🚀 Shaping the Future - Issue 14
SOUTHTEC is the single best source to discover the next evolution in manufacturing.
🚨 We will be at SOUTHTEC 2023
SOUTHTEC is the single best source to discover the next evolution in manufacturing. It draws manufacturing suppliers, distributors and equipment builders from across North America and around the world. With hundreds of exhibiting companies, attendees can find all the latest technologies and services – plus the experts who build them – ready to demonstrate solutions that can help them grow their business. This year’s SOUTHTEC will feature a concentration on workforce development, SMART Manufacturing and Manufacturing USA’s impactful innovators.
Each Manufacturing Technology Series event draws together key decision makers, major tool and technology suppliers and thought leaders from across a broad spectrum of manufacturing disciplines for an unparalleled three-day experience.
We hope to see you there.
🧠 How Digitalization Empowers Improvements
In the previous Fireside Chat episode, the conversation highlighted the vital role of incorporating technology in manufacturing while maintaining a focus on the well-being of the workforce. The ideal scenario involves technology empowering employees and enhancing their working conditions, which, in turn, results in improved business performance. Ryan Kuhlenbeck, the guest on the show, also emphasized the importance of providing small businesses, typically those with under 500 employees, with straightforward and ready-to-implement solutions, reducing the need for complex customization.
You can listen to the conversation below or watch the show here.
👩🔧 Creating Value-Added Partnerships
In our last Women in Manufacturing episode, Sarah Curnow joined the host to discuss about the importance of value-added partnerships in manufacturing. She emphasized the importance of learning and adapting to technological advancements, highlight the significance of asking questions and seeking information in a rapidly changing tech landscape. The episode also touched on leadership and the need for women to assert themselves in the male-dominated tech industry.
You can listen to the conversation below or watch the show here.
📈 Key Industry Trend to Keep an Eye On
We’re highlighting advanced materials this week. With advancements in manufacturing processes, there has been a parallel evolution in manufacturing materials. Advanced materials, including composites, ceramics, and nanomaterials, are now the industry standard due to their superior strength, durability, and enhanced thermal properties compared to traditional raw materials. These advanced materials find applications across diverse sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, and healthcare manufacturing. For example, composite materials are aiding manufacturers in producing lightweight and fuel-efficient aircraft, while nanomaterials are instrumental in the development of innovative medical treatments.
📚What we’ve read this week
Training Tomorrows Advanced Manufacturing Employees Today [Buckeye Institute]
In the wake of decades of automation and technological advancements, American manufacturing companies are transitioning to smaller yet highly skilled workforces, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting a loss of 113,000 manufacturing jobs from 2022 to 2032. Ohio, formerly a manufacturing hub, has seen job reductions in 35 advanced manufacturing subindustries, with over 125,000 employees or more than 40% of the workforce affected. Despite these challenges, new learning technologies offer opportunities to train the future manufacturing workforce. Investments from technology manufacturing firms like Intel have rekindled hopes for advanced manufacturing in Ohio, but these efforts necessitate robust training and educational initiatives to ensure a skilled workforce. To achieve this, Ohio should integrate immersive learning technologies into education and training programs and adjust community college funding strategies to better equip graduates for advanced manufacturing roles.
Rivian’s Quest to Build the Ultimate Truck [WSJ]
Rivian's innovative yet costly truck design exceeds $80,000 per unit on average, resulting in a $33,000 loss per vehicle in Q2. Production challenges, underutilized factory capacity, and in-house components contribute to financial strain. Optimistic analysts highlight Rivian's vehicle quality and distinct features. The company is now focused on renegotiating supplier contracts and reducing costs to attain profitability by late 2024.
Pre Fab Parts & AI for Semiconductors [Fast Company]
Nanotronics, a NYC-based AI industrial firm, plans to democratize semiconductor manufacturing with modular AI-driven chip factories that resemble high-tech Lego blocks. These pre-assembled "flower-shaped" fabs are globally deployable, self-monitoring, and scalable for under $100 million each. With $170 million in funding from investors like Peter Thiel and Skype co-founder Jann Tallin, they are in talks with partners for locations in the Middle East, Germany, Spain, and the U.S.
MIT Engineers Create Supercapacitor out of Ancient Materials [SciTech Daily]
MIT engineers have developed a cost-effective supercapacitor using common materials such as cement, carbon black, and water. This supercapacitor, detailed in a paper in the journal PNAS by MIT professors and collaborators, creates a high-surface-area cement-based material with embedded conductive networks of carbon black. It can simultaneously support structural integrity for foundations and store energy, enabling applications like wireless electric vehicle charging. A 45 cubic meter block of this specialized concrete can store around 10 kilowatt-hours of energy, equivalent to a day's household electricity consumption.
X-Force Threat Intelligence Index [IBM]
Manufacturing continues to be the highest-targetted OT sector with spear phishing (38%) including the use of attachments (22%), links (14%), and services (2%) serving as the main access vector. Other common attack vectors for manufacturing included public-facing applications (24%), detection of backdoors (20%), and ransomware (19%). These all stem from the lack of proper segmentation between OT and IT networks. These environments include targeting jump servers, dual-homed operator workstations, and reporting servers, such as data historians that expose web and SQL services from OT to corporate IT networks. Properly segmenting these portions of your networks and closely monitoring communication across them can keep assets safe.
🎤 Upcoming Events
👋 Get Involved
Join the Industry 4.0 Club and be part of our vibrant community, dedicated to shaping the future of manufacturing. By actively participating, you can make a meaningful impact in advancing Industry 4.0 and contribute to reshaping the manufacturing landscape.
We’re always looking for new contributors to share their expertise, experience and spread the word. You can contact us directly at info@industry40club.com with subject like “Getting Involved” and follow us on all social media (LinkedIn & Twitter) or donate to help fund the club’s activities.
💬 About Shaping the Future
Shaping the Future is Industry 4.0 Club’s official newsletter. We’ll be experiencing different formats over the coming weeks until we find the one that resonates the most with our members. You can help us improve by sharing feedback and suggestions. The newsletter will land in your inbox every Sunday morning; please subscribe to not miss anything and forward the email to someone you think would benefit from this.
If you were forwarded this and found it interesting, please subscribe and share!