This week's round up shares many interesting advancements within manufacturing and technology. I chose the word interesting wisely here, not only due to the variety of content, but because each article proves to spark the reader's curiosity, making us think in new light; thought-provoking and fascinating. Included you will find discussions on the clean energy manufacturing movement, the brains at MIT being a step ahead of the rest of us, and the top trends that will drastically effect our lives within the next decade. I've even thrown in slice of outside opinion on the debate of tax reform.
Clifton Yin and Matthew Stepp: Strengthening America’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Capability
The Department of Energy launched the Clean Energy Manufacturing Incentive (CEMI) this past week. CEMI provides support for clean energy manufacturing innovation, technology transfer, and industrial education and training. The Ideas Laboratory article stated that this incentive will, “develop enhanced funding programs for public-private partnerships to spur technology commercialization and new technical assistance programs to help firms bring new innovations to market”. The first step toward a U.S. clean energy manufacturing sector.
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While the rest of the world is still trying to fully understand the concept of 3D printing and how that technology is going to evolve manufacturing capabilities, MIT is one step ahead developing 4D printing. The fourth dimension being time, referring to the object (after print) changing shape over time. Engadget discusses how this concept has been demonstrated with small strands of plastic transforming into a predetermined shape when placed in water. The next stage is to advance this model into larger objects. Watch this short video.
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Mike Roberts published a blog post this week discussing how market leading companies are adopting closed-loop quality management strategies to better manage quality from an end-to-end business perspective. Roberts dives into the food and beverage industry and highlights how companies within this sector are implementing quality management systems and processes across the value chain. Developing a quality platform.
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Thursday’s front page of The Washington Post sparked controversy relating to the tax inflicted on global organizations. Dorothy Coleman of the National Association of Manufacturers published an article that provides a brief overview of the NAM stance on the current tax reform debate. I recommend reading The Washington Post article to preface Coleman’s counter-argument. I’ll leave you with this statement, “manufacturers know firsthand that if U.S. companies cannot compete abroad, where 95% of the world’s consumers are located, the U.S. economy suffers from the loss of both foreign markets and domestic jobs that support foreign operations”. This debates heating up.
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The key to retaining and improving a successful business has always been to plan accordingly for the future, whether it is financially or through product advancements. Today’s world throws a curve ball at this strategy due to innovative disruptions and the speed at which consumer tastes are changing and technology is advancing. This Manufacturing Executive article identifies a series of trends that are believed to transform the world throughout the next ten years and vastly impact the future of manufacturing. Technology, infrastructure, social change, and more.
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You Might Also Be Interested In:
The LNS Weekly Industrial Round Up 3/24/2013
Battling Food Fraud with End-to-End Product Traceability
5 Industrial Technology Trends to Focus On in 2013
