing automated quality inspection solutions at Booth No. 5046 at the Automate show in Detroit, May 22–25, 2023.
API will demonstrate its Dynamic 9D LADAR…
Gleb Tsipursky
Angry and dismayed Amazon employees are pushing back against the recently announced return to office policy by the Amazon leadership. Amazon’s policy joins other high-profile companies such as Disney, Starbucks, Tesla, Google, and others that are forcing employees back to the office.
Some are…
Angie Basiouny
Unpredictable schedules are so disruptive to the lives of employees that even 30 days of high shift variability in a year increases the chances a worker will quit by 20 percent, according to a new study from Wharton experts. Employers use just-in-time scheduling to cover peak demand and raise both…
(WPI: Worchester, MA) -- Some undergraduate students might regard their materials science classes as somewhat of a tedious affair. But if you have the good fortune of attending Danielle Cote and Jack Grubbs’ classes at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts, nothing could…
(In-Place Machining: Brookfield, WI) -- Exact Metrology, a division of In-Place Machining Co. and a comprehensive 3D metrology service provider and hardware sales company, recently exhibited at POWERGEN International in Orlando, Florida, along with IPM stablemates Oasis Alignment Services and East…
Harish Jose
I’m looking at ideas of the famous Algerian-French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, often described as a post-structuralist. His most famous idea is deconstruction, often associated with analyzing literary works. A text is presented as a coherent whole with a basic idea in the center. The text’s…
Henry Mintzberg
Management is a practice, not a profession or science. To appreciate the true complexities of managing, we have to understand its intrinsic conundrums.
Management is learned largely through experience—which means that it’s primarily a craft—although some of the best managers make considerable use…
Ann Hoevel
One of the iconic and enduring images of the construction industry is Lunch Atop a Skyscraper from 1932. The photo captured construction workers eating lunch on an I-beam that was 850 feet above ground at the site of 11 Rockefeller Center.
A publicity photo, the staged image conveyed a message of…
(BLM Group: Cantù, Italy) -- BLM Group has enhanced its line of tube lasers with its patented Active Tools technology, which helps the machines automatically adapt process parameters for optimal results. These tools, based on the company’s decades of laser-cutting experience, are designed to…
(EstateSpace: Great Falls, VA) -- In uncertain economic times, finding ways to save money is more important than ever. When you think of your valuable assets, you may think of investments, such as stocks, bonds, or trusts. But there is another type of asset to consider: nonfinancial assets such as…
(New Scale Robotics: Victor, NY) -- Thread verification is the latest enhancement to New Scale Robotics’ Q-Span Automated Gauging System, a DIY robotic automation system for quality teams in high-mix, small-batch manufacturing.
The Q-Span Gauging System automates gauging processes by combining…
Steve Oliver
Alignment with Laser (AW Laser), a South African company, specializes in alignment. Using API laser trackers to align machinery and equipment in a range of industries, AW Laser provides measurement services, especially for shipyards, aluminum plants, steel mills, paper manufacturers, and sugar…
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a machine learning-inspired software package that provides end-to-end image analysis of electron and scanning probe microscopy images.
Known as AtomAI, the package applies deep learning to…
(Edax: Pleasanton, CA) -- Gatan Inc., a business of AMETEK Inc. as well as a global leader focused on enhancing and extending the operation and productivity of electron microscopes, has merged with EDAX LLC, a leader in X-ray microanalysis and electron diffraction instrumentation. The combined…
