Looking to a better job market and consumers' ability to spend more as an indicator, economists "expect the growth rate to rise to perhaps 2.5 percent in the second quarter."
A weaker US dollar makes a stronger US economy. In "Weaker dollar boosts US manufacturing," the Associated Press reported growth in the manufacturing sector from April to May after a slump from October through February. The culprit for the slump? "A strong dollar that made U.S. products more expensive in foreign markets. The dollar has fallen against other major currencies since the end of January, giving factories some relief."
Looking to a better job market and consumers' ability to spend more as an indicator, economists "expect the growth rate to rise to perhaps 2.5 percent in the second quarter."
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In preparation for visiting current and potential customers in Mexico earlier this month, we translated our marketing materials to Spanish:
Our website in Spanish Our product guide in Spanish Our goal: to expand our international customer base and to figure out what specific needs each customer region has. Next up: website translations in French, German, and Portuguese. We're grateful winter is over (especially here in New England), but with the warmer months comes humidity, and humidity means potential rusting. If you don't have an air-conditioned facility, here are a couple of ways you can prevent rusting of your metal stampings:
Life is a series of choices. In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr. Stephen Covey says that our choices can lead us from dependence to independence to interdependence. The following seven habits can lead us through these stages to happiness in all areas of our lives:
1. Be proactive Reactive people focus on what they have little control over - the circle of concern - and blame external sources for their behavior. But they can instead be proactive by choosing their responses and behaviors. Proactive people focus on what they can control - what Covey calls the circle of influence. 2. Begin with the end in mind Create a vision, a mental image of your end goals. Understand what you want and then figure out how to get there based on your unique moral compass so that you have a direction. A mission statement helps define your end goal and keeps you focused. 3. Put first things first If habit 1 is about taking initiative and responsibility, and habit 2 is about having a vision, habit 3 combines habits 1 and 2 for the vision creation on a day-to-day basis. Determine what your biggest priorities are to get to that vision and focus on them instead of the distractions that creep into your life. Learn to say no to some or even most of those distractions. It's not just about time management. It's about life management. Organize priorities and put first things first. 4. Think win-win Win-win focuses on collaboration rather than competition. When you think win-win, you seek mutual benefit. You stick to your feelings and express them with courage and empathy but believe there's plenty of benefit to go around. You play both nice guy and tough guy. Empathetic yet confident. Considerate yet brave. 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood Listen to understand, not to reply. When you prepare a response through your own life filter, you decide prematurely what the other person means before he finishes speaking. You tend to judge, ask questions, advise, and interpret. These responses are only appropriate when the other person asks for help. 6. Synergize Synergy is creative cooperation that leads to new insights. It's teamwork, open-mindedness, and problem-solving through personal experience for greatest results that can't be achieved alone. It's the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. 7. Sharpen the saw Maintain your life in four main areas: physical (eating, exercise, and sleep), social/emotional (relationships), mental (learning, teaching, reading, and writing), and spiritual (art, prayer, nature, and music, for example). When you self-care in these four areas, you improve your ability to manage your responses in habits 1-6 to create a vibrant, energized outlook. To keep our costs down to give you the best prices on grinding wheel components, we're keeping our inventory down while still maintaining lead times you need. Exactly how are we doing that? By pulling your orders through our factory according to your demand.
How it works We know exactly how many parts we need to keep on hand to meet your demand (through our bright green Kanban cards) and how quickly we can produce to meet your lead time. The result: we have less product on our shelves and can still ship parts to your door in the timeframe you need. Less product on our shelves means we can free up cash and run a tighter ship. With less waste, we can keep our prices down. A win-win for all of us. Need to make metal parts but having trouble navigating the processes? Use this beginner's guide to metal parts manufacturing.
SIMPLE: Using Metal Coils or Strips Stamping: Forming metal coils or strips into shapes (blanks, embosses, and bends, for example) using a press (a single operation or a series of stages) Metals used:
Pros: Rapid production time (seconds) and most cost-effective part pricing Cons: Tooling generally costs from $10,000 to $50,000, and tooling changes are limited. Laser Cutting: Cutting and etching metal using a laser, usually through optics and CNC (Computer Numerical Control) for material or laser beam control. The process leaves a high-quality surface finish and permanently etched parts. Metals used:
Pros: No tooling needed Cons: Slower process with longer turnaround time and higher prices COMPLEX: Using Bar Stock or Melted Metal Die Casting: Putting liquid metal into a mold under high pressure, commonly used for the production of complex geometries. Metals used:
Pros: Rapid production time (seconds) and cost-effective part pricing Cons: Tooling generally costs from $10,000 to $50,000, and tooling changes are limited. Machining: Drilling and threading bar stock, commonly used in production of nuts. Metals used:
Pros: Little or no tooling needed Cons: Slower process with longer turnaround time and higher prices Want to know more? Contact Curtis: 508-845-6501 x306 or sales@donahueindustries.com. Photo from Makerbot.com 3D printing won't replace traditional manufacturing anytime soon says reporter Drew Turney in his TechRadar article "How 3D printing to order is changing manufacturing."
"If you can mass produce a spoon out of metal stamping, 3D printing isn't going to compete with that for a number of years," he says. What 3D printing can compete with: customized parts in low volume such as out-of-circulation spare parts. "The costs of more accurate machines will be prohibitive to entry into the consumer market for the foreseeable future," adds Turney. "Of course, in many ways only one thing will drive change, and that's the price of goods.... Along with... ease of use, low financial and technological barriers to entry are giving small 3D printing operators a whole new world to discover." "Made in the USA" means "all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of US origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content,” according to the Federal Trade Commission. The writer of "American Made: What is it & why it matters" reveals what "Made in the USA" really means:
A t-shirt that monitors your health, protective gear for firefighters that can withstand the hottest flames, military uniforms that can detect chemical threats, and even clothing that regulates your temperature — cooling you down in the summer or warming you up in the winter. Those innovations are exactly what the new national center Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute out of MIT might create. Started by the White House and Gov. Baker’s office, the $317 million initiative aims to innovate to benefit American troops on the ground. Also known as Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, the initiative exists thanks to "$75 million in federal funding, $40 million in matching funds from the state, and funds from industry partners" according to the WBUR article "Mass. Chosen To Lead National Textile Manufacturing Innovation Hub."
What politicians hope the institute will create: fabrics and fibers with a range of technical capabilities — from "being incredibly lightweight or flame-resistant to storing energy or having exceptional strength." Applications include advances in health care, military technology, wearable technology, and fashion. Simply put: leaders at the new institute hope to revolutionize textile manufacturing. The new institute is the eighth manufacturing hub selected by the Obama administration for President Obama’s federal manufacturing initiative called the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. "Massachusetts already has connections with two regional manufacturing centers — one for photonics and one for flexible hybrid electronics — but this is the first to be based in the state," says WBUR reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka. Nearly 90 businesses, universities, and nonprofits from across the country will comprise the initiative, including:
"The institute will have a prototyping facility designed to help startups test their first products and scale up new technologies into full production," adds Enwemeka. What the institute means for Massachusetts manufacturing The new institute will boost the state’s manufacturing sector and innovation economy, officials say. MIT plans to get the initiative off the ground in six months. To improve lead times for you and cut inventory costs to bring you better prices, we're implementing pull manufacturing. Right now, we're working on a plan to reduce our WIP (work in process) from 14 weeks to one or less. So from the time you email us with your order to the time your order leaves our shipping dock, your parts will flow through our plant in one week or less. We'll do the same with our eight remaining product lines and then implement the entire system.
The result: shorter lead times and lower prices for you. |