CNBC "I'm born and raised in Detroit, and it's different than it's ever been." That's the professional and personal view of Gerry Phillips, co-founder and CFO of Prism Plastics, a highly automated injection-molding manufacturer headquartered in Chesterfield Township, Michigan, about 35 miles north of Detroit. His perspective comes not just from living in the city for all of his 52 years but also as a supplier of precision plastic components to the region's bedrock auto industry for nearly 30 years.

Business Insider While US manufacturing activity continues to grow, the pace is slipping. Markit's flash manufacturing PMI unexpectedly fell to 53.4 in June, the lowest level since October 2013.

Forbes 3D printing production is still in its infancy, but it is already inevitable. And if you look closely, you will find numerous indications that this historic shift is already well underway. For the last decade, 3D printing has been the playground of the maker community, while commercial applications have been limited to prototyping. But now, industrial 3D printing has reached its tipping point, and is about to go mainstream in a way that will revolutionize the economy.

IJReview A controversial industry is leading the charge against China’s cheap manufacturing — and as a result, American manufacturing is only 5 percent more expensive than its Asian rival, according to Fortune.com. So what’s cutting costs across the board? Fracking.

Brookings Last month, manufacturers gathered at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark for a roundtable with government officials, educators, and industry leaders. The event spotlighted Essex County manufacturing partnerships and incentive programs and featured testimonials by companies such as Unionwear, which produces hats and bags in Newark’s North Ward. Otis Rolley, chief executive officer of the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation, told attendees about the resources available to manufacturers seeking to grow within Newark’s borders.

Manufacturing.net A new report expects that the increase in Internet-connected devices over the next several years will also spark substantial growth in manufacturers' service-related revenue. Currently, some leading manufacturers collect up to half of their profits from after-sales sources, according an analysis by International Data Corporation.

Business Wire Divergent Microfactories today unveiled a disruptive new approach to auto manufacturing that incorporates 3D printing to dramatically reduce the pollution, materials, and capital costs associated with building automobiles and other large complex structures. Highlighted by Blade, the first prototype supercar based on this new technology, Divergent Microfactories CEO Kevin Czinger introduced the company’s plan to dematerialize and democratize car manufacturing.

The Exponent Online Purdue officials officially broke ground this morning on an institute that aims to develop more energy-efficient materials for everything from bike helmets and airplanes to high-end cars costing $70,000. To open mid-2016, the Indiana Manufacturing Institute will cost $50 million and cover 62,000 square feet of land, partly based in Purdue Research Park, with the remainder of the land donated by the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission.

The Washington Times Insitu Data Solutions Inc. (IDSI), a Canadian oilfield manufacturing and service company, will open a manufacturing and service center in Lafayette. The company says the facility that will create 17 jobs. The Advocate reports IDSI will locate its manufacturing and service center in the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise facility on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus.

Liebherr Liebherr-Transportation Systems has recently received a follow-up order from Alstom Lokomotiven Service GmbH, Stendal, Germany, for the delivery of a bogie coupling system. This hydraulic system is scheduled to be integrated into a three-axles hybrid shunting locomotive of the type H3 in July 2015. In 2014, Liebherr delivered the first bogie coupling system for an H3 locomotive.

StreetInsider.com China factory orders rose in June as the country is seeing a bit more stabilization in the sector, though results still came in below the 50 growth threshold. The HSBC Flash China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) came in at 49.6 in June, from 49.2 in May and a three-month high for the metric. The Flash China Manufacturing Output Index was 50.0 in June. from 49.3 the prior month and a two-month high for the data point.

Inside Indiana Business Hicks says the report aims to address what he calls a myth that the country's manufacturing might has dropped off over the last few decades. He says, since the end of the recession in 2009, the economy has added about 750,000 manufacturing jobs. The researchers say the large number of openings are due in part to baby boomer retirements, and often pay above the national average wage. According to the report, recent new hire salaries averaged just over $20 per hour, or almost $42,000 per year.

Industry Week Onshoring has become a major trend in the United States. U.S.-based companies are increasingly pulling their overseas manufacturing efforts and setting up shop in the States. In fact, since 2010, more than 200 companies, most of which are U.S.-based, have brought back production that had been sent out of the country. In addition, foreign companies are increasingly bringing their manufacturing jobs to the United States. According to the Organization for International Investment (OFII), foreign investment in U.S. manufacturing totaled $493 billion from 2007 through 2012, as opposed to a total of $270 billion the previous six years.

Kare11 Minnesota is known for farming, but a Chaska company is redefining how to harvest one of the most lucrative crops in the world – wind. The 2012 energy startup SheerWind has developed a new-aged wind turbine system that promises more energy efficiency at roughly 75 percent of the cost of traditional turbines.

The Wall Street Journal The backlogs at West Coast ports may have been cleared, but the anger among agriculture exporters over lengthy cargo handling delays isn’t going away. Shippers at the annual meeting of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition in San Francisco last week were fuming over the West Coast woes, and the WSJ Logistics Report’s Erica E. Phillips writes that they want to do something about it. One exporter, Nina Solari of Avanti Nut Co., got a standing ovation when she said shippers should have a seat at the table during negotiations over port labor contracts. That’s because many of the exporters believe their interests were shunted to the side by both the longshore labor union and terminal managers.

John Deere Deere & Company and King Agro, a manufacturer of carbon fiber technology products, announced a partnership focused on developing and distributing carbon fiber booms exclusively for John Deere application equipment. Deere is collaborating with King Agro because of its extensive 22-year experience innovating and developing carbon fiber applications. King Agro is a world leader in producing carbon fiber applications for boating and marine products, including masts for racing sailboats. The company has expanded into developing innovative carbon fiber structures for agricultural equipment.

The New York Times A gauge of American business investment spending plans rose in May, a tentative sign of stabilization in the manufacturing sector, which has been weak since the late summer of 2014. But the lingering effects of lower oil prices and a strong dollar will continue to constrain factory activity for a while, economists say. Other data on Tuesday showed new-home sales increased to a more than seven-year high in May.

Illinois Farmer Today A program designed to promote ethanol and biodiesel fuels will be expanded to companies using plant-based plastic, rubber, and fiber in manufacturing products such as bottles and packaging, the USDA said June 17. From sugarcane-based plastic Coke bottles to soybean-oil-derived Ford Mustang seat cushions, bio-based manufacturing has accelerated over the last decade.

American Gear Manufacturers Association The AGMA Training School for Gear Manufacturing will enable participants to become more knowledgeable and productive, teaching students to set up machines for maximum efficiency, inspect gears accurately, and understand basic gearing.

Industry Week In 2012, manufacturers consumed 24 percent of all the energy used in the United States. No sector of the economy has more to gain from using energy resources more efficiently, but progress on energy efficiency faces a bevy of obstacles, according to a new report from the Department of Energy.

Global Manufacturing When the global manufacturer Innovia Films signed up to Aurora365 it was expecting a cost-efficient infrastructure monitoring and management service that would help free up valuable IT department time. However, since first deploying Aurora365 at the start of 2015, Innovia Films has uncovered at least seven unexpected cost, security and risk management benefits as a result of more effective monitoring across the company’s global network.

Metal Miner President Obama just signed two significant trade initiatives – Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the extension of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act and other trade preference programs, which includes renewal of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and trade remedy improvements. For the full story on how both got passed, check out our recap of the last week in steel.