A Boon For Manufacturers As U.S. Navy Upgrades Fleet
On January 4, the Pentagon announced plans to build a fleet of 12 new Columbia-class submarines in an effort to update America’s ballistic missile submarine fleet.
The Columbia fleet is to replace 24 aging subs, some of which have been in service since the mid-1970s. The long-awaited Columbia class is just one part of the Pentagon's 30-year, trillion-dollar plan to upgrade the sea-air-land nuclear triad.
Preliminary cost estimates for the proposed Columbia fleet places $13 billion for R&D and $115 billion for procurement. The Navy is currently in talks with General Dynamics to head up the program, as well as with their top sub-contractor, Huntington Ingalls Industries.
Read More »Video: Beer Pipeline Is A Sight To Behold In Bruges
The Belgian city of Bruges is well known for its historical sites, such as Belfry & Halle, Basilica of the Holy Blood and Markt. But beneath the city's cobblestone streets lies a spectacle that not too many tourists know about — a beer pipeline that stretches two miles long.
Read More »The Merger of Two Industrial Gas Giants
On Tuesday, December 20, Danbury Connecticut-based Praxair announced a merger with German rival Linde AG. Praxair and Linde are two of the world’s largest suppliers of industrial gas. Once the merger is complete, they will have a combined value of $66.6 billion with estimated annual revenue of $30 billion.
Read More »Five Trends That Will Shape The Supply Chain In 2017
With the holiday parties and New Year’s celebrations in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to take a look ahead at what’s in store for supply chain in 2017.
And while we don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future, there are some trends that will undoubtedly and irrevocably shift the supply chain in the year ahead.
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Five Skills That Will Lead To Supply Chain Success In The New Year
Far from slowing down, the pace of change in the supply management profession continues to accelerate. It’s critical for supply managers and for the survival of the profession itself that practitioners continually update their skill-sets to avoid being left behind. It doesn’t matter how experienced you are – if you let your capabilities fall behind while the profession continually reinvents itself, you might as well hand in your resignation today.
Read More »Video: Saving Satellites And Spaceships From Space Junk
Ever since humans began exploring space, they've been leaving things behind. This includes the estimated half-million pieces of space junk that are currently being tracked by space programs around the world.
Read More »Video: Top 10 New Fabricating Technologies - Part 2
Fabtech, the annual manufacturing conference focused on metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing, just wrapped up last week. If you couldn't make it to Las Vegas, don't worry; the team at IEN made the trip and have all the highlights.
Read More »Manufacturing and Supply Chain 2016: A Year In Review
From the rise of automation on the shop floor to foreign and domestic political changes impacting the status quo, 2016 has been a whirlwind year for the manufacturing and supply chain industries. Fortunately, we’ve been keeping a pulse on the industry throughout the year.
Want a recap of everything that happened? Here are 16 of our top stories from 2016.
The Look South Export Initiative Could Be The Key To Unlocking New Markets
We’ve already discussed why U.S. small businesses should consider exporting. But while most organizations focus on exporting to Europe or Asia, there is a golden opportunity to expand into new markets and grow your revenues in Central and South America by taking advantage of the “Look South” export initiative.
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