Attracting young workers is the goal of the national Manufacturing Day on Oct. 7, and many high-profile business, political and education leaders across Michigan are working to update the image of manufacturing in hopes of dealing with a growing talent gap that could undermine its future. 

Join us in Pittsburgh, PA, October 2-4, for the FTM. Applied research will be presented in five content areas: Manufacturing, Inspection and Quality Control; Materials & Heat Treatment; Application and Design & Rating; Efficiency, Lubrication, Noise and Vibration; and Gear Wear & Failure.

US manufacturing slipped more than expected in September. Markit Economics' flash purchasing managers' index for September — a preliminary reading — fell to 51.4.

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(VIDEO) FANUC Arc Mate 100 welding robots are seen at Washtenaw Community College.

In Indiana, where almost 30% of the economy is tied to manufacturing, companies from Caterpillar to Subaru are finding it difficult to fill factory jobs.

Amsterdam will host what organizers are calling the world’s first large-scale research program for autonomous boats in metropolitan areas. The five-year, nearly $28 million Roboat initiative will be conducted by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and two Dutch universities.

McLaren’s rich history in Formula One, the most elite level of auto racing, means the company has as much in common with Apple as it does with more-conventional carmakers such as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. Formula One is a technology-led circuit in which engines and chassis are highly regulated and minute electronic enhancements can make the difference between winning and finishing last.

(VIDEO) Automating the grocery warehouse

(VIDEO) It takes 5 to 10 years to develop a new plane. To reduce that, Boeing is using high-speed modeling and virtual meetings to get its hundreds of offices and 20,000+ suppliers to design and collaborate in real time.

The adoption of IoT technology can provide companies with unprecedented opportunities to reduce operating costs, increase productivity and tap into new markets previously inaccessible. But that won’t happen when IoT data gathers dust in the cloud.

GE Digital and Bosch Software Innovations announce cooperation aimed at connecting the industrial world.

A new report from American Express and Dun & Bradstreet indicates that the growth of U.S. middle market firms (those companies with revenues between $10 million and $1 billion) is outpacing the national average. This includes an 87 percent increase in the number of firms, a 103 percent surge in employment and a 100 percent rise in revenue since 2011.

Figures released in the Baker Hughes rig count on Sept. 23 show new drilling activity in the Permian Basin has taken its first step back after more than three months of slow, but steady gains.

The industrial sector is in the midst of a transition period into the digital age, said Qian Zhang, investment manager for Frederic E. Russell Investment Management Co.

Since the dawn of manufacturing, designers and engineers have repeatedly run up against limitations to make things. Their ability to execute and capacity to afford bringing their ideas to market were once constrained by the manufacturing facility they had to find—either local or offshore—to build the things they wanted to build. 

In order to meet customer demands and their service expectations, tire suppliers need to rely heavily on their warehouses to use the most advanced processes to ensure the end consumer is given a high-quality experience and product when they need it. These cutting-edge processes are taking the tire industry to the next level. In doing so, we have officially reached the next era of tire distribution innovation.

The IoT industry is close to hitting between $263 billion an $19 trillion by 2020-2025. Some of the major brands like Adobe, are already shipping their first IoT products to the mass market. While the niche certainly appears ripe and the consumer demand is growing steadily, not all business feel eager to join the bandwagon early on. Unique product development challenges come as the main entry barrier.

The industrial IoT has already proven its versatility with deployments going live in a number of enterprises, showing off dozens of different use cases. But a few key uses consistently present themselves within the same trade, and even throughout different industries.

MIT Sloan Management Review conducted a survey of business executives managers, and IT professionals from organizations worldwide. The survey, conducted in the spring of 2016, captured insights from 1,480 respondents from a wide variety of industries and from organizations of all sizes. MIT Sloan’s research team also interviewed industry experts to gain their insights into how data sharing and analytics drive the success of the Internet of Things.