Author: Miles Free

Blog | Front Office

Future of Manufacturing- Age and Education Impacts
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Since 2007, manufacturers have added more educated workers while eliminating less skilled / less educated positions. Increasingly employers are looking for credentials for skills rather than 2 and 4 year degrees. As the baby boomer cohort leave the workforce, there are currently not enough under 25 and 25- 34 year olds to make up for their loss. This means that not only will productivity increases have to continue, but also that we need to really make an effort to bring 34 and under people into our skilled workforce in manufacturing.

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Blog | Engineering | Shop Floor

Scratches On Rolled Steel Products
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Scratches are longitudinal or near longitudinal indentations caused by mechanical rubbing of the bar on protrusions as it is processed.–AISI Technical Committee on Rod and Bar Mills, Detection, Classification, and Elimination of Rod and Bar Surface Defects
Scratches are detected visually and are caused by unintentional contact with build up on mechanical parts and mill components during rolling. Scratches typically have a more rounded bottom and less scale than a seam or crack.

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Blog | Front Office

Manufacturing Sector Still Expanding- May 2012 ISM PMI Report
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Certainly the global uncertainty is likely to affect our markets in the coming months, but for now North American Manufacturing continues to lead the recovery.

PMPA’s Business Trends Report for the first four months of the year is consistent with The latest ISM report and indicates that the industry’s 2012 average shipments will likely finish up 8 to 9 points higher than last year.

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Blog | Engineering | Front Office | Shop Floor

Red Stapler- Visual Lean
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The tragedy of the commons for shared resources can be avoided by the use of visual lean techniques.

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Blog | Front Office

A Tale of Two Lines
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Depending on which line you are in, it is the best of times, or the worst of times…

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Blog | Break Room

PMPA NTC 2012- Behind The Scenes
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Timelapse video of PMPA’s 2012 National Technical Conference Keynote Luncheon and Technical member exhibits.

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Blog | Break Room

But You Already Knew That
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This year Americans will pay more in taxes than they will pay for food, clothing and housing. Taxes greater than necessities.

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Blog | Shop Floor

Scabs On Rolled Steel Products
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Scabs are irregularly shaped, flattened protrusions caused by splash, boiling or other problems from teeming, casting, or conditioning.They are commonly mistaken for Slivers shearing and rolled in scale.

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Blog | Break Room

Memorial Day- We Remember
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This Memorial Day we remember that not all returned from “that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.”

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Blog | Engineering | Shop Floor

Seams On Rolled Steel Products
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Seams are longitudinal voids opening radially from the bar section in a very straight line without the presence of deformed material adjacent. They are most frequently encountered of all imperfections/ defects due to so many possible causes.

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