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Every manufacturer has one want and many needs. The want is universal, to be the leader in its industry or area of specialty. The needs are individual, and may concern issues as diverse as increasing capital, upgrading technology, expanding plant size or hiring more assemblers.

In my first postcollege job, I was a manufacturing engineer for Cummins Engine Co. in Columbus, IN. Two weeks into the job, my boss came to me with a project to purchase an industrial wash system, and I leaped at the opportunity. It was a disaster.

When manufacturing engineers are tasked with automating a process that is currently done manually, their main question for an automation supplier is, "Have you ever automated this specific process before?"

Two-component epoxies are suitable for structural bonding and protective potting. For many industrial applications, the time lapse before reaching initial strength has been deemed a major disadvantage, until now.

A linchpin of any lean manufacturing effort, 5S programs help to reduce waste and optimize productivity through better work-place organization.

Inventors of manufacturing technology have many sources of inspiration. One is human anatomy, which has led to the development of things like hand-like grippers and collaborative robots. Another is commercial technology that is used in toys.

For decades, batteries have powered everything from toys and toothbrushes to personal electronics and power tools. But, that's just scratching the surface. During the next decade, advanced batteries will be mass-produced for a wide variety of new applications on land, sea and air.

Companies make countless decisions every day. There are micro decisions affecting short-term operations and macro decisions affecting the company's big picture over the long term.

About 2 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide in 2018, a whopping 57 percent increase over 2017, according to consulting firm Research and Markets. Some 69 percent of those were battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 31 percent were plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

To the general public, the term handheld is synonymous with mobility. But, to assemblers of wire harnesses, the term also refers to tools that offer simplicity, reliability and accuracy.