NWI.com The metal industry in the Chicago metropolitan area stands to gain from a special U.S. Department of Commerce designation that could funnel more manufacturing dollars into the region. The newly minted Chicago Metro Metal Consortium Manufacturing Community will be eligible for a share of $1.3 billion in federal funding for workforce development, research, infrastructure, international trade and capital access.

Shopfloor The latest NAM/IndustryWeek Survey of Manufacturers found that the percentage of respondents who were positive in their company’s outlook was essentially unchanged from last time. In the June survey, 85.9 percent of those taking the survey were either somewhat or very positive in their outlook, down just slightly from 86.1 percent in March.

Manufacturing.net Electronics and engineering company Siemens Corp. is donating software worth more than $2 billion to seven Virginia universities and community colleges. The company announced the donation Wednesday. The initiative is aimed at helping train students for advanced manufacturing careers.

NADAQ Manufacturing orders in Germany increased more than expected in April on the heels of strong foreign demand, the country's statistics office said Thursday, signaling a good start for Europe's largest economy in the second quarter.

In this seminar, you can gain a broad understanding of the methods used to manufacture and inspect gears – and much more. You will take it one step further, learning how the resultant information can be applied and interpreted in the design process.

Industrial Distribution The Department of Labor reported that America's manufacturing sector gained 10,000 jobs in May. Due to downward revisions of previous months' data, the #AAMeter -- which tracks President Obama's promise to create 1 million new manufacturing jobs in his second term -- actually declined by 1,000 jobs, and now stands at +134,000 jobs.

Providence Journal Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. company, has been awarded the 2014 Frost & Sullivan Manufacturing Leadership Award (ML Award) in the Engineering and Production Technology Leadership category for its Next Generation Robotics Automation Manufacturing team. Pratt & Whitney received the honor last night at the Manufacturing Leadership Summit in Palm Beach, Florida.

International Business Times Britain's manufacturing sector recovery is largely driven by demand at home rather than abroad as exports continue to disappoint. A report from the manufacturers organization EEF upgraded its growth forecast for the sector in 2014 to a 3.6% rise in output in 2014, up from 2.7% estimated previously. As a result, more manufacturers are reporting intentions to hire staff and invest.

Telegraph Herald Manufacturers across the United States are targeting schools and colleges to let young people know there is more to manufacturing than pulling levers on an assembly line. The goal is to get people to see manufacturing jobs as the high-tech, high-skilled and high-paying careers they can be in the second decade of the 21st century.

Delaware Online At the beginning of this century, 17 million Americans worked in manufacturing jobs. Today, that number is 12 million. Between 2000 and 2010 we lost factory jobs seven times faster than we did during the previous two decades. In Delaware, we've lost over 15,000 manufacturing jobs since the year 2000 – including of course, the closure of Chrysler and GM. In a state of 900,000 people, that's a huge blow.

Inside Indiana Business An education program in southeast Indiana is helping train the next generation of manufacturing workers. The Batesville School Corp., Ivy Tech Community College and four businesses have taken part in the initiative allowing high school students to obtain hands-on experience with modern manufacturing technology.

BloombergBusinessweek If newly-minted MBAs want a good shot at quick employment and salary jumps, they may want to turn their aspirations toward factory floors and away from trading floors. A survey of more than 3,000 graduate business students around the world, released Wednesday by the Graduate Management Admission Council, shows that grads seeking jobs in the manufacturing and healthcare industries were most likely to get early offers this spring.

Dayton Business Journal A local manufacturer has kicked off a multi-million dollar expansion project and will be moving to Miamisburg. West Carrollton-based Silver Tool Inc. recently broke ground on a new 30,000-square-foot facility on Crosspointe Drive, which is expected to be complete before the end of the year, said Ed McCloskey, founder and vice president of the company.

The Gainesville Times Hundreds traveled from across the country to celebrate a milestone moment for a locally based manufacturing company. Thursday’s event marked the 25th anniversary of the FAE Group, which manufactures mulching, grinding, stone-crushing and soil-stabilizing machine attachments.

New Haven Register Gov. Dannel P. Malloy today announced funding for The Lee Co. to grow its business operations in Westbrook as part of an expansion project that will keep 862 current employees in Connecticut and create up to 200 new positions for residents.

NDTV Auto British luxury sports car maker has started work on extending its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Gaydon, Warwickshire, as it gears up for its next generation of sports cars. The company is bracing to grow its manufacturing facilities and workforce, thus marking one of the most significant and exciting developments at the Aston Martin factory and global headquarters for several years.

Inside Indiana Business Triton Metals Products announced plans to invest $2,316,720 in new equipment at their Hamilton facility. The company also estimated that four jobs will be added to the 64 current employees. Triton Metal Products is a fabrication shop, including laser cutting, forming and machining, welding, punching and most recently, powder coating. The company manufactures parts for the heavy truck, medical, military, aerial lift, agriculture, food processing and motor home industries.