The Thomas Blog

5 Reasons to Join Your Local NTMA Chapter

We’ve all read the doom and gloom headlines surrounding the U.S. manufacturing sector. Facing challenges from outsourcing, a lack of skilled labor, and rising material costs, industry has certainly been facing a bumpy road.

The National Tooling and Machining Association’s (NTMA) sole purpose is to help manufacturers overcome these issues by connecting members and sharing resources.

Here we’ve outlined 5 benefits of joining your local NTMA chapter.

Who’s Really Influencing the Industrial Buying Process?

If there’s one thing we can all relate to, it’s the drive to succeed in business. It’s behind everything we do at work, and it’s the reason we spend so much time trying to perfect our marketing efforts. But if you don’t really know who you’re marketing to, you might as well just stand on the roof and shout into a megaphone. Sure, people will hear you, but will they be the right people? Probably not.

7 Ways to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Work for You

You know that you should be on LinkedIn, but you’re not entirely sure why. You’re not actively looking for a job (hopefully), so why bother creating a profile on this professional network? It’s a sentiment shared by many people in the industrial space.

Ultimately, the goal is to expand your network to boost exposure for your brand. The more connected you are online, the more opportunities you have to promote your company.

Your Fourslide Supplier: Offshore vs. Local

The fourslide process offers a number of advantages over the traditional power press. As a cost-effective means of production, thefourslide process allows complicated forms to be produced at reduced costs and allows for both fast product delivery and a wide range of form modification without incurring costly penalties.

Beat the Summer Slowdown by Updating Your Digital Strategy

It’s no secret that summer is typically a low-key business season for many industries. While there are some exceptions, like lawn mower manufacturers and distributors, the overall trend is a summertime slump. But just because many of your employees are at the beach or backyard barbeques, that doesn’t mean your business can’t grow in other ways. In fact, reduced factory activity offers the perfect opportunity to re-invest in other areas that may have fallen to the wayside during peak industrial times.

Bringing Back “Made In America” for Manufacturing

With a noticeable uptick in manufacturing jobs, more buyers looking for US-based suppliers, and businesses making “Made in the USA” commitments, it’s safe to say reshoring isn’t just a trend — it’s a complete turnaround in US manufacturing.

Are You Taking Advantage of These Free SEO Tools?

With so many Google algorithm updates and changing best practices, it can be difficult to stay ahead of the curve with Search Engine Optimization. Fortunately, there are a number of free SEO resources available online.

Here, we’ve rounded up the top four that you should find useful.

Standing at Work Promotes Better Health

There’s no denying the prevalence of sitting. One could even say that sitting is one of the world’s favorite pastimes; as popular as sports are, think about how much time is spent seated watching the action.

Maybe instead of watching the big game, you’re exercising… your (or a friend’s) Netflix account, catching up on hours upon hours of TV and movies.

"30 Under 30" Rising Supply Chain Stars Shine at ISM2015

The winners of the inaugural "30 Under 30" Rising Supply Chain Stars Recognition Program, sponsored by ThomasNet and Institute for Supply Management, have been quite busy.