All posts by Nathan Hurvitz

Meet the Manufacturers, episode 1: General Metal Engraving

I’m thrilled to introduce the first episode of Meet the Manufacturers, my new video show.  In this series, I highlight manufacturers with personal interviews.  We also include demonstrations of their products and processes.

In this first episode, I visit General Metal Engraving in South El Monte, California . I hope you enjoy the video.

NH: Hello, everybody, and welcome to the first episode of Meet the Manufacturers. I’m Nate Hurvitz, with ManufacturingUnlimited.com. And today, we’re in South El Monte, California, at General Metal Engraving. And you, sir, if you would introduce yourself?

GK: My name is Garrik Kumjian. I’m the Operations Manager here at General Metal Engraving.

NH: Great! Can you tell us a little about what your company does, and what your products and services are?

GK: Sure, at General Metal Engraving, we manufacture rotary die cutters. Rotary dies are used in industrial printing presses to cut out paper, foil, and film into custom shapes.

IAR’s Inland Empire Report on Business, June 2014

IAR’S INLAND EMPIRE REPORT ON BUSINESS

Institute of Applied Research

CSU San Bernardino

 

Prepared by: The Institute of Applied Research
Housed in CSUSB’s College of Business and Public Administration

 

Report for June 2014

Sponsors:
San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency
Riverside County Economic Development Agency

(Editor’s note: The Inland Empire (I.E.) is a metropolitan area and region of Southern California. It is situated directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.)

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THE INLAND EMPIRE MANUFACTURING SECTOR IS BACK IN GROWTH MODE

According to Barbara Sirotnik (Director of the Institute of Applied Research), and Lori Aldana (Project Coordinator, Institute of Applied Research), “This month’s PMI (53.5) remained above the baseline 50% mark for the third month in a row. Based on the methodology underpinning the PMI, which requires three consecutive months either above or below 50% in order to determine that a change in direction has occurred in the local manufacturing sector, it appears that the Inland Empire manufacturing sector has returned to growth mode (although the drop from last month’s 57.7 indicates that the rate of growth has slowed).”

“Production increased from 62.5 last month to 63.2 this month. New Orders registered a large drop from 64.1 to 51.5, but that figure still remains above the 50% mark, reflecting growth. The Supplier Deliveries Index increased from 48.4 to 52.9 this month indicating that delivery times are getting slower (which typically happens when business is booming and suppliers have a backlog of demand). Inventories decreased from 59.4 to 52.9. The “hardest hit” index was the volatile Employment Index which decreased from 51.6 last month to 47.1 this month. This may be partially due to employers preparing for the new minimum wage rate increase that will go into effect July 1, 2014. As one Purchasing Manager commented: “New hires were the result of the new minimum pay requirement of $9/hour. We added 7 full time positions and eliminated 14 temporary employees.” Exports showed a drop from last month’s 50.0 to 42.3 and Imports decreased from 50.0 to 46.7.”

IAR’s Inland Empire Report on Business, May 2014

IAR’S INLAND EMPIRE REPORT ON BUSINESS

Institute of Applied Research

CSU San Bernardino

 

Prepared by: The Institute of Applied Research
Housed in CSUSB’s College of Business and Public Administration

 

Report for May 2014

Sponsors:
San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency
Riverside County Economic Development Agency

(Editor’s note: The Inland Empire (I.E.) is a metropolitan area and region of Southern California. It is situated directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.)

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PMI ABOVE 50 FOR THE SECOND MONTH

According to Barbara Sirotnik (Director of the Institute of Applied Research), and Lori Aldana (Project Coordinator, Institute of Applied Research), “This month’s PMI (57.7) remained above the baseline 50% mark for the second month in a row, with only a slight drop from last month’s PMI (59.1). The methodology underpinning the PMI requires three consecutive months either above or below 50% in order to determine that a change in direction has occurred in the local manufacturing sector. Therefore, if next month’s figure continues above 50, a statement that the manufacturing sector is back to growth mode can be made.”

“All key indicators of the PMI remained at or above the baseline 50% mark. Production decreased from 65.2 last month to 62.5 this month. New Orders registered a slight drop from 65.2 to 64.1. The Employment Index decreased from 54.5 last month to 51.6 this month, but the fact that the index remained above 50 means that more companies are hiring than downsizing. The Supplier Deliveries Index decreased from 56.1 to 48.4 this month indicating that delivery times are getting faster.”

IAR’s Inland Empire Report on Business, Apr 2014

IAR’S INLAND EMPIRE REPORT ON BUSINESS

Institute of Applied Research

CSU San Bernardino

 

Prepared by: The Institute of Applied Research
Housed in CSUSB’s College of Business and Public Administration

 

Report for April 2014

Sponsors:
San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency
Riverside County Economic Development Agency

(Editor’s note: The Inland Empire (I.E.) is a metropolitan area and region of Southern California. It is situated directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.)

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THE SKY IS NOT FALLING – PMI BACK ABOVE 50

According to Barbara Sirotnik (Director, Institute of Applied Research), and Lori Aldana (Project Coordinator, Institute of Applied Research), “This month’s PMI (59.1) was a significant increase from last month’s figure (49.0), indicating that last month’s dip below 50 was an anomaly rather than the beginning of a new trend.”

“All indices which comprise the PMI showed stability or improvement since last month. Especially positive is the fact that the Production Index jumped from 48.3 last month to 65.2 this month, and New Orders registered also a jump from 50.0 to 65.2 this month. The Employment Index (an especially critical measure) returned to 54.5 after dropping to 46.7 last month. Commodity Prices (65.2) increased over last month’s 60.0, and Supplier Deliveries also increased from 51.7 to 56.1 this month.”

IAR’S Inland Empire Report on Business, Mar 2014

Institute of Applied Research

CSU San Bernardino

 

Prepared by: The Institute of Applied Research
Housed in CSUSB’s College of Business and Public Administration

 

Report for March 2014

Sponsors:
San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency Riverside County Economic Development Agency

(Editor’s note: The Inland Empire (I.E.) is a metropolitan area and region of Southern California. It is situated directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.)

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PMI DROPS TO 49.0 AFTER 6 MONTHS OF GROWTH

According to Barbara Sirotnik (Director, Institute of Applied Research), and Lori Aldana (Project Coordinator, Institute of Applied Research), “This month’s PMI (49.0) is a decrease from last month’s 50.3. This is the first time since August, 2013, that the figure has dropped below 50. But one month’s figures do not establish a new trend. If the PMI remains below 50 for two more months, a new trend of decline in the manufacturing sector will have been established. And if the figure were to drop precipitously to 43.2 and remain at that level for three months, the overall Inland Empire economy would generally be in decline, as it was in 2008. We don’t see that happening at this point.”

“Production decreased from 51.6 last month to 48.3 this month, and New Orders increased from 48.5 to 50.0 (not a vast improvement since the index of 50 indicates that new orders are unchanged from February, a month which saw a decrease in orders). The Employment Index which had remained at 50 for three months showed a decline to 46.7. Supplier deliveries are continuing to slow (51.7). Slowing deliveries can be a hopeful sign since it often takes longer to deliver supplies when demand is high. But since production and new orders are down, slowing deliveries might just mean that suppliers of raw materials have reduced their work force and thus can’t deliver in a timely fashion. The next two months of data will be especially important for determining the meaning of this index.”

IAR’s Inland Empire Report on Business, Feb 2014

IAR’S INLAND EMPIRE REPORT ON BUSINESS

Institute of Applied Research

CSU San Bernardino

 

Prepared by: The Institute of Applied Research
Housed in CSUSB’s College of Business and Public Administration

 

Report for February 2014

Sponsors:
San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency Riverside County Economic Development Agency

(Editor’s note:  The Inland Empire (I.E.) is a metropolitan area and region of Southern California. It is situated directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.)

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PMI SHOWS GROWTH (ALBEIT ANEMIC) FOR 6TH MONTH IN A ROW

According to Barbara Sirotnik (Director, Institute of Applied Research), and Lori Aldana (Project Coordinator, Institute of Applied Research), “This month’s PMI (50.3) is a decrease from last month’s 51.9.  The good news is that this is the 6th month above the 50% benchmark showing growth in the manufacturing sector as well as the general Inland Empire economy; however the growth rate is anemic.”

“This month saw declines in the all-important Production Index (down from 56.3 to 51.6) and the New Orders Index (which declined from 51.6 to 48.5). Inflationary pressures continue to be a concern in the Inland Empire, with the Commodity Prices Index increasing from 59.4 last month to 63.6 this month mainly due to increase in the price of natural gas.  As one Purchasing Manager commented, “Natural gas has a big impact on our business.  Prices are very high.”  The Supplier Deliveries Index is virtually unchanged from last month (53.0 this month vs. 53.1 last month), as is the Employment Index which remained at 50.0 for the third month in a row.”

UL Functional Safety Listing Mark

UL Functional Safety Listing Mark

UL (Underwriters Laboratories) is a safety consulting and certification company.  It is based in the United States, and has offices in 46 countries.  UL is one of several companies approved to perform safety testing by the US federal agency Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Traditional UL listing marks were for fire and electric shock safety certification for a great variety of products.  Over the past few years, functional safety standards have been growing throughout North America and Europe.  This has led to UL creating its UL Functional Safety Listing Mark.

UL Functional Safety Listing Mark

UL Functional Safety Listing Mark example

The UL Functional Safety Listing Mark examines the effectiveness of the entire safety-related system of a product.  It includes evaluations of:

  • Software
  • Hardware
  • Environmental factors (e.g., electromagnetic compatibility, EMC)
  • Safety lifecycle management processes

Traditional UL Listing Marks were concerned with just the hardware safety, and environmental factors to some extent.

UL’s intention is that the UL Functional Safety Listing Mark will replace the old listing mark.  They won’t be used in tandem.  But the old listing mark isn’t going away.  The choice between the two is up to the product manufacturer seeking the safety listing.  Reasons for adopting the new functional safety mark may be for market acceptance or customer requirements, for example.

 

World’s first 3D-printed titanium bicycle frame

World’s first 3D-printed titanium bicycle frame could lead to cheaper, lighter bikes

3d printed titanium bicycle frame

The MX-6 Evo mountain bike, sporting its 3D-printed titanium frame

When it comes to a high strength-to-weight ratio, titanium is just about the best material out there for manufacturing bicycle frames. Unfortunately, those frames are also quite expensive. They could be about to come down in price, however – two British companies recently teamed up to create the world’s first 3D-printed titanium bike frame.

Article is continued here.

Original source: Renishaw via Stuff

IAR’s Inland Empire Report on Business, Jan 2014

IAR’S INLAND EMPIRE REPORT ON BUSINESS

Institute of Applied Research

CSU San Bernardino

 

Prepared by: The Institute of Applied Research
Housed in CSUSB’s College of Business and Public Administration

 

Report for January 2014

Sponsors:
San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency
Riverside County Economic Development Agency

(Editor’s note:  The Inland Empire (I.E.) is a metropolitan area and region of Southern California. It is situated directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.)

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PMI CONTINUING TO SHOW SLOW GROWTH

According to Barbara Sirotnik (Director, Institute of Applied Research), and Lori Aldana (Project Coordinator, Institute of Applied Research), “This month’s PMI (51.9) is only a slight decrease from last month’s 53.5, and is the fifth month above the 50% benchmark which indicates a growing manufacturing sector.”

“All components of the PMI registered at or above 50 this month except the Inventory index which showed a decrease from 56.5 to 48.4.  Production was virtually unchanged (56.5 last month and 56.3 this month).  The New Orders Index decreased from 58.1 last month to 51.6 this month indicating that the rate of growth has slowed, however new orders are still coming in.  The volatile Employment Index remained at 50.0 – most companies said the overall level of employment remained the same since last month, but a small group of companies saw increases, and an equal amount saw decreases.  Commodity Prices showed a decrease from 61.3 to 59.4 but remained above 50 for the 19th month, indicating that prices continue to rise.  Supplier Deliveries increased from 46.8 to 53.1 (indicating that deliveries are slowing slightly).”

Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum 8Feb2014

Caltech Entrepreneurs Forum - Energy Storage

Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Energy Storage

Saturday, February 8, 2014

“He who cannot store will have no power after four.”
Dr. Nathan Lewis
George L. Argyros Professor of Chemistry
California Institute of Technology

 Baxter Lecture Hall, Caltech
Registration and Continental Breakfast: 8:00 a.m.
Program: 9:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Post-program Coffee & Networking with Speakers: 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
$40 on-line registration; $50 at the door; $10 full-time students.
Caltech students (free)


To supply instant energy to meet our needs, utilities are required to generate enough energy on the fly. Renewable energy presents us with several problems, including intermittency due to atmospheric conditions (e.g. at night, on cloudy days or when the wind is not blowing). Energy storage and deliver-as-needed has many benefits: the ability to adapt to sudden changes in supply or demand, increased grid efficiency and a reduction in distribution-related issues.

The main issue in energy storage at the consumer and utility scale is its high cost. Recently, however, industry changes have made a drastic reduction in prices possible. Within the next two to four years, some estimates indicate that battery banks will drop from the present $1200/KWh to less than $400/KWh. The technologies competing for dominance in this space go from Lithium-Ion, Lithium-Air and Flow batteries to flywheels, pneumatic storage, and Super Capacitors. IHS Research has recently shown that the “worldwide market for PV storage is forecast to grow rapidly,” and will likely “reach $19 billion in 2017 from less than $200 million in 2012.

The question clearly becomes how clever start-ups and small companies can bring technologies to market; which can store large amounts of energy at attractive prices, and then gain market share to attract the attention of large companies interested in forming partnerships or, perhaps, to be acquired or go IPO.

The February program explores these issues, providing a better understanding of promising technologies, the market forces shaping the field and the regulatory conditions that can help small companies grow and prosper in a territory where there are not yet any clear winners.

 

Keynote Speaker:

Professor Nathan S. Lewis
Argyros Professor of Chemistry


Panelists:

Mr. Jim Kelly

Dr Jeffrey G. Reed
Director of Market Development and Emerging Technology

Brian Wong
CEO


Program Producers:

Goran Matijasevic
Executive Director

UC Irvine Chief Executive Roundtable

Rogelio Nochebuena
President

Nochebuena R&D

Stan Tomsic
Executive Director