Crain’s Cleveland Business
The uncertainty caused by COVID-19 could cause manufacturers to reassess the risk in their supply chains and, maybe, bring more work back to the U.S. The shortage of health care supplies highlights this concern, but it extends to other sectors as well.

Three speakers from the AGMA/ABMA Annual Meeting will be providing webinars in coming months. Our first is next week with Peter Zeihan:
The era of globalization is dependent upon freedom of the seas, American security overwatch, and a global consumer base—all of which were coming to an end before coronavirus erupted upon the world. The pre-coronavirus pace of change, already among the most rapid in history, has now accelerated greatly. Join us as Peter Zeihan walks us through the causes and consequences, the actions and inactions, which have made and are unmaking our world.

Design World
We’re moving at great speed through a crisis that began as a post Chinese New Year supply chain disruption in Wuhan and has now, like the virus itself, spread around the world. The human impact of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) will be huge and the safety of those at risk is, of course, top of mind. In the meantime, we’re dealing with a disruption that is unprecedented and unpredictable. Most recently we’ve seen that supply chain disruption amplified and disruptions to demand and workplace practices pile on to create a perfect storm that will challenge the industry in the short term and change it in the medium term.

The Hill
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is calling for the creation of a chief manufacturing officer who would report directly to President Trump to ensure that manufacturing is a national priority in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Robotics and Automation News
Across industries, manufacturers exploit the fact that, through the use of additive manufacturing, they can not only build complex parts – in one piece – which were previously impossible, but they can also build stronger, lighter weight parts, reduce material consumption and benefit from assembly component consolidation across a range of applications.

Design World
3M is claiming that it is reshaping the future of fluoropolymers with 3D printed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a 3D printable fully fluorinated polymer. Going under the name of 3M Dyneon PTFE, this tailored material formulation is printable with open-source stereolithography 3D printers.

Forbes
Manufacturers on a small and large scale are facing the unique position of maintaining production while quickly adapting to new protocols and policies that promote the health and safety of employees on the operating floor. The demand for essential products – most notably medical supplies and toilet paper – continues to mount and industries from food and beverage to metals and electronics continue to operate.

Reuters
India is planning to restart some manufacturing after April 15 to help offset the economic damage of a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, two government sources said, even as it weighs extending the lockdown.

Today’s Motor Vehicles
General Motors and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agreed to a $489.4 million contract for the automaker to supply 30,000 ventilators to the government by the end of August with more than 6,000 due by the end of June.

AGMA has offered, for years now, the option to take some of our most popular courses online. We know that the current COVID-19 situation has disabled the ability to host face-to-face education, but we don’t want our industry to stop learning.

Engineering
Wind energy generated by wind turbine technology is one of the fastest developing sustainable power sources due to its promising potential. Two types of wind turbines share the focus of current development efforts, and are competing to be recognized as the dominant design: the gearbox, and the direct-drive wind turbines. This article examines both types of turbines, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. 

3D Print
Virginia-based company MELD Manufacturing Corporation was launched in the spring of 2018 as a subsidiary of Aeroprobe Corporation, which produces instruments that provide and measure real-time air and flow data. Aeroprobe had been working with the Edison Welding Institute to develop Friction Stir Active Manufacturing for printing functionally gradient metal components, and founded MELD to continue working on this novel technology.

Supply Chain Management Review
At the start of the 2020s, it seems the only constant is an intensified pace of disruption and a call for manufacturers to recalibrate strategies and operations to prevail. Deloitte has identified — through leadership discussions and analysis of primary and secondary sources — five factors that are expected to have an impact on manufacturers in the next 10 years.

Supply Chain Digest
The coronavirus crisis is sure to ultimately have a transformational impact on the supply chain, some in ways that are predictable (e.g., a move away from China sourcing) to changes no one is seeing right now. An article in The Economist recently made this interesting observation: While factories with robotic automation must protect workers from injury using cages and designs to make sure workers do not come near the dangerous machines, now the challenge is to design work processes and the flow of parts and materials to keep human workers away from each other to reduce infection risk.

News Max
The auto industry — already fretting lengthy factory shutdowns and depressed new-vehicle demand — is starting to sound the alarm about a potential used-car price collapse that could have far-reaching consequences for manufacturers, lenders and rental companies.

Design News
Celebrate National Robotics week with a list of the best articles on the past, present and future of robotics … and a few just for fun.

Electrek
With lockdowns lifting in China, car buyers are coming back in droves. Personal vehicles have new appeal as consumers hold fears about the safety of public transit. The return of car purchasing in China could be a boon for EV makers.

Green Car Reports
Despite the growing number of electric cars in production, EVs are still new and different to most drivers. Ignorance of the technology has allowed various electric car myths to persist. Formula E, the all-electric racing series, put together this video busting five EV myths that just don’t seem to go away.

Aerospace Manufacturing
The development milestones for the unmanned aircraft come just weeks after completion of the first fuselage, allowing for rapid progress on systems installation and functional and integration testing from the aircraft’s own landing gear.

Free for AGMA members
This webinar will detail what you need to know to be prepared for the many changes coming later this year under USMCA, the replacement for the NAFTA trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. From understanding the new rules of origin and certification requirements to labor and environmental provisions of the new agreement, companies engaged in cross-border trade in North America, as well as companies considering new investments in the region, should plan to attend this webinar. This webinar takes place from 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST.