Looking for stuff, whether it be keys, wallet, phone, meeting notes, spices in a kitchen cabinet, or pencils in my woodworking shop, is the bane of my existence. Some days, I feel as if I spend more time looking for stuff than do actually using the stuff I was looking for.

Many products installed in a home are taken for granted as things that should always work properly. A good example is the electrical outlet.

Manufacturing companies contributed $2.17 trillion to the U.S. economy according to the most recent annual data. Manufacturers, of which 98.6 percent qualify as small businesses, have become more agile, more productive and leaner in recent years.

A leading medical device manufacturer in North America had a problem: how to expand production without increasing its manufacturing footprint.

The most common pallet-transfer conveyor carries pallets on twin strands of belt or chain. Each strand rides in a track within an extruded aluminum profile.

Whether the product being manufactured is a mobile phone or an aircraft seat, the assembly processes will likely require some combination of manual and automated transfer operations.

Denmark is famous for being the home of Hamlet, The Little Mermaid and Lego. The nation is also well-known for its thriving robotics industry, thanks in no small part to Universal Robots A/S.

Most people take gravity for granted. But, manufacturers know better, especially when it comes to moving large items through a plant for assembly, finishing, storage and order-fulfillment purposes. The proof is in their use of gravity conveyors to per-form these tasks.

Having multiple options to solve a problem is a great thing for any manufacturer. Having too many options, however, can prove problematic when it prevents a company from deciding on a specific plan of action in a timely manner.

India is one of the world's fastest-growing economies thanks, in part, to the automotive industry, including suppliers like Johnson Controls. This global conglomerate produces a wide range of components for cars.