Forbes Manufacturing is a tough, competitive business. Shipping across oceans has become cheap, as has international communication, so offshoring, reshoring or never changing are vital decisions. The outlook for manufacturing activity in the United States depends on many factors, including the overall state of the economy. In this article, though, I focus on the offshoring/reshoring issue: where will manufacturing activity take place in the coming years?

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Bloomberg Gains in manufacturing boosted the U.S. expansion in August, led by a surge in orders for plastics and metals that powered the world’s largest economy past a global slowdown. The Institute for Supply Management’s index unexpectedly climbed to 59, the highest level since March 2011, from July’s 57.1, beating all forecasts in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

Business Insider Manufacturing in the U.S. will never be what it was. Employment in the sector is down nearly 50% from its May 1979 peak, and fell more than 10% during the Great Recession. But 3D printing, which last fall Credit Suisse forecast could grow up to 30%, has the potential to reshape how America makes stuff, creating new high tech jobs in the U.S. and bringing old ones back from abroad.

Presentations will include topics in the area of bevel and parallel axis gear design, manufacturing, and testing.

Business Spectator Order books in the German manufacturing sector filled up at a very strong pace in July, a report showed on Thursday, breaking a string of downbeat economic data from Europe's largest economy. Manufacturing orders rose 4.6 percent on the month in July according to Germany's economics ministry.

Automotive News Automotive industry veteran James Harbour, who developed unprecedented ways to analyze and improve manufacturing efficiency, died Saturday at 86. Harbour is most known for creating The Harbour Report, which he established to study and rate the auto industry's manufacturing productivity.

Forbes The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with American manufacturing at all. Indeed, far from the U.S. not making anything anymore, manufacturing production is at around and about an all-time high. Yes, really, the country manufactures more than it ever used to.

Information Week The manufacturing industry is changing how it operates. In many ways, it's not unlike changes we've seen before. Manufacturers have always focused on being close to suppliers and customers. To accomplish this, and to produce enough inexpensive products to meet global demand, companies have moved around the world to reach larger markets and obtain more raw materials and affordable labor.

IndustryWeek Manufacturing supply chain executives reported the highest new orders activity for factory goods since April 2004 in August. ISM reported its new orders index rose to 66.7%, an increase of 3.3 percentage points from the 63.4% reading in July. This was the 15th consecutive month of growth in new orders.

The Huffington Post "Creating a robust pipeline of workers to address the needs of U.S. manufacturers has become a national priority" according to a recently released report by ToolingU, a division of SME (formerly the Society of Manufacturing Engineers). The report discusses the results of a survey on the skills gap and current training, defines competency vs. competency models, explains different models, and explores best practices.

North American Windpower Moventas, a wind gear manufacturer and service provider, says it has established a subsidiary in Italy to reinforce its presence and service portfolio in the country. Moventas Italy will have a local service team with a wide range of service products and technical support. The subsidiary's service portfolio includes gearbox inspections, up-tower repair, spare parts, upgrades and overhaul.

Manufacturing.net A federal judge plans to decide next week whether to block the release of oil and gas leases in Nevada that critics say will be used for hydraulic fracturing and cause more environmental harm than the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) admits.

Manufacturing.net The only Boeing airplane that will be built exclusively in North Charleston has landed a supplier. An aerospace division of Connecticut-based United Technologies Corp. said it has been picked to design and manufacture external engine housings for the 787-10, the newest and longest version of the Dreamliner jet.

Manufacturing.net Continuing to advance his JOBS1st PA initiative, Governor Tom Corbett today announced that new state investments recently approved by the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) will support the continued growth of manufacturers and will also support regional efforts to redevelop old and abandoned buildings for new growth opportunities. The investments are projected to create 480 new jobs and support the retention of 780 Pennsylvania jobs.

AINonline GE Aviation has revised flight-testing plans for the Passport engine, chosen by Bombardier to power its ultra-long-range Global 7000 and 8000. The engine manufacturer initially planned to begin flight-testing the first development engine on its newly acquired 747-400 flying testbed (FTB) from facilities in Victorville, Calif., in July or August. Now the plan calls for the engine to fly on GE’s 747-100 FTB later this year or early next year.

Manufacturing.net Jobs could be created as figures reveal there has been a surge in demand for new aircraft and engines. New data from aerospace trade organization ADS Group highlights there was a surge last month, which has resulted in the largest ever month-on-month increase in the order book. The boost, which brings the total backlog to 12,000 aircraft and 21,000 engines, is estimated to be worth between £135 billion and £155 billion to the UK over the next nine years.

Manufacturing Business Technology From managing complex supply chains to executing cost savings improvements, the manufacturing industry needs to keep a keen eye on the efficiency of their processes in order to be successful. By overusing POs, manufacturers are increasing the cost of their procurement process and overspending by relying on a process that causes supply chain inefficiency and gives manufacturing executives the illusion of control over their business processes.

IndustryWeek Machine and device sensors aren't new, but devices with their own IP addresses and 24/7 feedback are. Whether you call it the "Internet of Things" (IoT) or machine-to-machine (M2M), this new industrial revolution offers an unprecedented amount of objective data on your products and how they are used.

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design The GE9X engine for the Boeing 777X aircraft will feature fewer and thinner composite fan blades than any GE widebody engine in service. To do this, GE is designing a new composite fan blade using next-generation carbon fiber composite material.

Marine Log Wärtsilä Yuchai Engine Co., Ltd, a joint venture between Wärtsilä and Yuchai Marine Power Co., Ltd., has inaugurated its new factory in Doumen District, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, China. The new factory covers a total area of 266,700 square meters and will be used for the assembly and testing of Wärtsilä 20, Wärtsilä 26 and Wärtsilä 32 medium speed engines.

HonestJohn.Co.UK Ford has created 250 new jobs at its Dagenham engine plant. The company is looking for a new wave of production operators to support its new diesel engine production line, which will go live in 2015.

Herald Net Boeing's venerable 747 faces an uncertain future, as do the 767 and the 777 classic. Those older airplane models have threadbare customer demand. Robots, meanwhile, have slashed the number of people needed to paint a 777 wing, and more bots are on the way to automate other tasks.

English.news.cn China's first industrial robot production line is expected to start operation in the northeastern city of Shenyang this month. SIASUN Robot and Automation Co. Ltd. will be the first to jump start China's industrial robot production with an annual capacity of 5,000. Their facilities will produce robots applied in welding, hauling, assembling, stacking, grinding and polishing, according to Qu Daokui, the company's CEO.