MfrTech We've got a real problem on our hands in America. A gap's growing between manufacturing workers set to retire in the next 10 to 15 years and those on the other end of the spectrum. Despite the exciting and innovative things happening in the industry, millennials' outdated perception of shop-floor jobs is increasingly precluding them from following the career path.

Bloomberg Manufacturing picked up in April after consumer spending surged the prior month, showing the U.S. economy is poised to lift off in the second quarter. The Institute for Supply Management’s factory index rose to 54.9, the strongest so far this year, from 53.7 in March, figures from the Tempe, Arizona, group showed today.

Associated Press via Manufacturing.net French engineering company Alstom has received a purchase offer from Germany's Siemens, putting another party at the bargaining table with General Electric Co. Siemens AG said in a statement Tuesday that the new bid had been submitted to Alstom SA but did not provide financial details.

Bloomberg China’s manufacturing contracted for a fourth month in April, according to a private survey that missed estimates and sent stocks in the region lower on concern the economy’s slowdown is deepening.

DesignNews The return of manufacturing jobs to the US is a small but growing trend. Using the term "reshoring" to describe the phenomenon, the Reshoring Initiative has been busy promoting the return of manufacturing to the US.

In this seminar, you can gain a broad understanding of the methods used to manufacture and inspect gears – and much more. You will take it one step further, learning how the resultant information can be applied and interpreted in the design process.

Forbes Ford Motor Company, based in Dearborn, Michigan, has been using virtual reality technology to various degrees to develop its designs since the year 2000. But in the last seven years, the 111-year old business has made virtual reality central to its automotive development, using the Oculus Rift headset technology.

The Economist The biggest engineering companies nowadays prefer to talk about "additive manufacturing" rather than "3D printing". One reason is that printing is not quite the right word for some of the technologies given this label. Another reason for being picky about terminology is that big companies want to stress the "manufacturing" aspect: the technology has moved beyond the development labs and is now being used on the factory floor to make complex metal parts.

The Times of Northwest Indiana In 2012, the Department of Defense could not fill orders for 40,000 kinds of parts, because no one placed a bid. Defense contractors balked because the parts the Pentagon wanted were too complex or needed in too small volumes to justify their development. So the DOD decided to offer $70 million in seed money to kick off Chicago's new $320 million Digital Lab for Manufacturing.

The Hill "Made In America" is more than a patriotic slogan on a product label for consumers and businesses to consider. It represents a sector of our economy that is critical to our long-term economic health. To create jobs and remain competitive abroad, our economy must have an advanced manufacturing sector driven by innovative U.S. companies that make things here.

Bloomberg Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) will cut 380 full-time and 130 temporary jobs as it moves marine-engine production from South Carolina to Georgia to improve efficiency. The Fountain Inn, South Carolina, plant will reduce production in the second quarter and close by the end of the year, the company said in a press release.

Invezz Rolls-Royce announced in a statement that it was in talks with Siemens over the sale of its energy gas turbine and compressor business which supplies aero-derivative gas turbines, compressor systems and related services to customers in the oil and gas, and power generation sectors.

Australian Mining Although it has been pouring gold since last September, The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister of Mines, Martin Kabwelulu, today officially opened the Kibali gold mine on behalf of the country’s president, Joseph Kabila Kabange. Kibali will be, when it reaches full capacity, one of the world’s largest gold mines.

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design Methods Machine Tools Inc., a supplier of precision machine tools, automation, and accessories will be holding a grand opening at its new, expanded state-of-the-art Technology Center in Anaheim, Calif., on June 25 - 26, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. each day. Manufacturing professionals are welcome and encouraged to attend.