American manufacturers grew at their fastest pace since May 2004 in September, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). Manufacturing activity, as measured by the ISM Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), expanded for the 100th straight month, climbing to a 13-year high of 60.8. The higher above 50, the more rapid the acceleration.

Americans are apprehensive about a future in which machines take on more of the work now done by humans, and most are supportive of policies aimed at cushioning the economic impact of widespread automation, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Despite the disappointing figures in September, the reduced hiring is likely a temporary phenomenon, with employment expectations continuing to be very strong overall.

This report is the first in a four-part series on the state of the manufacturing industry in 2017. We'll be releasing a new section of this exclusive report every Friday in October as part of Manufacturing.net's month-long celebration of Manufacturing Day.

(Infographic) The skilled labor shortage presents challenges for manufacturers, but also opens the door for industry growth and for the next generation of workers looking for a rewarding career.

AGMA and ASM are hosting a big event Wednesday night of Gear Expo. Join us as we take over Columbus’ famous North Market (less than 5 min walk from Convention Center). There will be food, live music, whiskey tasting and hand rolled cigars. Come unwind post show with colleagues, friends and new acquaintances. But you must have a ticket to get in.

Regulators have approved the construction of two new natural gas power plants in Ohio. The Ohio Power Siting Board on Thursday approved plans for the two separate projects in Guernsey and Trumbull counties that are targeted to begin operating in 2020. Close to a dozen natural gas power plants are being built or are in the planning stages around the state.

Thyssenkrupp, a leading German manufacturer specializing in the engineering and metals sectors, has announced that it will be launching a new branch specifically designed to deal with its global forging activities. The new branch, forging technologies, has been created in an attempt to cut thyssenkrupp’s reliance upon its combustion engine parts business, accounting for a quarter of the company’s operations.

The same cookie cutter marketing tactics used by most big firms and B2B companies won’t work for industrial companies. With an audience that is primarily focused on solving an immediate need, with substantial background on the subject matter, and a limited amount of time, the focus needs to be on those factors that matter most to key decision makers.

Predicting the future is a precarious task, with or without a crystal ball. However, this shouldn't stop people from preparing for what there is to come by all available means. Automation is here to stay and most experts predict that a big chunk of human work will soon be done by robots. 

Japan’s Denso Corp. is placing a $1 billion bet that the U.S. auto sector’s future is electric. Toyota Motor Corp.’s top parts supplier said Friday it will invest that much to expand its factory in Maryville, Tennessee, to make components for electrified, connected and self-driving cars. The factory’s customers include the Detroit Three and Japan-based carmakers.

German industry rebounded from a summer lull with its best month in six years, keeping Europe’s largest economy on a solid footing in the second half of the year. Output, adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation, increased 2.6 percent from July when it fell a revised 0.1 percent, the Economy Ministry in Berlin said this week. 

As computer processing power increases, our capacity to simulate increasingly complex systems grows with it. It is getting to the point where we can use simulation not only to make predictions, but also to act as a twin, which thanks to modern algorithms developed by MIT, can be used for monitoring assets in real time.

Industry 4.0 is the latest industrial revolution, but instead of steam trains and textiles, this generation is using artificial intelligence, forever changing the way machines collect and interpret data. Manufacturing in this new era of machine learning requires little human intervention, transitioning from an input and output approach to a fluid conversation between humans and robots.

After a multi-year evaluation process, Volkswagen-owned truck manufacturer Scania selected the Dassault Systèmes track for their next-generation PLM solutions. Sources inside Scania revealed the news that the German-Swedish truck manufacturer is becoming one of the first major non-French automotive companies to invest in Dassault's 3DEXPERIENCE Platform (3DX) and V6 environments. 

Ford Motor Co. will cut $14 billion in costs and drop some car models from its lineup under CEO Jim Hackett, who’s focusing the company’s future on sport utility vehicles, trucks and electrification.

The sector will reach €14 billion ($16.4 billion) annually for the first time, says the VDMA. The VDMA is the German industrial association, said to be the largest in Europe, with more than 3,200 member companies from the mechanical and plant engineering sector.

Inside a plant at 95th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue sit two massive injection molding machines primed to make compostable plastic utensils. They're also going to make workers. This is the new home of BSD Industries, a social enterprise that will train individuals in robotics, preparing them for jobs that manufacturers are struggling to fill. 

Dipping by four last week, Friday's count provided by oilfield services provider Baker Hughes can't seem to gain any positive traction. The count bottomed out at 404 in May of 2016 and then rose nearly every week for the next 14 months. It seemed destined to reach 1,000, but peaked at 958 this past July 28. It fell for the next four weeks to 940 on Aug. 25 and has been up-and-down since, checking in at 936 in last week's count.