• Fundamentals of Gear Design and Analysis, Jan. 18-20 | Clearwater Beach, Florida 

• Analytical Gear Chart Interpretation, Feb. 10 | Noon-4 p.m. ET 

• Detailed Gear Design, Feb. 22-24 & March 1-3 | Virtual Course

AGMA partnered with Interact Analysis (AI) earlier this year to provide AGMA members with more tools for market intelligence. The newest version (December 2021) of the MIO Tracker Report (Manufacturing Industry Output — Global Industry and Machinery Production Data and Forecasts) is now available for free download. This 60-page report is provided quarterly to AGMA members. IA is a leader providing information on industrial automation, robotics and warehousing, and commercial vehicles — three areas that are critical to the gear industry. To access the report, please contact Mary Ellen Doran (doran@agma.org) for compete details. This is only available to AGMA members.

Axios
A new survey from the Institute for Supply Management shows signs that activity in the manufacturing industry continued to increase in November. That marks the 18th consecutive month that manufacturers have continued to increase their output, despite supply-chain and consumer-demand issues. 

Manufacturing.net
Despite pressures from governments and investors, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares recently told Reuters that the associated costs for transitioning to electric vehicles were “beyond the limit” for automakers, claiming that the cost of electrification would increase by half over conventional vehicles and that such costs would need to be passed along or else result in slimmer profit margins. 

SME
Employment is up in manufacturing, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report released in November. According to the report, manufacturing increased employment by 31,000 jobs — split between the non-durable and durable goods industries, with 16,000 and 15,000 jobs added, respectively. 

Analytics Insight
The global IoT in manufacturing is expected to grow from $33.2 billion (USD) in 2020 to $53.8 billion in 2025, at a CAGR of 10% during the forecast period. IoT in the manufacturing market provides various software and services that enable manufacturing companies to provide IoT-based solutions such as predictive maintenance, supply chain management, quality management and others. 

Bloomberg
While all hype of China’s electric-car boom is focused on shiny new upstarts like Xpeng, Nio and Tesla, it would be premature to write off the old guard just yet. SAIC Motor, which traces its roots back to the early days of China’s auto industry in the 1940s, is working to make sure its 15-year reign atop the country’s sales charts doesn’t end anytime soon.

Mining.com
Physicists have created a new ultra-thin, two-layer material with quantum properties that normally require rare earth compounds. In a paper published in the journal Nature, scientists explain that this material, which is relatively easy to make and does not contain rare earth metals, could provide a new platform for quantum computing. 

All 3DP
The major players in the oil and gas industry are slowly but steadily adopting industrial 3D printing for their critical parts, for several reasons ranging from quicker and cheaper spare parts to better functioning component designs only possible through 3D printing technology.

The Center Square
Texas oil and gas upstream jobs saw gains for the sixth consecutive month, expanding by another 2,300 jobs, according to employment data from the Texas Workforce Commission. Since the low employment point in September 2020, growth months in oil and gas have outnumbered decline months 11 to 2.

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design
Honeywell has reached a significant milestone with the U.S. Army by being the first engine to test as part of its Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) for the next-generation engine for CH-47 Chinook helicopters. The CRADA program and testing of the T55-714C engine is planned throughout two years to validate the benefits and ease of integration of the new engine variant onto the Chinook platform.

New Atlas
China’s eHang says it’s “hopeful” it will achieve full certification for its autonomous EH216 eVTOL aircraft “in the next few months,” after which commercial operations can begin — potentially years earlier than American and European competitors.

New Atlas
The shift to sustainable fuels in the aerospace sector passed another milestone last week when a United Airlines 737 MAX 8 airliner took to the skies with one of its two LEAP-1B tengines running on 100-percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

Press release
According to the most recent Manufacturing ISM Report on Business, manufacturing grew in November 2021. The November manufacturing PMI registered 61.1% — an increase of 0.3 percentage points from the October reading of 60.8% — indicating an expansion in the overall economy for the 18th consecutive month. The New Orders Index, meanwhile, is up 1.7 percentage points compared to October, having registered at 61.5%

BNN Bloomberg
Finland will be acquiring a fleet of F-35 fighter jets, according to a recent report. The 10 billion Euro deal with Lockheed Martin Corp. will allow Finland to replace its current fleet of war planes, which are soon to be outdated, in an effort to defend its 800-mile border with Russia. The procurement, which includes weapons systems, sensors, supporting equipment and training, also aligns the country with the U.S. for decades to come.

KAIT Channel 8
Mississippi County, Arkansas, is set to experience a growth in population due to the passing of a program that encourages manufacturing workers to live within the community where they work. The program, named "Work Here, Live Here," offers a 10% payment on the cost of building a new home or a 5% payment on the purchase and renovation of a home that was built more than a year prior.

Inside Indiana Business
U.S. Rod manufacturing, of Nappanee, Indiana, and Patriot Pump, of North Dakota — both companies that produce parts used in oilfield well drilling — have been acquired by Texas-based Lufkin Industries in a move that the company claims will increase its capability to provide fully-integrated rod pumping systems and a comprehensive suite of services.

Manufacturing.net
Saab Seaeye agreed to sell 10 electric work remotely operated vehicles (eWROV) to Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics company. The deal is the largest in the Saab subsidiary’s history as demand for intelligent, adaptable and flexible underwater robots has increased.

Gear Technoloy
Siemens Digital Industries Software and Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) have announced an expansion of their collaboration, which combines Siemens’ industry expertise with cloud services from AWS to help industrial companies in the cloud. Together, AWS and Siemens plan to drive adoption of Siemens’ Xcelerator as a Service and make Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio of interested software, services and application development platform more accessible, scalable and flexible. 

Engine + Powertrain Technology International
Dayco, an engine ancillary supplier for the automotive, industrial and aftermarket industries, has expanded its thermal management portfolio with the introduction of electric water pumps for hybrid and electric vehicles, in addition to the selected traditional internal combustion engine-powered applications.