Lee Welch, director of sales and marketing at Aero Gear Inc., a Windsor manufacturer of aerospace gearboxes, is getting a spot on the same global aerospace stage next week as titans General Electric Co., and United Technologies Corp.

A top economic adviser to President Barack Obama said Thursday that American manufactured goods compete well in the global market, but acknowledged the U.S. lags behind other countries in training workers for skills needed in today’s economy.

Many times, Congress passes important bills that go unreported by the mainstream media. Such was the case with the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (S. 1890), passed by the Senate and House of Representatives with near unanimous support in April and signed by President Obama on May 11, 2016. This beneficial bill was authored by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and cosponsored by nearly two-thirds of the Senate.

The June jobs numbers provide mixed news on the labor market, but more than anything, they suggest that the U.S. economy remains much weaker than desired, particularly for manufacturing.

The third part in the AGMA Gearbox Field Inspection webinar series, Condition Monitoring, will take place at 1:00 pm Eastern time on July 21. This 3-part series is free to AGMA members, and $159 for non-members. The first two webinars are available to take in prior to watching this one at the end of the month. Complete information is available on the AGMA website.

The U.S. jobs market picked up speed in June, new government data showed Friday allaying fears that the economy was headed for a sustained slowdown after a weak start to this year.

A burst of hiring in June provided a reassuring sign that the U.S. economy will likely withstand global weakness that may be magnified by Britain's decision to leave the European Union.

We always love to slice and dice the IW U.S. 500 data, IndustryWeek's exclusive annual ranking of America's largest public manufacturers, based on revenue. In this cut, we look at the states with the most revenue from IW 500 companies, along with the industries and companies that drive manufacturing in each state.

Students learn the fundamentals of gear manufacturing in this classroom and hands-on course. In the classroom this course offers training in gearing and nomenclature, principles of inspection, gear manufacturing methods, and hobbing and shaping. In the hands-on gear lab, using manual machines, students can see the interaction between the cutting tool and the workpiece. They understand the process and the physics of making a gear and can apply this knowledge in working with CNC equipment commonly in use.

Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC announces that it will purchase the outstanding 53.1% shareholding in Industria de Turbo Propulsores SA ("ITP") owned by SENER Grupo de Ingeniería SA ("SENER"). The acquisition strengthens Rolls-Royce’s position on its Civil Aerospace large engine growth programs by capturing significant additional value from its long-term aftermarket revenues, including the high volume Trent 1000 and Trent XWB engines, where ITP has played a key role as a risk and revenue sharing partner. 

Norsek Titanium announced new details Monday about its planned facility in Plattsburgh, NY. Oslo-based Norsk to develop a $125 million factory to make aerospace-grade aviation components. 

May U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $$277.7 million according to AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was down 18.2 percent from May 2015, but was down just 1.4 percent from April, which may indicate that the overall order decline is slowing.

In an attempt to soften the blow of its long-running troubles, Tata Steel is in talks with ThyssenKrupp about combining their European operations. Any merger between the two industry competitors would largely involve Tata’s UK arm, which has been troubled for some time.

Collaboration is changing the manufacturing sector and business need to be prepared to address the issues that accompany it.

A recent KPMG survey of over 350 leaders of global manufacturing organizations divulged a strong commitment to aggressive growth in the next two years. CEOs report that most of that targeted growth will be through organic activities, not acquisition. They intend to enter new markets, both geographic and adjacent, with new products. Investment in R&D will rise significantly to implement the commitment to new products.

If you agree that Germany epitomizes automotive manufacturing excellence, then you may wish to be attentive to what’s happening now in that manufacturing juggernaut — namely, that improving software development processes has become a major theme in influential circles.

Researchers at the NASA Johnson Space Center, in collaboration with General Motors, have designed and developed Robo-Glove, a wearable human grasp assist device, to help reduce the grasping force needed to operate tools for an extended time or for repetitive motion tasks. This wearable device allows the user to tightly grip tools and other items for longer periods of time without experiencing muscle discomfort or strain. The Robo-Glove also has potential applications in prosthetic devices, rehabilitation aids, and people with impaired or limited arm and hand muscle strength.

Lightweight metals leader Alcoa has opened its state-of-the-art, 3D printing metal powder production facility. Located at the Alcoa Technology Center, the world's largest light metals research center, the company will produce proprietary titanium, nickel and aluminum powders optimized for 3D printed aerospace parts. Alcoa also has invested in a range of technologies to further develop additive processes, product design and qualification.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) offers tremendous potential for manufacturing and process enterprises seeking new drivers of growth. Leveraging data generated by production systems across the plant can generate insights that promise to transform manufacturing efficiency, productivity and agility.