The Washington Post U.S. factories increased production for a third straight month in October, as stronger output of primary metals and furniture offset declines in auto production. Manufacturing output rose 0.3 percent last month, up from 0.1 percent in September, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.

National Association of Manufacturers In July, year-over-year growth in manufacturing production was 1.2 percent, the slowest pace of growth in output for the sector since January 2010. It was the culmination of weaknesses experienced among manufacturers since mid-2012 as global demand and domestic uncertainties weighed heavily on overall production, pushing it to disappointingly low levels. Since then, however, we have begun to see a pickup in new orders and overall sentiment.

Industry Week Securing the top spot at a company takes more than knowledge of the industry and the ability to think strategically. Rather, leaders need to know how to manage and motivate employees above all else, according to the Association of Executive Search Consultants' 2013 Industrial and Manufacturing Executive Job Trends Survey.

Industry Week Boeing is now 'focused' on the region, where experts say the rise in air traffic will be greater than anywhere else in the world in the next 20 years.

Industry Week President Barack Obama called for more success stories in U.S. manufacturing like ArcelorMittal's Cleveland facility, which shut down in 2009 and now is the most productive mill in the country.

Planning is already underway for the 2014 Fall Technical Meeting, to be held October 12-14, 2014 in Crystal City, VA (near Washington, DC). Attendees from all over the world are anticipated. To get things rolling, AGMA is soliciting technical papers. Submission deadline is January 15, 2014. Complete details are available on the AGMA website.

Wired It’s been called the fourth industrial revolution. Smart factories will change the manufacturing landscape around the world, heralding a new age of productivity, efficiency, responsiveness, and product customization. And serious manufacturing people — like CEOs and industry analysts — think the reality is not very far away.

AINonline Engine manufacturers reaped the rewards of the airline order bonanza at this year’s Dubai Airshow, led by GE Aviation, which logged $26 billion in engine orders and service agreements from Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways.

Manufacturing.net ABB Robotics has recently introduced the IRB 6700 robot family, which is available in payloads from 150 to 300 kg, and reaches from 2.6 to 3.2 meters. They are designed for spot welding, material handling and machine tending.

Forbes The next decade of manufacturing will require an innovation capacity and entrepreneurial spirit that only the U.S. can harness. When we talk about the future of the industry, we are not talking about our fathers' manufacturing. We are talking about software solutions, service integration, 3D printing and the utilization of big data.

eNews Park Forest The company, which manufactures precision gear parts for wind turbines, among other things, admitted illegally discharging spent acid wastewater and spent alkaline wastewater, industrial rinse waters, acidic solutions, oil, grease, and metal-bearing wastewater into the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago sewer system without a permit.

Industry Week Defense contractor Lockheed Martin said Thursday it would cut 4,000 jobs and close four facilities. The cuts are "in response to continued declines in U.S. government spending," the company said.