Beginning the New Year is not always an easy transition in the industry. But, great organization and communication will help make things flow together and get your business back into the groove of things. There should be changes that can allow your business become more efficient this year and that efficiency should continue year after year. Your staff should be trained to handle customers especially, with any updated alterations that your business started to fit customer’s needs. I hope you started your planning ahead of time to achieve any goals that you might have made before the year. Don’t forget to inspire and motivate your staff with great incentives that will give them even more willingness to complete their tasks and do them well! Small things to keep your staff motivated especially your key staff members; will make all the difference in your business. Make sure that your have the appropriate staff to be your decision-makers at your business, the ones who will do the right thing, even when no one is watching. One of the biggest ways to gain more profit for your business is to expand your business internationally. Don’t limit yourself to just local or national business, but venture out internationally. Make sure that if you don’t already have something that separates your business from the rest in the industry, that you find something that can give you a competitive advantage over the rest. Make sure that you company’s internal environment is stable and that you have no external threats to your organization. Make this year the best year ever!

The December statistics from the United States Manufacturing Technology Consumption are in. There was a small decrease in sales of 2.5% in the month of October compared to the sales of September. But, October sales for this year were up an astonishing 154.9% compared to sales from last year in October! That is extraordinary news, these statistics make my heart rejoice, and continue to motivate the industrial industry! Even more important, this year’s sales so far are up by a whopping 83.2% compared to last years. All individual regions sales percentages have increased drastically when compared to the last year’s totals. According to the USMTC compared to last year: the Northeast Region is up by 277.5%, the Southern Region is up by 84.3%, the Midwest Region is up by 147.5%, the Central Region is up by 167.7%, and the Western Region is up by 78.6%. Even though some region’s sales might be down compared to the month of September, these October percentages still show economic growth and more stability among the manufacturing industry. These sales still set grounds for the industry to build on, in order to return to a comfortable position that we all basically felt before the recession period. Though that position seems so far away, even though it’s all so close. How refreshing it will be once it’s actually here. With this year coming to a close and year next almost here, what a gracious way to begin the new years with those stats in mind!

http://www.amtda.org/website/article.asp?id=492

The Holiday Season plays an important role in how some consumers and companies do business during the month of December. Holiday cards, advertisements, and small gifts that says thank you to your customer really says a lot! To ensure continuous customer loyalty and business relationships, it is good to take things a step further and show your customers that they are appreciated! Small tokens of appreciation can go a long ways when conducting business. Everyone likes to be treated with kindness and appreciated, what a beautiful way to show your appreciation! Business can be slow for some and fast for others during the Holiday Season. But, it is important to try to keep business flowing, when things get slow. Use the holidays to your advantage; don’t let the Holiday Season be a disadvantage to your company. Change up your industrial marketing strategies; make consumers want to conduct business with your company. Put, special focus on your product and the reason why it is important. Plan ahead for the Holiday Season if you expect things to be slower, plan on ways to combat that. If things are fast pace, then great, but make sure that you are organized to handle all your customer's needs! Happy Holidays from Industrial Machine Trader!

General Motors and Chrysler announced this morning that they are hiring over 2000 engineers and researchers for their plants after laying off tens of thousands of auto workers, executives and others during the recession. What are your thoughts?
This sent a message to me that not only are we coming out of this recession period but, things are starting to get back on track. It is so wonderful to continue to read and hear about different businesses and industries recovering from those messy few previous years. Where there is change, there is innovation. The new research and development that these companies have in mind will also bring more success. In any industry innovation brings along success, these new changes that GM and Chrysler are making will help their industry and provide more revenue for their industry. The new changes that companies like GM and Chrysler have made serves as trickling effect that we all will benefit from as the economy continues to improve.


http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/12/jobs-at-last-gm-chrysler-hang-out-hiring-shingle/1

Machine tool suppliers add their two cents and more

When buying new automation gear, manufacturers must carefully consider many criteria. Key factors in making any new purchases can include product reliability, ease of use, or new technology, as well as automation supplier experience and support capabilities. Other aspects to consider include energy efficiencies, safety features, and the overall cost of ownership on new purchases.

Product reliability should be first on any buyer's list, notes Dick Johnson, senior account manager, distribution, Fanuc Robotics America Inc. (Rochester Hills, MI). "From a buyer's viewpoint, I think it's been muddied because most of the robot suppliers are quoting about the same reliability data," Johnson says. "What we tell our potential customers is what our existing customers tell us, that typically the robot is the most reliable piece of equipment installed on the factory floor.

"In the early days, we had quite a few products with linear axes, and we found that the linear axes were almost always the problem. A modern robot is comprised of four, five, or six revolute joints driven by power units, comprised of an encoder for feedback, a DC brake, a reducer, and a servomotor, typically an AC brushless motor. The reliability is extremely high."

With all the exciting stats for the industry, everyone should be on the edge of their seats! Overall this year the Manufacturing Technology Consumption is up 62.4% compared to 2009. What wonderful news! I hope this continues, to ensure the success of all those in the Industry.
https://www.usmtc.com/Webdata/PressRelease/c8021fbb-98ab-49b8-8c57-f3398032fa95/2010_08.pdf

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Anything & Everything you need to know and more!
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Prior to the 1930s, "cost finding" was the domain of engineers and economists, a strange pair of bedfellows if ever there was one. But one characteristic common to both disciplines is their quest for the truth—the desire to understand and measure the reality of how the world actually works. It was this quest for truth that helped cost finding advance steadily during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

How many managers have just the right amount of work on their plates? I doubt many, at least from my observations and surveys. Many are overloaded; quite a few are overwhelmed. A large percentage of a manager's time is often spent on problems, both those chosen and those that simply pop up and demand attention. Many managers would simply describe their work as solving problems.