Swiss scientists have helped monkeys with spinal cord injuries regain control of non-functioning limbs in research which might one day lead to paralyzed people being able to walk again. The scientists, who treated the monkeys with a neuroprosthetic interface that acted as a wireless bridge between the brain and spine, say they have started small feasibility studies in humans to trial some components. …
The grueling election year is down to its final hours, now all that’s left is for the people to cast their vote. In addition to the Presidential race, voters in New York’s 19th congressional district will decide whether to send Democrat Zephyr Teachout or Republican John Faso to Congress. Faso is running a traditional Republican campaign and has the endorsement business groups …
The Institute of Supply Management reported that U.S. manufacturing increased 0.4 percent in October, bringing the ISM Manufacturing Index to 51.9. The result is in keeping with many economists’ predictions. The report said respondents had mostly positive comments and cited a “favorable economy and steady sales, with some exceptions.” These numbers come as economic activity …
For today’s food for thought, I direct you to this column from Bloomberg: “Manfacturing’s Productivity Myth,” which takes issue with the claim that US Manufacturers have gotten more productive by arguing that this claim fails to take into account Multifactor Productivity.
“The fact that durable goods multifactor productivity in 1987 was 69 and non-durables’ …
Because we know it’s been a long week we’ll save the usual spiel, just check out this cool video:
In a happy change of pace, the New York State Department of Labor’s latest report on unemployment in the Hudson Valley shows largely positive news across the board. For September 2016 the region’s private sector job count reached 793,000, a record high for the month. Private sector job growth was broad-based, with seven of nine sectors recording job gains. Aided by a strong healthcare …
Ordinarily BMW debuting a new motorcycle concept wouldn’t be particularly newsworthy, but the storied manufacturer had an ace up its sleeve this month when it revealed a new model out fitted with artificial intelligence safety technology so advanced that riders won’t need to wear a helmet.
The BMW Motorrad Vision Next 100 motorcycle is the latest incarnation of BMW’s Vision Next …
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has released the results of its monthly manufacturing survey. The survey showed that business activity continued to decline in New York. The headline general business conditions index slipped five points to -6.8. The new orders index edged up but remained negative at -5.6, indicating …
This year, six of the scientists receiving the Nobel Prize were associated with American universities. All of them are immigrants. In a year that has seen a surge in nativism in the U.S. (as well as abroad) the ordinarily mundane fact that none of America’s Nobel Laureate’s this year were born in America takes on a political subtext. Already some are using their newfound platform …
Despite the rebound in sentiment and activity seen in other measures, manufacturing employment fell for the second month in a row, NAM Reports. There was some hope that job growth might stabilize in this report. Instead, manufacturers lost 13,000 workers on net in September, …
Tomorrow is Manufacturing Day, our favorite day of the year!
Manufacturing Day is a nationwide event organized each year by the National Association of Manufacturers, NIST and other affiliates. It’s goal is to promote the great benefits of a career in manufacturing and demonstrate our industry’s value to the U.S. economy. You can read more on our website.
And don’t forget …
Google is one of the most valuable companies on Earth, it’s become so synonymous with internet searches that its name is now a verb for the procedure, its future would seem secure. But in this high tech world nothing is certain, and Google is bracing for the possibility that its core business of internet searches might be displaced by the growing popularity of apps. To counter this the …
Marketplace.org recently spoke to Matt Turpin, a small electronics manufacturer in Baltimore. The reason for the interview was Turpin’s company Zentech has bucked conventional wisdom and actually relocated manufacturing work from Asia to the US:
“We’ve brought back probably four projects in the past two years,” he said. There are “probably 30 people associated with those projects.” …
Imagine needing a new pair of shoes, only instead of heading to the mall you pick out your customized design online and then use your smartphone to scan your foot’s dimensions and send them to a manufacturer who will then run a made to order pair of sneakers, sized and designed perfectly just for you, off their 3D printer. It sounds a little like the Jetsons, but that’s exactly …
The weekend’s just around the corner, so for today’s blog post we thought it would be fun to make a Top 5 list of movies focusing on STEM topics that can inspire interest in the topic in viewers young and old alike. So, in no particular order:
Apollo 13: From director Ron Howard, this dramatization of the failed Apollo 13 lunar mission stars Tom Hanks, Bill …
Business activity decreased in New York State, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Empire State Manufacturing Survey for September 2016. The headline general business conditions index held below zero, and was little changed at -2.0. The new orders index fell eight points to -7.5 and the shipments index fell eighteen points to -9.4—developments that pointed to …
For decades now China has loomed over America’s manufacturers, seemingly pulling away jobs, orders, and business with its promises of cheap, productive labor. That might be beginning to change, at least according to an Op-Ed in the Washington Post by Vivek …
Could companies be unintentionally undermining some of their most potentially valuable employees? According to this recent article in The Economist, it seems likely. The problem, it argues, is that corporate culture disproportionately …
Job openings in the manufacturing sector grew in July for the second month in a row, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Postings in the sector jumped from 361,000 in June to 379,000 in July, even as openings remained below April’s all-time high of 397,000. The increase in job openings stemmed from a pickup in activity for durable goods firms (up from 200,000 to 227,000); …
Despite widespread fears and outrage over the decline of factory work in the United States thousands of such jobs are going unfilled across the country. Labor department data shows that the number of open factory jobs has been rising since 2009, and this year reached its highest level in 15 years.
The gulf between public perception and the reality is caused by the fact that the sort of laborers …
The Department of Homeland Security last week proposed a rule change to America’s immigration laws that would allow foreign born entrepeanurs building new companies in the United States temporary legal entry for up to five years. To qualify an applicant would have to show that they play a central role, and hole a significant ownership stake, in an American company founded in the last …
Our annual Golf Outing was held yesterday, August 29, at the Powelton Club in Newburgh. The weather was excellent and everyone had a wonderful time. Some photographic highlights of the event are below. Thank you to all who participated!
Manufacturers across all vertical industries are poised to dramatically ramp up investments in smart products, digitized processes and related technologies, skills, and training over the next four years, significantly altering the competitive landscape and putting at risk manufacturers that fail to keep pace, according to a research report recently released by Pricewaterhouse Coopers. The study, …
New York State’s private sector job count increased by 36,200, or 0.5% in July 2016, according to preliminary figures released by the New York State Department of Labor. According to the department, this represents the state’s largest monthly private sector job gain since September 2013. The statewide unemployment rate was unchanged from June’s level of 4.7%, and remained below the comparable …
There’s been much talk over the past few years of how to make STEM fields more appealing to young students. The latest theory holds that they key is to connect students to the sciences by personalizing them. That is, telling them the stories of scientists to help them understand why STEM is so important. Research suggests that context and history play a strong role in connecting science …
