The Timken Company announced that it has acquired Lovejoy, Inc., a manufacturer of premium industrial couplings and universal joints, for approximately $66 million. For the 12 months ending March 31, 2016, Lovejoy sales were approximately $56 million.

Manufacturing in the U.S. last month posted the strongest advance since January, helped by automobile production and a sign domestic demand is improving.

Daimler, the world's largest truck manufacturer, will use three-dimensional printing (3D) to produce spare parts, the latest example of how digital technologies are radically reshaping automotive manufacturing and its supply chain.

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.

Effective July 1, 2016, Schafer Industries, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Schafer Gear Works Rockford, LLC, has acquired the assets and business of Custom Gear and Machine, Inc. of Roscoe, Ill. The acquisition was announced jointly by Bipin Doshi, president of Schafer Industries, and Stan Blenke, the company’s executive vice president.

Powertool manufacturer Black & Decker turned to Cisco to provide an "internet of things" solution that increases visibility and decreases complexity in one of the largest tool manufacturing plants in Mexico.

Manufacturing sales in Canada fell slightly more than projections in May after recovering briefly in April. The decline is mostly due to temporary disruptions to supply chains. Sales fell 1 percent in May, the third fall in five months. Excluding price changes, manufacturing shipment volumes dropped at an even larger 2.1 percent, emphasizing a lower activity level in May, noted TD Economics in a research note.

Economic data were mixed last week, but there was encouraging news related to manufacturing production, which rebounded in June after a disappointing May report. Output in the sector rose by 0.4 percent in June, following a decline of 0.3 percent in May. Strong growth in the motor vehicles and parts segment, up 5.9 percent, helped to boost the headline number. Despite some progress in June, it is safe to say that manufacturing activity remains quite challenged. 

Thanks to the power of innovative fracking technology and an abundance of shale gas, the United States has the lowest natural gas prices in the world, giving our energy-intensive industries a global cost advantage. In May, U.S. natural gas prices of less than $2 per mmbtus (only $1.78 in some markets) were less than half of gas prices in Europe ($4.30); Asia and India ($4.50); and South America ($4.75).

Mitsui Seiki is a machine tool builder that aims to excel in the area of precision. It provides machines, often custom-engineered, to meet machining challenges related to high-value parts with particularly demanding tolerances. Therefore, the company’s introduction of additive manufacturing as a capability it can now deliver might seem like an odd fit. Additive manufacturing—building up parts or features through a controlled process of adding material in layers—cannot by itself achieve anything like the fine tolerances that machining can.

U.S. manufacturers consumed $165.68 million worth of cutting tools during May, a decline of 4.6% from the April total and a 4.1% drop from the May 2015 result. Cutting tool consumption is an index to overall manufacturing activity.

Renk, a manufacturer of special gear units and transmissions and part of the MAN group, opened one of the biggest and most modern test facilities for gear units worldwide in its Augsburg, Germany headquarters.

The fuel efficiency standards championed by President Obama in 2012 will fall short of the 54.5 miles per gallon 2025 target the administration set because consumers are buying more pickup trucks, vans and sports utility vehicles than expected, according to a technical report by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

With low labor-force participation, declining immigration levels, and the looming retirement of baby boomers on the horizon, the U.S. labor market is tightening and driving up wages. Over the next decade, the country will experience a labor shortage that will disproportionately affect some industries and professions, predicts an April 2016 report from the Conference Board.

A number of car factories in the UK are facing an uncertain future after Britian’s vote to leave the European Union, with Toyota and Honda factories most at risk, according to research by PA Consulting Group.

Toyota Material Handling North America (TMHNA) has announced the TMHNA University Research Program, a new sponsored research program created to drive the next generation of technology for the supply chain, logistics and material handling industry.

I recently had the opportunity to speak at a conference attended by a large group of information technology (IT) professionals from manufacturing companies. What a great forum for witnessing how these people think and communicate and demonstrate their commitment to providing service.

Triumph Group, Inc. was selected by Lockheed Martin to supply key engine and structures components for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Since the start of the year, Triumph’s Precision Components (TPC) business unit has received multiple contracts from the aircraft manufacturer.

Industrial IoT and big data are converging to enable demand-driven 'smart supply chains.' The advancements in 3D printing and 'Additive Manufacturing,' coupled with supply chain efficiencies, could make distributed manufacturing a reality.

As long as there is money, we will never run out of ways to spend it. Take this latest potential pocket-drainer: a Mercedes-Benz luxury golf cart. Three years after gathering suggestions for the ideal golfer carrier, the Style Edition Garia Golf Car was made withgolf cart manufacturer Garia to preview the future of high-end golf carts. Garia has already made a name for itself in the world of luxury golf carts, and since Mercedes-Benz is looking tostamp its logo on pretty much anything, the partnership makes sense.