Harvard Business Review
Virtually every organization is wrestling and experimenting with automation. But most are missing the benefits that come from deep and systemic change. They aren’t deconstructing jobs so the specific tasks that can be automated can be identified. And without deconstruction, companies risk significant collateral damage and minimizing their ROI as they attempt to automate entire jobs.

Go Erie
McInnes Rolled Rings, has been sold to the Ellwood Group, Inc. According to a statement form the company, McInnes, which makes seamless carbon, alloy and stainless-steel rolled rings, will continue to operate as an independent but wholly-owned subsidiary. Operations are expected to continue without interruption.

AGMA
The AGMA Strategic Resources Network will have its regional meeting on May 7-8 at DMDII in Chicago. Speakers will provide up to date information on IIoT, 3D printed metal, generative software, steel report and more. See this year’s full line up and register today.

Manufacturing.net
In every industry, buyer expectations are changing. The consumer expectation of simplicity and smooth digital experiences has seeped into the business world, and manufacturers are working to keep up with the changes. Most manufacturing companies sell complex products with variations and processes that make a one-size-fits-all digital solution impossible.

Manufacturing Global
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Continental plan to launch a blockchain-based platform for car manufacturers to share and sell vehicle data. The companies say the sharing of vehicle data will help create new services that “improve driver safety and convenience” and help car manufacturers monetize their data.

Huffington Post
Nearly 1,700 workers at a GE Transportation plant in Erie, Penn., went on strike marking the first large-scale work stoppage in the U.S. manufacturing sector in three years. After a merger with GE Transportation, the new employer “wants to turn this into an Amazon warehouse,” the union says.

Brookings
Last month, we released research that suggests the next phase of workplace automation should be manageable for most workers, with only a quarter of the American workforce facing “high” exposure to automation technologies in the coming decades.

The Verge
Google announced that it has made energy produced by wind farms more viable using the artificial intelligence software of its London-based subsidiary DeepMind. By using DeepMind’s machine learning algorithms to predict the wind output from the farms Google uses for its green energy initiatives, the company says it can now schedule set deliveries of energy output.

Forbes
Natan Linder, cofounder and chairman of 3-D printing unicorn Formlabs, founded Tulip five years ago to give factory workers the same access to digital tools as office workers. Now he’s raised $18 million for that firm’s expansion led by Vertex Ventures, which is backed by Singapore state fund Temasek.

All 3DP
Simulation enables one to predict or estimate how a material will behave under a specific set of constraints or conditions. In engineering and science, this is a necessary tool either to investigate and gain a deeper insight of the physics of a given process or to evaluate the functionality of a component before committing to its manufacture or production.

Thomas Net
Earlier this month, General Electric officially opened a new additive manufacturing lab under its strategic partnership with Clemson University, dedicating 1,000 square feet of space at its GE Power division’s Advanced Manufacturing Works facility in Greenville, S.C., to the lab, which houses three GE 3D printers that print both plastic and metal.

Join 300 gear and bearing executives from around the world who gather every year for the unparalleled experience that is offered through this event. Engage with expert industry speakers, learn from panel presentations on the future of gears and manufacturing and join your peers for a meeting that will connect you with the opportunity to drive your business into the future!

Forbes
During the early stages of the economic recovery, the skills gap in manufacturing emerged as a dispiriting paradox: With millions of people still out of work, manufacturers complained that thousands of positions remained unfilled for lack of qualified candidates. The anecdotal evidence was supported by a widening gap between job openings and new hires.

Machine Design
Architected materials give engineers unusual properties to work with.

Learn what is required for the design of an optimum gear set and the importance of the coordinated effort of the gear design engineer, the gear metallurgist and the bearing system engineer. Investigate gear-related problems, failures and improved processing procedures.

Science Daily
New research has identified how and when gas pockets form, as well as a methodology to predict their formation — a pivotal discovery that could dramatically improve the 3D printing process.

Forbes
The 3D printing industry hit record revenues in 2017, passing $7 billion. The direct revenue for the industry is substantial, but it is also worth looking at how many organizations and educational institutions are adding 3D-related aspects to their programs and institutions.

New Atlas
If we're going to curb the worst case scenario of climate change, it's not enough to just cut back on future carbon dioxide emissions — we need to remove some of what's already in the air. Capturing carbon from the air and sequestering it is emerging as a viable strategy, and now scientists have developed a new method to turn CO2 gas back into solid coal, that can then be buried or even used for electronic components.