Articles Tagged with ''innovation''

Is your company the next Blockbuster? Not a blockbuster hit, but Blockbuster, the company that owned the video rental market until it was upended by an innovative competitor, Netflix. One thing is for certain: If your company isn’t innovating, all of its products or services eventually become commodities. Or they’re toppled by the next Netflix.

Today’s environmentally conscious consumer does more than just buy organic, fair-trade groceries and recycle newspapers and glass containers. Now, consumers research the everyday items they buy in the same way as big-ticket purchases like TVs or cars, to make sure they are both high-quality products and good for the environment.

Teflon, or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), is one of the most versatile industrial coatings available today. Best known for its nonstick properties, Teflon offers an extremely low coefficient of friction, chemical inertness, and excellent dielectric stability. Far more than a product for cookware, Teflon’s non-stick properties can be used to solve a variety of design challenges, including preventing the buildup of contaminants, corrosion and bacteria, and reducing friction or sticking between parts that come into contact. It can also be used as an ingredient in heavy-wear, high-load applications.

International Data Corp. (IDC) discovered more than 900,00 smartphones are damaged by liquids every day globally.1 IDC’s research has found that liquid damage is the second-largest cause of damaged smartphones after broken screens, representing 35% of all devices repaired. This damage results in significant costs to the end users, device manufacturers, carriers and retailers, with the impact of liquid damage estimated to be worth nearly $100 billion each year.

Assembly industry enthusiasts will connect at The Assembly Show, taking place October 24-26 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Returning for a fifth year, the event will offer three days of educational sessions, hundreds of exhibiting companies, thousands of industry professionals—including buyers and users of assembly equipment, products or services in manufacturing plants—a dynamic keynote speaker, and two networking receptions.

Acrylic adhesives offer the advantages of increased cost efficiencies, better aesthetics and improved impact resistance compared to other methods for the assembly of complex structures. Recently, new acrylic technology has been developed that offers superior lap-shear strength, high elongation and high bake resistance, as well as excellent failure mode across difficult-to-bond metal substrates. These “next-generation” acrylic adhesives are ideal for meeting the rigorous demands in various manufacturing and fabricating segments, including commercial vehicles, wind and energy equipment, and industrial equipment.

Someone asked me recently my thoughts on smart manufacturing—the so-called IT revolution in the factory. They couldn’t believe that I didn’t see smart manufacturing as the salvation of American manufacturing. Don’t misunderstand me; smart manufacturing has a place in reviving American manufacturing.