MT Magazine July/August 2022

MANUFACTURING MATTERS

JULY/AUGUST 2022

9

Manufacturing Matters Check in for the highlights, headlines, and hijinks that matter to manufacturing. These lean news items keep you updated on the latest developments.

TECHNOLOGY

Shifts to Green Manufacturing Technology adoption requires offering value to a user, and as consumers shift buying trends toward environmentally friendly products, the manufacturing ecosystem is following suit. In the case of green manufacturing, the values can be broken down into several categories: reduced energy consumption, renewable sources, sustainable materials, waste reduction, and extended part longevity. The key is taking a deeper dive into the validation of these categories for a specific technology. Some of the technologies labeled as “green” do not fit in the circular economy or in the larger life-cycle analysis. Until these technologies are more mature, don’t forget to hype-check. Is it really conservation? Is it really green?

INTELLIGENCE

Historical IMTS Effects on September USMTO Results Manufacturing technology orders always appear to surge in September of even-numbered years. You may have guessed that this has something to do with the occurrence of IMTS. In fact, over the last 11 shows, between 1998 and 2018, the average September “show year” order totals reported by USMTO equaled just over $490 million – 40% higher than the average $348 million reported across all other months throughout the year. To erase any doubt that our observation is caused by chance, our analytics team accounted for the variability in the biannual September surge observations. Doing this ensures there aren’t any large September outliers that would inaccurately overweight the computed average. It turns out, the order totals placed in September of a show year do not happen by chance and can be attributed to the order activity at IMTS. The Onshoring Project Is Here To Help In the wake of ongoing global supply chain disruptions, AMT and a consortium of North American innovators, practitioners, and supply chain experts from across the manufacturing industry launched The Onshoring Project. During IMTS 2022, The Onshoring Project will host the inaugural Smarter Sourcing Symposium. Consortium members and supply chain leaders will share strategies for sounder and more financially beneficial North American part production. OEMs, tier suppliers, and contract manufacturers alike will benefit from first-hand demonstrations and panel discussions on new tools and proven techniques for leaner, more agile, more profitable domestic sourcing. Specific tools and topics covered include Manufacturing Critical-Path Time (MCT), Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), and Supply Chain Interoperability Specification (SCIS). SUPPLY CHAIN – THE RESHORING PROJECT MTUniversity: Outsource Your Sales Training to AMT What do hiring, onboarding, emerging technologies, new product launches, and new markets all have in common? Training. AMT’s education and training products and services available on MTUniversity allow sales leaders to maximize productivity by implementing courses for sales and technical training to fit any experience level. MT Shop Basics provides 50 e-learning classes that teach new hires on the fundamental technologies used throughout our industry. MT Sales Fundamentals is available as an in-person, 1 1/2-day-long workshop and is also available in an e-learning version. Your people will learn the fundamentals of selling in addition to the proven 6 Step Process for selling in the manufacturing industry. The Certified Manufacturing Technology Sales Engineer (CMTSE) program is our industry’s only national certification program for sales professionals. Visit MTUniversity.org for more information about supporting your team training. SMARTFORCE