As unemployment rates plummet to unprecedented lows, manufacturers in metro Milwaukee are increasing wages faster and asking employees to work more hours than their counterparts around the state, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis said that the U.S. economy grew by an annualized 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter, according to preliminary data. This was somewhat lower than the consensus estimate of around 3 percent, and it represented an easing from the 3.1 percent and 3.2 percent gains seen in the second and third quarters, respectively. Overall, the latest report found solid growth in consumer, business and government spending, but headline growth was pulled lower by both net exports and inventory spending. 

Sales and profits picked up for companies at the end of last year, and more say they’re paying their workers higher wages and salaries in the latest signs that the U.S. economy continues to improve.

As advancing technology brings the manufacturing industry closer to the vision of a ‘smart factory,’ the future of U.S. manufacturing depends on how well industry leaders play the new cards in the deck: robotics, data, automation and 3D printing — without overlooking the value of human capital.

Aerospace manufacturers are beginning to make big-dollar investments in artificial intelligence. Long predicted as a business trend, 2018 increasingly looks like a year that AI hits home in industry, from corporate offices to the factory floor. Michael Bruno, Aviation Week Network’s senior editor talks with John Schmidt, managing director and the global aerospace and defense lead at Accenture, and Dan O’ Hara, the firm’s artificial intelligence growth and strategy lead.

Using lidar-equipped robots, Doxel scans construction sites every day to monitor how things are progressing, tracking what gets installed and whether it’s the right thing at the right time in the right place. 

The 2018 Annual Meeting combines the expert knowledge of the gear and bearing industries with the latest emerging technologies that influence manufacturers and suppliers. More than 300 executives will gather in Naples, Florida this April, to experience the information-packed week full of top-tier speakers. Members will be connected to innovation and opportunities in the industry with potential to strengthen business connections and relationships. 

(Video) This concept car has airbags on the outside and it's called the Flesby II. It was created by car part manufacturer Toyoda Gosei and it was shown off at the Toyko Motor Show. LED lighting gives the car some personality, but the lights do more than make faces. 

Quantum computers should soon be able to beat classical computers at certain basic tasks. But before they’re truly powerful, researchers have to overcome a number of fundamental roadblocks.

The modern Chinese economy was built based on its competitive advantage in manufacturing. But following wages increases of roughly 80 percent since 2010, it has experienced a consistent year-over-year deceleration due to an exodus of manufacturers. In the past year, the slowed growth has finally stopped. 

Prognostications are all over the map when it comes to citing findings emanating from a wide array of studies released by companies, think tanks and research institutions. So MIT Technology Review decided to start keeping tabs on all the numbers different groups have come up with about predicted job losses (and some gains) at the hands of automation, robots and AI.

This course addresses the various types of materials used for gears and the advantages and disadvantages of specific material choices. Heat treatment processes and their relation to gear performance, cost, reliability and load characteristics are examined as well as best practice for engineer drawings related to the materials selection process. Learn the roles of the gear design engineer and the gear metallurgist from two instructors (who have worked together for 40 years) and how collaborative efforts can provide better outcomes. Discover how both the gear design engineer and the gear metallurgist can better grasp their related, critical roles in the exciting world of gear processing, heat treatment and inspection.

Researchers at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, have developed a method to produce permanent magnets by cold spray metal additive manufacturing for electric motors. Fabrice Bernier and Jean-Michel Lamarre, the team who developed the new method, state that this technology could make it possible to produce magnets in complex shapes and for complex parts without the need for assembly.

Want to be part of building something amazing? Let’s start with your career. There are 608 manufacturing jobs open in the Houston area, and many of those need to be filled right away.

Gain a better understanding of various types of gears and bearings. Learn about the limitations and capabilities of rolling element bearings and the gears that they support. Grasp and understand how to properly apply the best gear-bearing combination to any gearbox from simple to complex.

The field of robotics in the farm industry is growing as new technology like computer vision and robots are being introduced, creating new levels of automation.

To integrate more automated into their systems, manufacturers are investigating different avenues to fulfill the desire of "low cost, less time and easy to install."

Increasing emphasis on smart manufacturing in industry is exposing unfortunate truth. Too few investments in advanced manufacturing are generating returns in a reasonable timeframe.