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How Heat Treaters Can Guarantee a Faster and Less Stressful Quality Audit – Part 2 of 2

3. Improve Overall Communications In general, improving communications reduces quality audit times and builds better production system processes overall. With solid communication structures in place, there are fewer surprises and blind spots that could easily delay a quality audit, drag it... Continue Reading

How Heat Treaters Can Guarantee a Faster and Less Stressful Quality Audit – Part 1 of 2

Let’s face it. Audits are never fun, especially if you’re using mostly manual or paper processes. They involve: · Tracking down every scrap of paper that you need to prove that you’ve done everything right; · Proving that heat treated parts meet the... Continue Reading

Key Issue Update From National Association of Manufacturers

MTI is partnered with the National Association of Manufacturers through the Council of Manufacturing Associations. The following are key issues being worked on by NAM: Manufacturers Continue the Fight Against Regulatory Burdens: The regulatory onslaught from government agencies is upon... Continue Reading

From Making Parts with A.I. to Digitally Cloning Cars: What Factories will Look Like in the Future

Conversational artificial intelligence that can be used to communicate with equipment and generate machine parts. Digital versions of vehicles and planes that can be modified to fine-tune their physical counterparts. And autonomous robots that move as you walk by. These are just a few of the... Continue Reading

Manufacturing by the Numbers: May 2023

U.S. manufacturing contracted in April for the sixth consecutive month. The old adage ‘you can't manage what you can't measure’ has never been truer, especially in the industrial sector. Having the right data about your plant, your business, and the industry in general is essential if... Continue Reading

Supply Chain Volatility Drops, GEP Index Shows

Global supply chain capacity was underutilized in April for first time since June 2020, as companies de-stock inventory. For the first time since June 2020, global supply chain capacity is now underutilized, indicating a shift to a buyers' market, according to an analysis by supply chain... Continue Reading

MTI Board Approves Workforce Development Strategy

The Metal Treating Institute is excited to announce the Board of Trustees have approved the most progressive strategy in recent history for workforce development. This initiative, called Jobs of Tomorrow will help attract the next generation of workers to the heat treating industry. Jobs of... Continue Reading

US Growth Cools in First Quarter as Recession Fears Deepen

U.S. gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 1.1% in the January to March period, markedly less than expected. U.S. economic growth lost steam in the first quarter as gloomier business investment countered a rise in consumer spending, the Commerce Department said Thursday, while the... Continue Reading

Pitfalls and Potential of ChatGPT in Manufacturing

The technology can be used to automate mundane tasks, but users should beware of its security lapses and capacity for error. ChatGPT is grabbing headlines in recent days. The large language model (LLM), which launched in November, is already being discussed as a technology that could solve nearly... Continue Reading

5 Steps to Future-Proof Your Plant

The heat treat industry is always evolving, so companies must continually look for new ways to improve their systems, add value to their company, and boost profits and sustainability for growth. According to a recent study conducted by a group of 100 registered event attendees, creating systems... Continue Reading

US Manufacturing Contracted Again in April: Survey

The ISM manufacturing survey rose slightly to 47.1% last month, up 0.8 percentage points from March. U.S. manufacturing activity shrank again in April as companies continued to match slowing demand by cutting new orders, according to survey data released Monday. The contraction registered by the... Continue Reading

Who’s Responsible for Leading a Lean Transformation?

Hint: It's not your in-house lean expert. Your lean culture depends on you providing the correct answer to this basic question: Who leads and owns the lean transformation? Who has the responsibility to create and sustain the culture that enables lean behaviors throughout the organization? I... Continue Reading