JACKSON, MN--Farmers never take a day off. Nor do their tractors. Growers rely on their machines to plow, plant, till, spray, bale and harvest a wide variety of crops in all sorts of conditions.
WASHINGTON-—U.S. factory activity rose to the highest level in 13 years last month as hurricanes disrupted supplies but drove up demand for manufactured goods. The Institute for Supply Management said its September manufacturing index rose to 60.8 from 58.8 in August, the highest reading since May 2004.
DANVILLE, VA--Unison Ltd., a manufacturer of tube-bending equipment, will invest $5.2 million to establish its first U.S. manufacturing operation here. The plant will be the company’s second manufacturing facility and support the activities of the company’s plant in North Yorkshire, England.
One of the main challenges in forestry is removing bark from freshly cut logs. For many decades, the standard method involved loading logs into a hopper with a conveyor belt that moves the logs into a ribbed drum.
MUMBAI, India—During the next five years, Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group plans to invest an additional $1 billion in the United States, where it is hoping that its two-wheel electric scooters will win over American millennials. Mahindra has already invested $1 billion in the United States, where it has 3,000 employees.
ALEXANDRIA, MN--Alexandria Industries and many other manufacturers in Minnesota are taking steps to hang on to talented older workers steeped in assembly and industry knowledge.
Millions of people visit health clubs to work out on stationary bikes and treadmills every day. In contrast, only several thousand people get their daily exercise by actually assembling these pieces of equipment.
During a recent visit to this bright, open, state-of-the-art factory, I took a turn on the line assembling one of DEWALT’s hottest products, the 20-volt MAX XR three-speed cordless drill and screwdriver, which is powered by a brushless motor and a 5 amp-hour lithium-ion battery.
When it comes to the economics of assembly machines, faster is always better. Every minute that it runs, a fast machine produces more goods—and more profits—than an otherwise similar slow machine.