All Features

Mike MacPherson
For managers seeking to boost employee engagement, this is something that can only be earned, not enforced. If the past two years have shown us anything, it’s that genuine employee enthusiasm, motivation, and drive at work come from a passion for the work. No amount of free lunches, ping-pong…

Emily Newton
Welding technology has progressed over the years, thanks to innovations that improve accuracy and overall productivity. Some advances have been in welding automation handled by advanced robots. Other breakthroughs rely on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine vision for better defect detection.…

Daniel de Wolff
Most successful entrepreneurs know that simply inventing a smart or disruptive technology isn’t enough to make customers come running. Among other things, business development involves connecting with the right people in the corporate hierarchy. Yet aspiring entrepreneurs often underestimate the…
(AMUG: Milwaukee, WI) -- The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced its keynote speakers for the 2022 AMUG Conference, which will be held in Chicago April 3–7, 2022. Kevin Czinger, founder, lead inventor, and CEO of Divergent 3D and Czinger Vehicles,; and Ellen Lee, technical…
Quality Digest
(LMA Consulting: Claremont, CA) -- Manufacturing and supply-chain expert Lisa Anderson, president of LMA Consulting Group, has advised manufacturers and distributors throughout the pandemic on maximizing and leveraging their supply chains. She suggests that prioritizing is a must to optimize the…

Ryan E. Day
Chickens come home to roost, and canaries meet their demise in coal mines. But hey, we knew there was a high probability of each happening eventually, right? However, when a black swan shows up with severe impact and consequences, everyone is caught off guard. I’m wondering if it’s a black swan…

Chip Bell
It all started when we drove up to the speaker menu at a quick-service restaurant. “Can I take your order?” the attendant coldly barked. When my wife, on hearing the deep voice of the attendant, politely said, “Thank you, sir,” she got back a sharp, “It’s ma’am.”
The attendant bristled with…
Quality Digest
(Marposs: Auburn Hills, MI) -- Marposs, with more than 60 years’ experience in developing solutions for quality control during the production process, has announced its solutions for monitoring the roll-to-roll (R2R) production process of electrode foils (cathode and anode) used in lithium-ion…

Mark Hembree
From asking Siri to suggest a nearby restaurant to programming a drone flight on Mars, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a part of everyday life—and its presence and influence will inevitably grow.
What do manufacturers need to know about it?
First of all, it’s already here. Capgemini…

Rebecca Saenz
There are three key things cobot developers and employers using cobots must remember when considering implementation: 1) human life takes precedence, 2) human life takes precedence, and 3) human life takes precedence.
Dictionary.com defines cobot as “a computer-controlled robotic apparatus that…

Bert Thornton, Sherry Hartnett
The past two years have been tough. Many of us are feeling bogged down, burned out, and wary of what the future holds. But instead of creeping into 2022 with a sense of dread, what if you bounded into it with optimism and confidence?
Yes, there’s a way to revitalize your career, your outlook, and…

Josh Wilson
Paraphrasing Winston Churchill, Rahm Emanuel, a former White House chief of staff and Chicago mayor, famously quipped that you never want a serious crisis to go to waste. Few of us will face the number of crises that a big-city mayor or a presidential aide may deal with in a day, but we still need…

Megan Wallin Kerth
In the wake of manufacturing and chip shortages, some may think that Covid-19 slowed down production on the whole as supply chain issues and remote work presented significant obstacles for manufacturers. However, there were both struggles and some unexpected benefits that arose as professionals…
(Datanomix: Nashua, NH) -- Datanomix, the leading automated production intelligence platform for precision manufacturers, today announced a major new reporting workflow designed to give business leaders and continuous improvement personnel insights into overall factory performance, as well as top…
Quality Digest
(AW-Lake: Oak Creek, WI) -- AW-Lake Company introduces the TRP Pelton Wheel High Temp Turbine Flow Meter specifically designed to monitor and control the cooling and process efficiency of high and ultra-high temperature oil used in heating and cooling circuits.
Maintaining ideal temperatures is…

William A. Levinson
The U.S. Military Academy’s Honor Code says that “A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the USMA’s superintendent, elaborated, “The tenets of honorable living remain immutable, and the outcomes of our leader development system remain the same,…

Katie Rapp
For manufacturers, artificial intelligence (AI) can be a game changer. Greater efficiencies, lower costs, improved quality, and reduced downtime are just some of the potential benefits. This technology isn’t just for large manufacturers. High-value, cost-effective AI solutions are more accessible…
(Gartner: Stamford, CT) -- From semiconductor shortages that shut down car factories to timber prices that skyrocketed due to unprecedented post-lockdown demand, supply-chain leaders have had their hands full trying to keep business going.
As the second pandemic year comes to an end, interviewer…

Prasad Akella
We are a full two years into post-pandemic manufacturing life, with the omicron variant the latest cause for concern. It might sound hyperbolic, but I’m pretty sure manufacturing will never be the same as it was in 2019. In some ways, that’s a good thing.
One silver lining of the novel coronavirus…

Sarah Schiffling, Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos
Everything was about shortages last year. COVID-19 vaccine shortages at the start of the year were replaced by fears that we would struggle to buy turkeys, toys, or electronic gizmos to put under the Christmas tree. For most of the year, supermarket shelves, car showrooms, and even petrol stations…

Walter Nowocin
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was directed by the federal government to define cloud computing to assist federal agencies in implementing cloud architectures.
In 2011, NIST published NIST SP 800-145—“The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing” and defined cloud computing as…

Ben Bensaou
A manufacturer of the fabric used to reinforce car tires might not seem an obvious source of innovation inspiration. But in just a few years, Kordsa, a part of the Turkish industrial conglomerate Sabancı Group, transformed itself from a price-driven maker of commodity products into a provider of…
(InfinityQS: Fairfax, VA) -- InfinityQS International Inc. (InfinityQS), the global authority on data-driven enterprise quality, proudly announces it has been named a Top Software & Technology Provider by Food Logistics magazine for the 11th year in a row. Formerly known as the FL100+, the…
Quality Digest
(JBT Org.: Chicago) -- JBT Corp., a leading technology solutions provider to the global food, beverage, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries, is proud to announce its A&B Process Systems business unit has received the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)'s 9001:2015…

Maxim Wheatley
Three years’ worth of new graduates have entered the workforce entirely remote due to the changing atmosphere of the work world, and more companies than ever are fully remote. Millions of employees have experienced remote work for the first time and don’t plan to go back to brick-and-mortar offices…