The Thomas Blog

Video: 3D Printer Goes Big

As 3D printing continues to advance, it's become possible to produce anything from life-sized clones to printed drones. These are big innovations, but they don't stack up in size to the new SLCOM 1, which is capable of building objects up to 24 feet tall and 30 feet wide.

Product Manufacturers: Are You Targeting Your Audience With The Right Content?

In the industrial space, marketing and sales leaders target three common personas: Engineers, Procurement Managers, and Plant MRO Managers.

Each of these personas has different primary concerns based around their job focus and function within their company. Let’s take a look at these three personas in detail, so you can better understand your audiences and how to reach them.

How to Grow Your Business Through Non-Traditional Hiring

When you’re building your team, you want to find the candidates that will contribute most to the company. Thinking “outside the box” will bring you to the most qualified and hardworking individuals. (The phrase may be cliché, but the resulting actions aren’t.)

What Are The Industrial Applications Of Inline Heaters?

Inline heaters, sometimes referred to as circulation heaters, have a number of different industrial uses. 

Inline heaters make use of heating elements that are covered with a special type of vessel chamber that has anti-corrosion properties. This type of heating is indirect. The fluid is circulated through a closed loop around the heating element until it reaches the correct temperature. Then it’s passed out of the tank through a nozzle. Different uses may require different flanged connections, sheath materials, or temperature ranges. These heaters are often insulated to help increase their efficiency. 

5 Important Marketing Tactics To Fine Tune This Summer

Traditionally, activity slows way down in the industrial manufacturing sphere during the summer months; owners take time off to see their families and enjoy the nice weather, employees make use of vacation days, and plants shut down for weeks or even months at a time to complete scheduled maintenance and repairs. 

ISM2016 Recap: Day Four

Many procurement teams and large buying organizations want to engage with small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). However, just getting those businesses to respond to RFQs can be a big challenge. To help bridge the gap, Thomas hosted a presentation that provided insight into the mindset of SMBs.

We were joined by Natalie Menke, President of Universal Blower Pac & INOHVA Pneumatics, a small original manufacturer of custom blower systems with headquarters in Indiana, who lent her unique perspective.

How Business Credit Affects Your Supply Chain

Your supply chain is similar to a line of standing dominos, if one piece goes down, it could cause a chain reaction and take all the other pieces down with it.

ISM2016 Recap: Day Three

From negotiating tactics to supply chain risk mitigation to recognizing underrepresented leaders, there was a lot to learn on day three at ISM2016. 

After months of anticipation, ISM2016 — the premier procurement and supply chain event — officially kicked off in Indianapolis. Whether you couldn’t make the trip or just couldn't decide which of the many great sessions to attend, we’re here to fill you in and give you an insider’s perspective with daily recaps straight from the conference. 

7 Educational STEM Videos from EngineerGuy

The estimated 2 million manufacturing jobs that will go unfilled in the next decade due to the skills gap is frightening to think about, but many in the industry are already being proactive about promoting STEM to spark interest at all ages.