WASHINGTON—U.S. worker productivity grew a modest 0.5 percent rate from January through March after having declined in the previous quarter. Weak productivity growth could boost hiring if consumers and businesses spend more.

MILWAUKEE—U.S. employers reported a boost in confidence as the percent of employers planning to add staff, 22 percent, has reached a four-year high, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

WASHINGTON—For 2013 as a whole, manufacturing production should increase 3.1 percent from 2012, according to the Manufacturing Alliance for Productivity and Innovation. Manufacturing is predicted to grow 3.6 percent in 2014, 0.8 percentage points faster than the overall economy.

STAFFORD, TX—The FDA issued a warning to CooperSurgical after inspectors noted violations at the company’s assembly plant here.

Recent headlines have provided stark reminders that cheap manufactured goods from overseas often come at the expense of human lives.

MORRISTOWN, TN—Medical device manufacturer Team Technologies Inc. is investing $11 million in its assembly plant here to rehore production. The company is expected to add 200 new jobs.

AUGUSTA, ME—The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership helped a medical device manufacturer here reduce product introduction time, achieve $500,000 in retained sales, and save more than $250,000.

SAN DIEGO—Systems integrator JOT Automation has designed a robotic assembly line to make insulin pumps for Tandem Diabetes Care Inc.

ROCKY HILL, CT—Henkel Corp. has unveiled the Interactive Loctite Medical Device Adhesive Selector Guide, an online resource providing direct links between 48 medical device adhesives and supporting technical documents such as materials safety data sheets and technical data sheets.

MIAMI, FL—U.S. manufacturers are targeting an aggressive 1.5 percent reduction in cost of goods sold for 2013 in an effort to drive margin growth, according to a new study from The Hackett Group Inc.

Whether the challenge is creating micro features on micro parts or on macro parts, participants in this event will be looking for ideas to improve their process.

The manufacturing industry is at a turning point, requiring the ability to visualize the possibilities and challenges to come so preparations can be made now.

Henkel Corporation will host the first Loctite Medical Device Adhesive Seminar of 2013 on Tuesday, May 21, in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Medical Device Manufacturing Summit is the premium forum bringing together senior medical device manufacturing executives and leading solution providers. 

The invitation-only Digital and Advanced Manufacturing Exchange cannot predict the future. But it can offer senior manufacturing executive best practices for quick ROI from the latest technologies with case studies and opinions from senior level practitioners.