Greetings from London, dear readers. This week, we find ourselves traversing the UK engineering marvel that is “Crossrail.” Crossrail, a product of over a decade of meticulous planning and development, is a new 72-mile train line that burrows under virtually all of Central London, significantly reducing many journey times. The planning team behind it asserts that this mammoth project brings “an additional 1.5 million people to within 45 minutes of London’s main employment, leisure, and business districts.” Crossrail’s construction is an engineering triumph. It took eight powerful tunnel boring machines nearly three years to carve out 26 miles beneath London. Some sections of Crossrail lie as deep as 450 feet below the surface of London, far deeper than the subway or the “Underground.” Despite the hefty price tag of … [Read more...] about Infrastructure: Bipartisan Case for Investment (A Postcard from London)
Industry News
Machinery Appraisal 101: What it is and Why it’s Important
When it comes to machinery and equipment, understanding their value is crucial for any business. Machinery appraisal is the process of determining the value of machinery and equipment, and it is an crucial part of business for a business owner as machinery appraisal can impact business valuation. Here's what you need to know about machinery appraisal and why it's important. What is Machinery Appraisal? Machinery Appraisal is the process of determining the value of machinery and equipment. There are three methods that appraisers commonly use to determine the value of equipment: Sales Comparison Method: This method compares the equipment being appraised to similar equipment that has recently been sold. Income Method: This method considers the income generated by the equipment being appraised, including its operational … [Read more...] about Machinery Appraisal 101: What it is and Why it’s Important
3 Ways to Sell Your Used Machinery and Equipment for the Most Money
Whether you are trying to sell one machine that’s been sitting in your plant or garage collecting dust or trying to offload dozens of machines & equipment as you close or upgrade your plant, there’s a lot of resources out there for you to use, but which ones are the best? And how do you know who you can trust? And perhaps most importantly, where do you make the most money? Whether you are trying to make the most money for your used and surplus machinery or just trying to offload the machine, we’ll help guide you on your best options. We’ve been helping dealers and regular people like you sell machinery for 98 years now, so let us point you in the right direction. We’ve narrowed it down to 3 main options which you can read in depth below: I Want to Make the Most Money for My Used Machinery & Equipment! If you want to … [Read more...] about 3 Ways to Sell Your Used Machinery and Equipment for the Most Money
Digital Twins in Manufacturing: Producing Data, Not Just Finished Parts
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
Exposing Teens to Manufacturing Skills: Questions to Ask Yourself as Parents
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
