Navigating through Social Media for Marketing
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and many more social platforms exist that you can use to help grow your brand recognition and network with peers and potential customers. But, which one is beneficial for your company? Attendees will learn the best way to get started on social media and how to develop a social strategy that will get your customers engaged with your company and employees. 

This course is an introduction to the methodology of analytical gear inspection and the evaluation and interpretation of the resulting data. The application of this information to identify and correct manufacturing errors will begin to be explored. Additionally, it reviews chart interpretation and applies inspection data to understand the causes and cures of manufacturing errors. Many chart examples are used to understand cause and effect.

Institute for Supply Management (ISM)
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in December, with the overall economy notching an eighth consecutive month of growth, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM^® Report on Business^®.

Global Trade Magazine
We can learn a lot from history. In the face of a global pandemic that has upended the business world, the measure taken in the short-term will lead to significant shifts that will last for decades. The global pandemic has already introduced and accelerated several trends that will likely become entrenched into our daily lives for years to come. We see a virtual shift happening with consumer trends from work-from-home, video communication, online purchasing, e-learning, streaming services, and more taking hold.

The Additive Report
Michigan-based Automation Alley, a World Economic Forum Advanced Manufacturing Hub and Industry 4.0 knowledge center, has received the first wave of 3D printers for its Project DIAMOnD initiative. Markforged, a builder of metal and carbon-fiber additive manufacturing platforms, supplied the printers. Project DIAMOnD is dedicated to improving manufacturers’ agility and resiliency by helping them scale up their Industry 4.0 activity.

Manufacturing.net
To understand just how quickly industrial manufacturers are evolving beyond their traditional produce-deliver-repair role, look no further than Kaeser Kompressoren. While Kaeser still designs and builds compressors for the global market as it has for decades, it also has been working to expand and scale its repertoire and its business horizons. This includes offerings like Sigma Air Utility, whereby it builds, installs, operates and maintains compressor installations on the customer’s behalf, and the customer pays a fixed price for the air they use. 

Tech Crunch
China’s search giant Baidu is extending its car ambitions from mere software to production. The company recently said that it will set up a company to produce electric vehicles with the help of Chinese automaker Geely. 

Business World
To transform supply chain, companies will look for seamless integration of end-to-end solutions for increasing traceability and transparency within the entire ecosystem. 

Reuters
Hyundai Motor and Apple Inc. plan to sign a partnership deal on autonomous electric cars by March and start production around 2024 in the United States, local newspaper Korea IT News reported on Sunday. 

Manufacturing.net
General Motors is changing its corporate logo and launching an electric vehicle marketing campaign to reshape its image as clean vehicle company, rather than a builder of gas-powered pickups and SUVs.

Industry Week
The United States Census Bureau released its official employment situation report for December on January 8. The latest figures showed that total nonfarm payroll employment fell by about 140,000 in December while the unemployment rate remained constant at 6.7%.

The Seattle Times
Managers told affected employees just before Christmas that in the next four to six months the facility, known as the Advanced Development Composites (ADC) center, will be shuttered. Though relatively few people work at the facility at this point, its symbolism will add to worry about the future of the jetmaker in this region. 

Reuters
Ford Motor Co said on Monday it will close its three plants in Brazil this year and take pretax charges of about $4.1 billion as the COVID-19 pandemic amplified the company’s under use of its manufacturing capacity.

Today’s Motor Vehicles
Higher power and smaller components will allow Lordstown Motors to power its Endurance pickup with hub motors in each wheel, greatly simplifying vehicle build. 

Metrology News
Critical Manufacturing has announced the most advanced and disruptive release of its Industry 4.0 Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Critical Manufacturing MES V8 reveals a revolutionary new IoT Data Platform that merges IoT with MES and, two significant new modules that advance smart manufacturing in areas of Materials Logistics and Factory Automation to enable manufacturers to move closer to ‘Lights-Out’ factories. The release represents a step change for manufacturers to accelerate progress toward Industry 4.0.

Industry Week
As IW’s 2020 Technology Survey showed robotics continue to serve as a primary area of interest for manufacturers. And for good reason — robotics and on a larger scale automation are a key avenue to recognizing the type of efficiencies organizations need to compete within today’s increasingly digital workplace.

EP&T
In recent years, blockchain technology has created quite a buzz about having the potential to disrupt entire industries. The industrial sector is certainly no exception, thanks to the many different potential applications for blockchain. If you're unfamiliar with this revolutionary new process, you're not alone. However, to maintain your businesses' competitive edge, adapting to it may be essential, as it quickly moves from buzzword to industry standard.

Center for Automotive Research
With the support of a unique powerful consortium of technology companies, the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) investigated the state of Industry X in automotive. Although the research included mostly North American participants, and thus presents a North American perspective, the participating companies are global. You can download the report today.

TCT Magazine
In the final TCT Conference at Formnext Connect instalment, Dr. Ing Philipp Imgrund, Head of AM Process at Fraunhofer IAPT discusses new materials and efficient processes for additive manufacturing industrialization. While metal additive manufacturing promises nearly unlimited possibilities regarding design and functionality of new products, the range of processable materials remains limited. In this presentation, novel concepts to adapt materials and processes for structural applications of AM components are presented with a focus on high strength and high ductility aluminum and steel alloys for structural applications in the transport sector.

IEEE Spectrum
Boston Dynamics recently posted a video of robots Atlas, Spot and Handle dancing to “Do You Love Me.” It was, according to the video description, a way “to celebrate the start of what we hope will be a happier year.” As of today the video has been viewed nearly 24 million times, and the popularity is no surprise, considering the compelling mix of technical prowess and creativity on display.