| Upcoming Automotive Labor Negotiations: Are You Prepared? |
“The upcoming labor negotiations between Infor and the UAW and the Detroit Three automakers—GM, Ford and Stellantis—are expected to be contentious,” writes Laurie Harbour, in her latest Love Letter to Manufacturers. “The UAW/Infor is fighting for increased wages and benefits, and job security, while the automakers want to keep costs down to fund the transition to electric vehicles. With contracts expiring in September, negotiations will begin in July.”
Harbour goes on to explain the UAW’s demands, as well as the challenges that both sides face, and some areas that companies in the automotive supply chain should shift their focus toward. |
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| Put Your Company at a Competitive Advantage |
| Position your company as an industry leader when you utilize PMA resources—ITR Econ Trends reports, trade publications, One Voice and FABTECH trade shows. A PMA membership will provide your company and all of its employees with a range of valuable industry resources that are designed to help you become more connected, more informed, more efficient, more competitive and ultimately more profitable. |
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| OSHA Seeks Comments on Potential Heat Standard |
OSHA has begun the process of developing a potential standard, “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings,” and recently announced plans to convene a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel, later in 2023. For the SBAR Panel, OSHA seeks representatives from small businesses, local government entities and nonprofit entities to serve as small-entity representatives (SERs).
With this potential standard, OSHA would regulate workplace exposure to
hazardous heat, addressing outdoor and indoor work in any sector where
OSHA has jurisdiction, including manufacturing. |
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| Macroeconomic Weakness is Coming: Checking in on Consumers and Businesses |
Leading
indicators, high interest rates and the sustained inversion of the U.S.
Treasury yield curve all signal that macroeconomic weakness is coming.
ITR is expecting decline in the U.S. macroeconomy, as measured by U.S.
Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), for a portion of 2024.
With the downturn approaching, it is time for a closer look at how consumers and businesses are faring and a review of ITR’s expectations for both consumer and business-to-business spending. |
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| MetalForming LIVE Online Events Address Precision Stamping, Automation, and Small-Lot Metal Forming |
After a very successful inaugural event last year with more than 300 attendees, MetalForming LIVE is back again! MetalForming
LIVE is a three-part webinar series which details strategies to
effectively implement automation into facilities and other topics of
critical importance to metal formers.
Hosted by MetalForming magazine’s editors, each of the three events will include a presentation followed by a roundtable discussion with metal formers dispensing their expertise glean from extensive experience with the chosen topics. And, attendees can participate in lively Q&A discussions.
Learn more about each of these three events, and register to attend. |
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| Data-Driven Technologies Drive Efficiency |
Ulbrich
Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc. has incorporated several
Internet of Things sensors throughout its factory, gathering a lot of
data and providing the visibility needed to reduce process variability,
and to identify and reduce waste using a lean approach toward continuous
improvement.
This MetalForming magazine article provides the details,
including the use of software-analysis tools to use the collected data
to determine equipment-maintenance intervals and replace components
before parameters move out of spec. |
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| GE Appliances’ New Zero-Distance Formability/Feasibility Process |
GE Appliances has undergone sweeping internal transformation since 2016, driven by a “zero distance” strategy: zero distance between what the company makes and what its customers want; between ideas and innovation; and between where products are developed and made. Toward that end, the manufacturer has transformed its business model toward a seamless and digital supply chain—internally and externally.
In this MetalForming magazine article, focus turns to what
transformation looks like inside the process of designing and producing
sheet metal parts, developed with attention paid to form and function,
as well as to manufacturability, which has an eventual and overwhelming
influence on final-product cost, quality, timing and profitability. |
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| The Evolving Job Descriptions Within the Automotive Sector |
“The demands of digitalization, electrification, autonomous vehicles, sustainability and changing consumer preferences have given rise to a host of new occupations within the automotive sector,” explains this Engineering News article. While specifically focused on the South African market, the article’s summary of an executive roundtable discussion and its emphasis on the new types of skills needed to propel the industry forward rings true for North American OEMs and their suppliers as well.
Up for discussion: the need for more highly trained software engineers,
data analysts and cybersecurity professionals, autonomous vehicle
engineers, simulation specialists and safety analysts; and expertise in
virtual and augmented reality, machine learning, and artificial
intelligence. |
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| Navigating the Emissions Reporting Landscape: A Guide for Manufacturing Leaders |
“Gone are the days of ‘sustainability’ being a vague term that meant adding green to your logo. Now it’s about hard numbers…. In this white paper, we aim to support leaders in manufacturing companies of all sizes to understand and navigate the evolving landscape of carbon emissions reporting.”
So goes this new white paper from the team at Guidewheel, self-proclaimed as “on a mission to empower all the world’s factories to reach sustainable peak performance.”
Key takeaways from the paper:
- Emissions reporting quickly is becoming a requirement of doing business for manufacturers of all sizes.
- This new landscape creates big risks, and big opportunities. Here,
the Guidewheel team recommends a framework for leaders to shape the
right strategic approach for their business.
- The sooner manufacturers adapt and build a strong strategy, the better positioned they will be positioned to succeed.
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Cutting
Management