Industry News

While most people are not familiar with the details of what has been known as the “gig” or freelancer economy, chances are, however that you’re taking advantage of it. For example, if you took an Uber out to dinner last weekend to enjoy that extra glass of wine, then you took advantage of this new, non-employee universe. Uber is not alone in changing how we consume and employ temporary labor (for minutes, hours, days or longer). Like Uber, technology firms such as Wonolo connect pre-qualified and vetted workers (e.g., background check, drug screening) with general labor, warehouse operations, delivery/logistics and other opportunities for “on-demand” work. Why Freelancing is The Next Work Industry Wonolo is one of hundreds of online platforms and apps that serve business-to-business needs for matching work requirements with … [Read more...] about Contractors Represent Both Opportunity and Potential Risk for Manufacturers

Over dinner with two of our friends on Saturday night — one, the head of IT and digital for a manufacturer in Chicago, the other a doctor — we somehow got onto the subject of digital twins. And no, we’re not talking about some type of online replica or “bot” that mirrors the intelligence or better behavioral elements of a real person. The concept of a digital twin is to have an actual, digital version of a real-world actual object – that reports on and represents the activity of the part, component, finished product or asset (e.g., stamping press) that it represents. Wikipedia defines a digital twin as a “a digital replica of physical assets (physical twin), processes, people, places, systems and devices that can be used for various purposes. The digital representation provides both the elements and the dynamics of how an Internet of … [Read more...] about Digital Twins in Manufacturing: Producing Data, Not Just Finished Parts

Our son, 16, goes to what is known in Chicago as the large math and science high school: Lane Technical. But in his freshman year, we learned that “technical” – which has been shortened to “tech” recently — includes only limited areas in the curriculum that once burnished the school’s reputation: manufacturing and shop. Today, the school has migrated this focus to a modern “Maker’s Lab” with 3D printing, a strong computer science curriculum and, of course, math and science. But this summer, we wanted to expose our teenager to more foundational manufacturing skills: various forms of metal work. So we enrolled him at the Chicago Industrial Art & Design Center, a non-profit organization which describes itself as a multidisciplinary industrial arts and design resource center with departments including casting & molding and … [Read more...] about Exposing Teens to Manufacturing Skills: Questions to Ask Yourself as Parents

A society in which everyone, especially the middle class, has an opportunity to increase their compensation level at an annual pace that outpaces inflation, is a dream for just about everyone, regardless of political beliefs. This of course requires a robust economy and a balance of trade such that a country can both produce and consume. But recently, the chatter of “income inequality” among commentators and the news media has grown to a fever pitch. It is also a constant rallying cry of the Presidential candidate pool. In a recent ABC news article, Larry Mishel, Distinguished Fellow at the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, puts it bluntly: “Working people have taken it on the chin for many decades. They’ve not been able to get the help of government to be on their sides, the employers are suppressing their … [Read more...] about Rethinking Middle Class Manufacturing Income Inequality in North America