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It’s hard to square the “all is well” stance in China’s chip sector with reports from other markets. The outbreak will create a significant near-term reduction in LCD production in China, says IHS Markit.Chinese chip companies in the Wuhan area are not cutting back on production despite the spread of a deadly coronavirus which had infected more than 10,000 people as of Friday.Local companies in Wuhan, suddenly in spotlight, appear focused on downplaying the impact of the deadly virus. For example, Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd. (YMTC), a budding Wuhan-based manufacturer of 3D NAND flash, issued a statement this week, saying that it is taking steps to protect employees. It claims that current operations “are normal and orderly.”The company has strictly ensured the safety of employees in accordance with government regulations, delayed the return time of foreign employees, and encouraged remote work if conditions permit, reported EETimes China. There are no cases of infection in the factory, and the chip maker has promoted epidemic prevention, issued masks, temperature tests, and strengthened disinfection for employees on the job.The economic impact of the outbreak could negatively impact China’s GDP for the first quarter of 2020, experts say. Internationally, governments and businesses report they have things under control. But the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DOW) dropped 500 points on Friday, indicating not all is well in the market’s view. The outbreak has hit the country in the middle of the Chinese New Year and most businesses have already shut down.Like many nations, China has industries that are considered essential. Semiconductor production, energy, chemical, steel and other basic sectors don’t cease operations in the event of holidays or an epidemic. YMTC stated that the company is in accordance with the unified national regulations, and that “everything is normal.”The fab usually runs continuously for 365 days and when there is a shutdown it happens in two phases – warm and cold. A warm shutdown – usually for maintenance —  lasts only a few days or one to two weeks. A cold shutdown requires water and electricity to be cut off and restarting may take a month or more.YMTC, with more than 4,000 employees worldwide, is a local company with ambitions to become a global NAND flash supplier. It is shouldering a lot of the hopes and dreams by the Chinese government  to create a self-sustaining semiconductor industry.The Minister of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China Miao Wei said on January 20 that the key tasks of building a strong manufacturing industry will be accelerated. China will continue to implement manufacturing innovation, smart manufacturing, green manufacturing and other projects. 5G mobile phone chips are now being put into commercial use, the minster added, and new breakthroughs have been achieved in mass production of memory and flexible displays.In terms of raw material supply and logistics, YMTC claims that it’s actively coordinating to ensure the normal operation of the production line.The Chinese chip industry is under increased pressure to become self-sufficient, especially as U.S. tariffs and trade restrictions on Huawei Technologies have cut off many sources of leading-edge devices. At a recent IC Insights forum, president Bill McLean said that’s not a realistic goal for the nation. Production technology in China’s fabs lags other nations and is focused on a select set of technologies. Analog and logic are so far missing form China’s portfolio.At the same time, China is one of the leading spenders on semiconductor production equipment and factories.  Of the total $103.5 billion spent on semiconductor capex in 2019, 63% went to the Asia Pacific region. China’s share of that number was 10%.Is it really “all is well”?It’s hard to square the “all is well” stance in China’s chip sector with reports from other markets. China’s display panel production has been impacted by the outbreak, IHS Markit reported, spurring a significant near-term reduction in the global supply of panels used in liquid crystal display televisions (LCDs) and other products.The five factories in Wuhan producing liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels –China Star Optoelectronics Technology’s T3 low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD fab, CSOT’s T4 Gen 6 OLED fab, Tianma’s TM8 Gen 4.5 LTPS LCD fab, Tianma’s TM17 Gen 6 OLED fab and BOE’s B17 Gen 10.5 LCD fab — will experience near-term slowdowns in production compared to expected levels, according to IHS. Leading Chinese panel makers stated they believe that total capacity utilization for all LCD fabs in the country could fall by at least 10%  and perhaps by more than 20% during the month of February.“Display facilities in Wuhan currently are dealing with the very real impacts of the coronavirus outbreak,” said David Hsieh, senior director, displays, at IHS Markit technology research. “These factories are facing shortages of both labor and key components as a result of mandates designed to limit the contagion’s spread. In the face of these challenges, top display suppliers in China have informed our experts that a near-term production decline is unavoidable.”(Source: Informa Tech LLC)The leading Chinese suppliers of LCD panels for TVs, notebook PCs and PC monitors now are planning to raise panel prices more aggressively. For example, the price for an open-cell LCD-TV panel was originally expected to rise by $1 or $2 per month in February. However, the actual increase may be $3 to $5 for the month.However, sources in the Chinese storage industry, since the closure of Wuhan on January 23, have stressed that YMTC and XMC factories are operating normally. Chinese media have criticized foreign analysts’ assessment of the outbreak, characterizing as “speculative” negative predictions that China’s current troubles will benefit U.S.  chip manufacturers.Wuhan accounts for 37% of the Hubei’s (Wuhan is Hubei’s capital) GDP and is China’s emerging semiconductor technology concentration center. In addition to YMTC, there are several companies responsible of manufacturing 3D NAND, NOR Flash, and CMOS Image Sensors (CIS).The 3D NAND chips produced by YMTC, and the NOR Flash and CIS chips produced by XMC have been successfully shipped through special application channels, EETimes China reported. But there are several upcoming challenges.Some employees of YMTC and XMC are temporarily unable to return to their posts as scheduled due to the closure of the city after the Spring Festival, which may temporarily cause a labor gap.Generally, fabs have several months of raw material inventory on hand, but as time goes by, special applications need to be made for raw materials to come in.Finally, large wafer fabs have vendors to set up bases or dispatch factory engineers to solve problems on production lines. One of the Japanese equipment makers has begun to evacuate local Japanese employees.CHINA’S CHIP SECTOR 

Online grocer Ocado says the switch to internet shopping amid the coronavirus lockdown has led to a "permanent redrawing" of the retail landscape. Its comments came as it said sales during the first half of 2020 jumped 27% to more than £1bn. "The world as we know it has changed," said chief executive Tim Steiner. "As a result of Covid-19, we have seen years of growth in the online grocery market condensed into a matter of months; and we won't be going back." "We are confident that accelerated growth in the online channel will continue, leading to a permanent redrawing of the landscape of the grocery industry worldwide."  He said Ocado was now the fastest growing grocer in the UK, thanks to a 50/50 partnership with Marks and Spencer announced last year.  As part of the deal, which saw M&S take a half-share in Ocado's retail business, Ocado will start delivering M&S grocery products from September, when its current deal with Waitrose expires.  The group reported a loss before tax of £40.6m in the six months to the end of May, blaming an increase in investment to handle the higher demand generated as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.  During the period the company opened its first two customer fulfilment centres abroad, for Casino in France and Sobeys in Canada, while increasing capacity in the UK. The loss was smaller than the £147.4m posted in the same period last year, although that figure included £99m of costs incurred as a result of a major fire at its warehouse in Andover.  But after raising £1bn through an equity and bond issue last month, Ocado said it had £2.3bn in cash on its balance sheet.  "There is evidence to suggest many shoppers will likely continue buying their groceries online once lockdown measures have been lifted completely, but it will be difficult for Ocado to maintain the sales registered at the peak of the crisis," said John Moore, senior investment manager at Brewin Dolphin. "Nevertheless, Ocado has a strong balance sheet and the Covid-19 pandemic has super-accelerated many of the trends that have led to its exceptional share price growth over the last few years, placing the company in a good position for the future." A new Lidl a week Separately, discount grocer Lidl has revealed plans to open a shop a week until Christmas, creating 1,000 jobs.  The 25 new stores will be opened across England, Scotland and Wales with sites in Selhurst, Harrow Weald, Coleford and Llandudno Junction opening in the coming weeks.  By the end of 2023 it plans another 100 stores across Britain, creating 4,000 more jobs, and bringing its total number of shops to 1,000.  "It is testament to the continued hard work of our colleagues that we are able to continue forging ahead with our expansion plans, despite the challenging circumstances that have been faced over the past months," said Lidl GB boss Christian Härtnagel.  Lidl - which opened its first shops in the UK in 1994 - has opened new stores throughout the pandemic in locations such as Birmingham, Torquay and across London. BBC

Embracing the circular economy means trading straight lines and dead ends in landfills for a true reduce-and-recycle mentality: one that lets far less material, energy and effort go to waste.The circular economy presents a stark alternative from business as usual in the manufacturing sector. Ever since humankind mastered the assembly line, we’ve been prioritizing productivity and economic growth over sustainability — using raw materials to make material goods, then disposing of those goods once they’re no longer useful.Embracing the circular economy means trading these straight lines and dead ends in landfills for a true reduce-and-recycle mentality: one that lets far less material, energy and effort go to waste. Here are some of the forms the circular economy is taking, right now, throughout the manufacturing industry.One Person’s Waste Is Someone Else’s TreasureThe city of Kalundborg, Denmark, is one of the earliest circular economy success stories. The economy there epitomizes the concept of “industrial symbiosis,” where the waste products from one company or industry become the raw material required by another.In Kalundborg, a local gypsum manufacturer uses gas byproducts from an oil refinery — Denmark’s largest such facility — to produce drywall.The city also has infrastructure in place to transport biological sludge and waste to farms in the outlying areas, reducing farmers’ dependence on synthetic additives and fertilizers and lowering the impact of existing waste collection and transportation methods.More Deliberate and Longer-Lasting Product DesignsIn 2016, the U.S. produced around 6.9 million tons of electronic waste, or about 42 pounds of trash per person. Apart from the obvious material waste, e-waste — like obsolete cellphones and broken appliances — also leaches mercury, lead and other toxic elements and compounds into the earth and its water sources.Of course, it’s not just about unwanted substances. E-waste also contains valuables like gold and copper. Both are finite resources that companies would be better off reclaiming.When it comes to designing products for longevity, companies have a mixed record. The interchangeable parts of bygone industrial revolutions are out of style, and proprietary designs are in. For instance, Microsoft brought the force of law against a laptop refurbisher because he ran afoul of the tech giant's licensing terms.But repairing electronics and passing them on to new owners is very much what the circular economy is all about. It’s also about designing products that last a long time and are responsive to consumer needs over a longer period, rather than being immediately phased out for something new and different.They’re not the only company doing this, but Philips provides a detailed look at how they’ve staked their future on the circular economy. They prioritize parts recovery and product refurbishment, and collect data on product performance and usage to ensure the next design iterations last longer and meet a wider range of consumer needs.Philips says it generated 12% of its sales in 2018 from “circular products.” In other words, companies that adopt this model can keep unnecessary waste out of landfills and squeeze a healthy additional profit from products, even after they have already paid the original environmental cost.Generating Energy From Industrial ByproductsAn earlier example detailed how industrial byproducts can play a role in manufacturing other products. In some cases, symbiotic manufacturing and recycling programs can also facilitate the generation of clean energy. One company, called Cambrian Innovation, shows how.Cambrian specializes in prefabricated and scalable “bioelectrically enhanced wastewater treatment plants.” As of February 2019, Cambrian’s nine U.S. plants had treated more than 79 million gallons of wastewater.We don’t necessarily think of energy as a manufactured good, but it is nevertheless a product that requires production, refinement and distribution. In this case, the energy comes from electrically active microbes that clean public or private wastewater, while extruding biogas that can meet energy needs elsewhere.The private sector gets most of the attention when the topic of the circular economy comes up. But this example reveals many opportunities to build more ecologically conscious public infrastructure that incorporates tight waste controls, lean manufacturing principles and the latest technologies.Using Green Certifications to Close the LoopEvery passing year sees more ecological certifications crop up for manufacturers and builders to choose from. For example, well-established programs like Energy Star encourage the development and manufacture of electronics, appliances and climate control systems that work more efficiently, minimize waste and offer continued service across multiple owners.Other programs, like Cradle to Cradle, help “close the loop” in manufacturing by offering certifications for products that incorporate post-consumer materials or that are intended for people to reuse or recycle one or more times. In a linear economy, manufacturers use virgin materials to manufacture products with short, single-user lifespans. “Closing the loop” means eliminating as much new product materialization as possible.From structural components and building materials to home goods, children’s toys and product packaging, the program helps prove just how many product categories are ripe for inclusion in the circular economy.A Closed-Loop Economy Benefits Us AllFrom a business perspective, the circular economy is a win because it encourages companies to seek financial savings even as they meet their users’ desires for cleaner, longer-lasting, less wasteful and better-performing products.From an ecological perspective, it helps us keep more of our planet's finite materials where they belong and reduces manufacturing’s impact on the natural world. Whatever your vantage point, it’s clear that the circular economy is a positive development for all involved and promises even further environmental and cost savings in the future.MANUFACTURING TOMORROW

Moving freight around the globe is a complicated affair. If expense is the priority, goods are more likely to end up in containers loaded onto massive cargo ships for sluggish journeys across several seas. If speed is critical, cargo planes will do the process, transporting stuff in super-quick time but at a higher cost. But what if there was a middle way, a sweet spot that was cheaper than a plane but faster than a ship? Natilus, a startup structured in Richmond, California, says it’s come up with a design that could transform the way goods are relocated around the world using an autonomous, and amphibious, jumbo-jet-sized drone capable of carrying up to 200,000 pounds of cargo. The team is trying to run FAA-recognized tests as early as this summer, with a near-term ambition to send a prototype machine on 30-hour test flights between Los Angeles and Hawaii with up to 700 pounds of cargo, Natilus CEO Aleksey Matyushev told Fast Company. The projected autonomous aircraft, which is about the size of a Boeing 777 jet, is created to use turboprop and turbofan engines and regular jet fuel, and fly at an altitude of around 20,000 feet. To reduce the chances of falling foul of flight legislation, the drone would avoid flying over land and dock in sea ports for loading and unloading procedures. Natilus says its drone would travel 17 times faster than a standard cargo ship. Operational costs, meanwhile, would be half that of a Boeing 747 cargo plane, accomplished by making more effective use of fuel and savings on pilot costs. Offering an example, the team says that moving 200,000 pounds of cargo from LA to Shanghai takes a cargo ship 504 hours at a cost of $61,00o. A Boeing 747 takes 11 hours at a cost of cost $260,00o. Its drone, however, would take 30 hours and cost $130,000, speeding up shipment time over cargo ships while blasting operational costs for air transport.  Assuming the project receives further funding, Natilus says it wants to build a full-scale drone by 2020. After assessing, it envisions selling the machine to shipping giants like FedEx and UPS, as well as smaller firms. The plan truly has a long way to go before it has any hope of becoming a world, but in an industry constantly looking for cost savings and efficiency improvements, Natilus seems inspired that its enormous autonomous flying machine will one day take to the skies.This article is originally posted on IEEESPECTRUM.com

Your salesforce is dealing with some growing — and shrinking — pains. By 2020, millennials will represent the most important generation in the workplace at 35 percent. While waiting, the portion of baby boomers, the generation that comprises the majority of manufacturing sellers, will slide to 9 percent.So here's the good news: There couldn’t be a more suitable time to attract millennial sellers. Eighty-five percent of current sales agents suggest they would recommend a career in sales to a young person. For the time being, the world wide salesforce is estimated to remain fairly stable through 2020, with a 46 percent compound annual growth rate — a positive sign for millennials, who are potentially to prioritize job security over other considerations.So what do manufacturing sales teams would like to always remember to attract, hire and retain potential millennial sellers?Tell your company story the right wayDespite the fact that compensation is the No. 1 factor that affects millennials’ assessment of a possible job, they also plan to work at a place that recognizes and fosters their passions. Manufacturing sales careers offer the opportunity to develop expertise in cutting-edge technology. Play up the exciting features behind your company’s robotics program or the new software running your automated sensors.In the same way, millennials are interested in a forward-thinking company culture which makes them appear like a person rather than a faceless asset. They prefer companies with a strong work-life balance, adaptive and remote work environments and transparent parental leave and vacation policies.Be clear about the personality and skill set you’re seekingAs with any role, your sales and human resources departments should form a thorough definition of the characteristics, skills and personality traits that are likely to make a millennial applicant a good fit. Talent and skills assessments during the interview process can certainly help ensure a cultural fit and define where their strengths can best serve your company — and how you can develop their skills once they are on board.Don't discount a millennial candidate just because he or she fails to have a certain background in selling. As the traditional definition of sales swings more toward a proof-based practice, graduates with a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education are getting into sales. In 2017, sales were the most popular non-computer-related job for STEM graduates.Develop training programs that go beyond the technicalMillennials matured as a digital-first generation and usually possess intuitive knowledge of the technical aspects of manufacturing sales. Though with the increase in the number of stakeholders in the manufacturing sales process, it is critical to train and coach them on connecting with customers — mainly for STEM graduates who carry a reason-based approach. Young sellers have to diagnose and speak to the value of solutions based on valid business needs.Another fact STEM-grad millennial sellers will appreciate: There's evidence to back up the success of this training. Companies that blend sales education with technical and product training achieve greater success; organizations with reps that exceed client expectations in providing insights and perspectives have win rates 12.4 percent more than those who simply meet expectations.Invest in millennial sellers to cement a long-term relationshipWhen millennials see a pathway to advancement that sets them up for success at your manufacturing company, they're going to feel connected to your mission and future. Be specific about how they can improve their careers through benchmark goals and provide them with the appropriate resources. Millennials genuinely want to become great in their careers; 87 percent say professional development represents an important part of their jobs.Tech-savvy millennials have the actual possibility to contribute to your manufacturing sales team from day one. Ask about their career priorities, just like partaking in the launch of new technology, and give them opportunities to showcase their strength to help and lead others in these initiatives from the beginning. Millennials who believe their companies exhibit a high-trust culture are 22 times likely to want to work there for a long time.With a freshly, energized perspective, millennial sellers have the potential to make a difference in your manufacturing sales team. Furnish them with the job benefits, technology, data, and training to succeed, and they will reward you in spades.This article is originally posted on manufacturing.net

Align Technology, the developers of the Invisalign system, has pioneered the use of 3D printing in the dental industry, printing more than 433K individualized clear aligners a day.With Align’s iTero digital system, dentists can scan a customized mold of the patient’s oral cavity. The intraoral digital scan is then converted into digital files. The digital files set the stage to 3D print shape-engineered aligner molds that Align manufactures using thermo-forming and milling, allowing the teeth to adjust and be guided into place.“3D printing is one of the main technological innovations driving the evolution of digital dentistry,” says Srini Kaza, Align’s vice president of product innovation. “3D printing allows us to better meet the increasing demand for clear aligner treatment and the growing consumer demand for a highly-customized end product.” In talking with IndustryWeek, Kaza adds that the use of 3D printing is evolving in several ways. “For many years, 3D printing has been used as a pre-production step to confirm the form and function of a design before going into full production. This can have a huge impact in terms of speed and quality,” he says. “Virtual 3D modeling tools continue to get more sophisticated, so many of the steps that needed a prototype can now be done virtually. There are already many powerful virtual tools for CAD/CAM design, virtual simulations, finite element analysis and CFD to create powerful solutions.” Looking forward, Kaza anticipates that virtual design tools will leverage VR/AR technology for better product design and visualization. “In addition, 3D printing will allow new design approaches that are not possible with conventional processes. Design and simulation tools are evolving to account for this new paradigm and we can see many players in the design world starting to develop them,” he says. “We expect very exciting developments in the design and manufacturing aspects of product development.”Kaza also anticipates more complementary use of injection molding and 3D printing. “These technologies are the current standard in terms of cost, throughput and materials properties,” he says. “Injection molding is appropriate when producing millions of the same part. However, 3D printing even at production scales will be appropriate when the goal is mass or part-level customization.” The Invisalign clear aligner system is a good example of mass customization, a process by which Align produces nearly 500,000 unique parts each day.. Overcoming obstaclesWhen Align started working with 3D printing as a production process, there were significant challenges. The technology had been mainly developed as a prototyping process, which is still the case in many instances today. “There are many examples of 3D printing being used in larger volume these days, but a true production process like Invisalign requires a production volume of hundreds of thousands of parts a day,” says Kaza.Automated processing and preparing massive amounts of data, managing a large fleet of printers to make sure a high amount of uptime, consistent quality, data driven and statistical process controls, monitoring machine health and throughput, automating operation of machines with minimal manual intervention are all key components for true production to work. “Many of these processes are standard in a production world – but are not yet mature in the 3D printing world,” says Kaza.However, 3D printing offers an unprecedented level of control in customization. “In a production process like ours, we don’t have inventory. Each part is customized to the individual patient and built to order,” says Kaza. “3D printing is the only process where such production is possible. There are many challenges associated with building a 3D printing production process, but it’s worth it in the end and in many cases, cannot be substituted with any other process.”INDUSTRY WEEK

Samsung Electronics and MSC Cruises were awarded for Best Overall Customer Experience from Daily DOOH, a leading industry publication, in recognition of their outstanding innovation in digital signage. Samsung provided interactive touchscreens, digital signage and over 2,400 in-cabin TVs throughout MSC Grandiosa, the latest and largest flagship of MSC Cruises, as part of its longstanding partnership with the company. MSC Cruises had launched the MSC for Me digital ecosystem in 2017 to bring the latest connected cruise experience to its guests.The project’s crowning achievement is located at the ship’s indoor promenade, the central social hub of the ship, where the custom 93-meter Samsung curved LED IF040H-D display is installed on the ceiling. The display has been dynamically designed to create an awe-inspiring atmosphere at all times, and it showcases mesmerizing visual performances three times a day.“The longest LED sky at sea is one of the unique features of our Meraviglia generation ships, including MSC Grandiosa, topping the Mediterranean promenade and creating a one of a kind experience for our guests,” said Luca Pronzati, Chief Business Innovation Officer at MSC Cruises. “We worked together with Samsung to create this core element of the multi-use space, using state-of-the-art technology. This helps to create different ambiances and atmospheres throughout the day and night, while also playing a key role in the ship’s entertainment schedule with its range of mesmerizing shows.”“Samsung technology is an integral part of giving passengers a completely unique and memorable experience on board many of MSC Cruises’ ships,” said Seog-gi Kim, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “From the moment they board and throughout their trip, the passengers will be viewing and interacting with Samsung displays that feature superior picture quality and intuitive usability.”INDUSTRY-LEADING INDOOR LED PROJECT

Fifty years ago, in a café that did not employ a barista—and coffee was cheap—I’m convinced two colleagues on their lunchbreak were debating what the future of jobs would look like.“I bet one day robots will have their own employment agency,” one said to the other. Laughter ensued, and they returned to their jobs on the production line of a manufacturing plant. Well, it’s happened. Robots do have their own employment agency.In December of 2019, MusahiAI offered up its robots for hire to be paid either on an hourly rate or a task-completed salary rate. Robots wanting these jobs would need to be able to do strenuous and repetitive work.While today, robots across the U.S. are employed doing just this type of work, they have a career development trajectory that involves more advanced skills such as “thinking.” Through artificial intelligence and machine learning, robots will ultimately be able to figure out ways to improve whatever jobs they are given. Does this robot evolution threaten human evolution? It depends on which study you believe.A study by Oxford Economics predicts that manufacturing could lose 20 million jobs by 2030, making the sector 8.5% smaller than “if robots were not remaking the market.” A McKinsey Institute study predicts that by 2030, 39 to 73 million jobs that exist today – one-third of the US workforce– will be automated.Then there is the study from the World Economic Forum which predicts that the 75 million jobs lost by 2022 due to “the technological advances of the fourth industrial revolution” will in fact be overshadowed by the 133 million new jobs created.What Skills Are Needed in the Future?One thing that everyone can agree on is that whatever jobs are available in the future, they will look different and require new skills.Is this a bad thing? Well, one viewpoint is that robots are freeing us from the drudgery of both harmful and repetitive tasks, allowing us to move higher up the value chain in the organization. Jobs that involve creative thinking and problem-solving are more valuable to a company and therefore pay more and are more secure in terms of long-term employment.But that might be a large leap forward.While many reports show that jobs that require less skills have been taken over by machines, there is debate as to the scale of this. A recent report by the Brookings Institution shows that better-paid, white-collar occupations may be the most exposed to artificial intelligence. And the effects of this will be felt more by men and prime-age workers.So, the question for the future closely resembles the current questions of who will work which jobs, and what types of skills are necessary.What will happen to the population that is less skilled and currently can  find work on a factory line earning a good living?  What about those employees who are now upskilling or learning new skills?  Are they receiving the training for the value-added jobs of the future?Manufacturing companies are squarely focused on these issues and are already addressing them. For example, one East Coast manufacturing company I know of had its finger on the pulse of its workforce, understanding that workers were concerned about machines taking their jobs. The company looked at its career development path and ended up promoting a significant portion of the workers. The promotion enabled workers to move up the value chain and made them less vulnerable to job loss. This company also noted that some of its most skilled workers had come to the company from a fast-food chain, validating the idea that hiring less-skilled workers and training them in-house is a good approach.The Future of TrainingTraining has always been in the DNA of manufacturing. In-house training for continuously improving processes has evolved to in-house training of the workers themselves. In the past few years, apprenticeship programs, many based on the successful German model, have become more common in the U.S. Often, German-based companies such as VW, Siemens and Bosch are offering apprenticeship programs to their U.S.-based employees. Many companies are also working with educational institutions to provide vocational classroom training that complements company-specific training.While these programs are successful, they are limited. Research done by Johann Fortwengel at King's College London of the apprenticeship model in the US, England and Australia found that many small-to-medium-sized companies cannot either afford these programs or find them to be too complex. State and local workforce agencies are jumping in and trying to build out these programs in order to accommodate any size company.But on a policy level, it’s slow going. While the Department of Labor certifies these programs, often they are company-specific."America lacks a national strategy that prioritizes youth apprenticeship as an effective talent pipeline to boost the sector’s competitiveness and spread economic opportunity across the country,” says Brent Parton of New America, a nonprofit public policy institute.Where Will Future Workers Come From?Putting all of this together, there are a lot of questions to be answered and policy choices to make.Will the U.S. adopt the German model which tests children at a young age to understand their capabilities and then set them on a track? For example, if a 10-year-old shows an aptitude toward programming, do we line up an education track that essentially trains them toward a future job? Do we send them to robotic camps in the summer and at the high school level move them into internships with area companies with the hope that they will be employed by these companies?Many educational systems are already doing this in an effort to fill manufacturing jobs, but the larger question is how education, and vocational education will be viewed in the future.In an extreme view, robots will do all of the work, even what we consider service work today, and then how will people earn their keep? Political discussions are already underway about universal income and using social wealth funds to compensate for earned wages.“A social wealth fund would create a true ownership society, insuring the working populace against the rise of the robots by allowing each person to own a piece of those robots’ output,” explained Noah Smith, professor computer science and engineering at the University of Washington, in a Bloomberg op-ed.What humans will do for work, how we will perform our jobs and how we will be compensated is not something that will be solved anytime soon.So, it’s possible that in 2070, there will be two robots sitting in a café with a robot barista, drinking expensive coffee. One turns to the other and says, “Do you think we need to contact that human employment agency to find someone who can come up with new product lines?”INDUSTRYWEEK

When operations are overhauled at a manufacturing plant or depot, or a company begins to utilize new types of technology or equipment, jobs are almost always lost. The aim itself is likely to be to minimize manpower costs—or it may be to improve quality, speed or to align with other companies in the supply chain. If the goal is upgrading and strengthening, will the existing workforce be efficient at keeping up with the pace of change — or will some workers have to be replaced by individuals with better skills? Even in the case of significant workforce reductions, does that mean the complete workforce has to go? Or can some workers be retrained to be valuable contributors in the newly re-configured operation or other parts of the organization? Whatever the reason may be, it’s better to keep some employees. With a recent warning from the Deloitte Institute that 2.4 million manufacturing jobs may go unfilled between now and 2028 because of the nation’s skills gap — plus a further 2.69 million jobs to be vacated by retirees and another 1.96 million openings caused by industry growth — companies should invest more resources into ongoing training for their current employees, instead of planning to replace them from an already scarce pool of talent. Robotics may cut down the need for assembly line workers, but the manufacturing process still needs people to maintain and diagnose that equipment and examine the products for quality assurance. Workers on the assembly line, whose previous duties included reading technical drawings and instructions and calibrating machinery, can now be prepared for other essential job duties including those performed by instrument technicians/machine operators, CAD draftsmen, CNC operators, and quality control inspectors. Strong educational partners understand specific industries and individual businesses and will establish programs with the support of industry advisory committees. At the Community College of Allegheny County, we have found this model invaluable. In creating a forum for industry leaders to share information and analysis, we have been able to help companies identify trends and decide their precise workforce needs. To develop on-point curricula, companies and educators must work together. The educator’s training facilities are one other crucial consideration when choosing a program. Trainings can not be conducted in classrooms alone. Students need innovative, state-of-the-art labs that replicate the types of issues they will face every day on the job and where they can learn to resolve complex technical problems. Lastly, it is essential that both employers and educational partners are dedicated to giving and accepting continual feedback on their training programs and adjusting the program and any aspect of the curriculum when workplace conditions or requirements demand it. The best time to prepare for future talent shortages is now. With an already small talent pool from which to recruit and hire—an issue that will only deteriorate with time as millions of manufacturing jobs are projected to go empty — manufacturing companies ought to help their existing workforce employees adapt, not let them go. When given access to continual training, incumbent workers have proven adept at seamlessly integrating new technologies and other industrial innovations into their workplaces, which in turn has permitted the companies they work for to adapt to emerging trends in the global marketplace without missing a beat. This article is originally posted on manufacturing.net

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A unit of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. launched last week an indoor vertical farm in central Japan with production capacity of 5 tons a day -- one of the world's largest for facilities relying solely on artificial lighting. TEPCO Energy Partner Inc. started the operation of the farm with a total floor space of about 9,000 square meters last Wednesday in the city of Fujieda, Shizuoka Prefecture, to grow leafy greens such as lettuce by utilizing light-emitting diodes. The company aims to initially produce about 1 ton of vegetables per day and will begin shipping around August.  The firm said it plans to raise the output to 5 tons a day by next year and move into the black in 2023. Vertical farming relying only on artificial lighting has been drawing attention as a way to ensure stability in production and distribution of food items, as it is not affected by undesirable weather conditions and other risks such as epidemics, the TEPCO unit said.  Such facilities are also expected to provide solutions for some of the problems faced by Japanese agriculture industry, such as a decline in the number of farmers and the aging of those still working the land, it added. TEPCO Energy Partner, which engages in electricity retailing, also said an indoor environment allow operators to better maintain the quality and freshness of products, which can help reduce food waste. "We would like to make the most of our energy-saving technologies," said an official of the company. "Since it's indoor, vegetables are resistant to abnormal weather, and they are also safe because they are grown without using agrichemicals." THE MAINICHI