2023 Manufacturing Leadership Awards Highlight Achievements in AI, Connected Factories, Digital Supply Chains

The Manufacturing Leadership Council, a division of the National Association of Manufacturers, revealed the list of world-class manufacturing companies and individual leaders recognized as finalists for the 2023 Manufacturing Leadership Awards, the industry’s premier awards program for achievements in digital manufacturing.

“As more manufacturers extend digital’s reach onto the factory floor and throughout their operations, we are witnessing transformative performance improvements that would have been unthinkable just a few short years ago—and that are improving life for employees and customers alike,” said MLC Co-Founder, Vice President and Executive Director David R. Brousell. “The finalists recognized for this year’s awards represent the pinnacle of those achievements and exemplify possibilities for digital manufacturing.”

Select award winners will present their projects at Rethink: The Manufacturing Leadership Council Summit, the industry’s leading event for exploring manufacturing’s digital era. “Rethink is a must-attend for any manufacturer who wants to know more about digital transformation, whether they are just starting the journey or are much further along,” Brousell said. “It’s an unparalleled opportunity for manufacturing leaders to connect and learn from each other and then apply those learnings to their own businesses.”

All finalists will be recognized on stage at the Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala, which will take place at 7 p.m. EDT on June 28, 2023, at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort in Florida.

Also announced at the gala will be winners for all project and individual categories, winners of the Manufacturing in 2030 Award, the Manufacturing Leader of the Year, the Small/Medium Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year and the Large Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year.

The 2023 awards feature nine project categories to recognize company achievements:

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Collaborative Ecosystems
• Digital Network Connectivity
• Digital Supply Chains
• Engineering and Production Technology
• Enterprise Technology Integration
• Operational Excellence
• Sustainability and the Circular Economy
• Transformational Business Cultures

Additionally, individual leaders are recognized in the Digital Transformation Leadership and Next-Generation Leadership categories.

Rethink will take place at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort in Florida on June 26–28, 2023. Nominations for the 2024 Manufacturing Leadership Awards will open in August. A complete list of 2023 Manufacturing Leadership Award finalists is available. For more information, visit https://www.manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com/events/rethink-2023/.

The Performance Review Institute Acquires SRI Quality System Registrar

PRI announced the expansion of its management systems certification portfolio through the acquisition of SRI Quality System Registrar.

SRI is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, with three overseas offices, and will be a significant contributor to the growth of PRI’s global footprint in the areas of certification and training, as well as increasing the number of industries served.

PRI Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jay Solomond explained: “SRI was a natural fit for PRI – we share a commitment to customer satisfaction and technical excellence, brought to life through our mutual business and cultural values. This acquisition aligns with PRI’s vision to be the preeminent partner that drives flawless performance in high stakes industries. I am confident that uniting our teams will benefit customers around the world, adding more value to their experience, as they partner with us to achieve best-in-class management systems certification and professional development.”

Christopher Lake, president and chief operating officer of SRI, said: “I am very excited about the opportunity that SRI joining the PRI team brings to our clients, team members, and the future of the business.  I’ve always thought very highly of PRI, and I don’t believe there is any better steward for what we’ve built at SRI over the past three decades.

“With 2023 being our 30th year in business, what better way to celebrate than taking this bold step into the future with PRI. PRI and SRI bring together two unmatched leadership teams, the most highly skilled people, and industry-leading clients to create what will be a new bar for the industry that no one will be able to match.”

For more information, visit www.priregistrar.org or www.SRIRegistrar.com.

Evident Acquired by Bain Capital

Evident Corp. announced that it has been acquired by private equity firm Bain Capital Private Equity from Olympus Corp. pursuant to the definitive agreement signed on August 29, 2022.

Evident was newly established on April 1, 2022 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Olympus comprising the former Scientific Solutions business conducted by Olympus. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Evident conducts business in 24 countries worldwide with more than 4,300 employees.

Supported by Bain Capital, Evident will attain a higher level of agility and faster decision-making to drive innovation-based growth in the life science and industrial markets. Building on a history of more than 100 years of innovation in imaging, instrumentation, and measurement solutions, Evident plans to further expand its portfolio of world-class products, solutions, and services.

Yoshitake Saito, the president and CEO of Evident, said, “We are very excited about our partnership with Bain Capital because we are convinced that it will enable us to even more strongly fulfill our purpose of becoming a preferred workflow solution partner for a broad range of customers in the life science and industrial markets.”

Yuji Sugimoto, partner of Bain Capital in Japan, said, “Bain Capital is committed to supporting Evident on its sustainable growth path to allow the company to foster an accelerated innovation process.”

Stephen Thomas, partner of Bain Capital in North America, added, “Evident is at the frontier of digital optical technology in the life science and industrial end markets, and has great potential to expand into new products, new customers, and new markets as an independent company.”

For more information, visit www.EvidentScientific.com.

Reshoring, FDI Up 53%, a New Record

Reshoring + FDI job announcements in 2022 were at the highest rate ever recorded. 4Q announcements accelerated even more than anticipated due to the Chips and Infrastructure Acts and deglobalization trends. Top takeaways:

• 364,000 reshoring + FDI jobs announced for 2022, up 53% from 2021’s record.
• 2022 brought the total number of job announcements since 2010 to nearly 1.6 million.
• EV batteries make Electrical Equipment the top industry.

With the IRA, Chips Act, and Infrastructure Bill, the U.S. Government is finally warming up to an industrial policy, though a more comprehensive plan could be achieved at a lower cost.

Supply chain gaps and the need for greater self-sufficiency set the stage for the current upward trend in reshoring. The risks of a Taiwan-China conflict or China voluntarily decoupling are focusing those concerns. Destabilizing geo-political and climate forces have brought to light our vulnerabilities and the need to address them. The White House responded with the Inflation Reduction Act, Chips Act and Infrastructure Bill, offering some direction and financial security to the companies and industries intent on filling the gaps. These government actions are necessary in the short run but are not sufficient since they do not improve the U.S.’ uncompetitive cost structure. A true industrial policy would level the cost playing field via comprehensive actions such as massive skilled workforce investments, a 25% lower USD and retention of immediate expensing of capital investments.

“The current actions and momentum are a great start. A true industrial policy would accelerate the trend and increase U.S. manufacturing by 40%, 5 million jobs. Reshoring will reduce the trade and budget deficits and make the U.S. safer, more self-reliant and resilient,” said Harry Moser, founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative.

The Reshoring Initiative’s 2022 Data Report contains data on U.S. reshoring and FDI by companies that have shifted production or sourcing from offshore to the United States.

“We publish this data quarterly to show companies that their peers are successfully reshoring and that they should reevaluate their sourcing and siting decisions,” said Moser. “With 5 million manufacturing jobs still offshore, as measured by our $1.2 trillion/year goods trade deficit, there is potential for much more growth. We also call on the administration and Congress to enact policy changes to make the United States competitive again.”

For more information, visit www.reshorenow.org.

Renishaw Showcases AM Innovations at RAPID 2023

Additive manufacturing has opened new possibilities for complex geometries and mass customization of parts, at commercially viable costs. Renishaw will showcase additive solutions, from the initial stages of creating the near-net shape to quality verification processes, at the company’s RAPID booth (#4036) May 2-4. The show is billed as North America’s largest and most influential additive manufacturing event.

Renishaw’s exhibit highlights how manufacturers benefit from using AM in the production process and showcase its range of additive manufacturing systems, including the RenAM 500Q and 500S. Both systems feature high power 500W lasers which have precise and accurate capabilities to help minimize build time. Visitors can also find out more about the RenAM 500Q Flex, which is suited to manufacturers who must regularly swap build materials, such as research and development, pre-production, or bureau environments. All of the systems feature the same industry-leading optical, chamber and gas-flow designs to ensure users can produce high quality parts using any machine.

“Our exhibits demonstrate how we enable the factory of the future, today with innovative manufacturing technologies and expertise that deliver on manufacturing precision, productivity, and practicality,” explained Denis Zayia, president at Renishaw Inc. “Renishaw is about to celebrate a significant milestone of supporting our customers for 50 years. As a world class manufacturer ourselves, we have faced the same manufacturing challenges as many of our customers. In those 50 years we have been able to overcome these by implementing innovative strategies and products developed in house. Our consultative approach with customers allows us to share those experiences and offer them new perspectives.”

For more information, visit https://www.renishaw.com/en/additive-manufacturing-solutions.

AMETEK Germany Opens Customer Solutions Center

AMETEK Germany opened a new state-of-the-art Customer Solutions Center in Weiterstadt, Germany, where visitors can find the latest news concerning the company’s many brands, and experience product demonstrations of technologies ranging from the field of elemental analysis, drive technology, optics metrology and surface measurement.

Serving numerous industries including aerospace and defense, automotive, food, pharma and packaging, high precision metrology, material analyses, oil and gas, and power, the Customer Solutions Center is the first technology solutions center of its kind in Germany, according to the company. The overt goal of the Center is to provide the best value and growth opportunities to all AMETEK business units and their customers, and to provide an ideal innovation venue for in-depth discussions and the ability to network with and receive support from AMETEK GmbH’s technical experts.

Wiebke Rumpf, AMETEK Germany country manager, said, “The new facility features the latest products from numerous AMETEK businesses, including SPECTRO, Taylor Hobson, Solartron Metrology, Creaform, MOCON, Reichert, Atlas, Brookfield, Zygo, Dunkermotoren, EGS, Motec, Powervar, SurgeX, Precitech and TMC. Service capabilities for AMETEK products will also be provided. The Center will not just feature the latest products from these companies, as well as offering support for customers from across the region, but it will also supply an array of webinars and opportunities to talk with experts, will host in-person demonstrations and undertake sample testing, offer career days and job fairs, tours for students, and internet or on-site training.

Rumpf continued, “We are thrilled to take this next step in expansion to solve our valued customers’ complex challenges using AMETEK’s differentiated technology solutions. The new Customer Solutions Center represents a significant milestone for AMETEK’s operations in Germany, and its location near Frankfurt is perfect for customer events, distributor meetings, customer demos and much more.”

For more information, email centerofexcellence-germany@ametek.com.

Marposs Strengthens Data Analysis, AI Capability with Acquisition

Marposs Corp. has acquired the majority share of Digital Strategy Innovation (DSI), a start-up company and specialist in applied research in AI, big data and data analysis located in Venice, Italy.

Founded in 2020 within the Ca' Foscari University of Venice and supported by VeniSIA, the university's innovation and sustainability accelerator, Digital Strategy Innovation provides consulting services in the IT field, in the integration of digital systems and services and sensors. It acts as an intermediary between academic and the industrial sector, working with companies such as Electrolux, Microtec and others.

Given its operating environment with the academic world, DSI has been able to quickly develop a wide portfolio that also includes the design and integration of sensors used to power the machine learning platforms.

For Marposs, the acquisition of Digital Strategy Innovation provides a cutting-edge development environment where the company can perfect new projects in parallel and complementary sectors to those in which it already operates. The combination of the expertise of DSI's researchers and the Marposs experience and global presence will enable Marposs to accelerate the development of innovative solutions, particularly in the field of E-Mobility and the improvement of digital platform and data process services, enabling it to enhance its portfolio of advanced technological solutions for customers.

This investment is part of a broader investment strategy of Marposs Group focused on accelerating innovation by acquiring and developing investments in new technologies. Since 2000, the company has acquired nearly 30 companies, significantly expanding its technical capability and product offerings for existing and new markets including machine tools, E-mobility, medical devices, semi-conductor, aerospace, glass, and more.

For more information, visit www.marposs.com.

January 2023 Orders Total $355 Million, Nearly 17% Above Typical January

New orders of manufacturing technology totaled $355.6 million in January 2023, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report published by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. January 2023 orders were down 17% from December 2022 and down nearly 20% from January 2022.

“January orders are down, but the decline is consistent with expectations,” said Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT. “Although down, it is worth noting that orders in January 2023 are nearly 17% above what would be expected from a typical January. “After the historic run of orders placed in the last two years, a mild slowdown in new orders could help to reduce the current backlog and put the manufacturing technology industry in a position to deliver machinery with much shorter lead times when economic activity is anticipated to pick up later in the year."

According to data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, new orders of metalworking machinery exceeded shipments by over $750 million between January 2021 and now. In contrast, the complete opposite was true in 2019, as shipments were over $1.2 billion higher than new orders.

"Despite the mild pullback, distributors with machinery in stock or builders with shorter lead times still have several opportunities,” said Woods.

Firstly, although orders from contract machine shops remained relatively consistent from January 2022, the popular technologies have shifted slightly. There has been a significant increase in orders for machining centers with simultaneous 5-axis capability, indicating the need for additional capacity to produce more complex parts domestically. Secondly, the construction and mining machinery manufacturing sectors are likely to be areas of interest in 2023 due to the new pipeline infrastructure that is scheduled to come online in the Permian Basin, which will lead to increased production levels and an uptick in manufacturing technology orders from oil and natural gas mining machinery manufacturers.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy announced plans to support the development of domestic sources of lithium, creating another opportunity for mining and construction. Overall, with these developments in mind, the manufacturing technology industry is poised for continued growth in the coming year.

For more information, visit www.AMTonline.org.

New Global Report Forecasts NDT Market to 2030

According to a new 187-page report from Research and Markets, the global nondestructive testing & inspection market is projected to reach USD 19.40 billion by 2030 from USD 10.77 billion in 2022, at a CAGR 7.62% during the forecast period.

The report provides market sizing and forecasts across 7 major currencies forecasting from 2024 to 2030, using 2022 as its base year and 2018 to 2021 as historical years.

Just a sample of the regional analysis of the report includes:

• The Americas Nondestructive Testing & Inspection Market size was estimated at USD 3,466.14 million in 2022 and expected to reach USD 3,713.89 million in 2023, at a CAGR 7.54% to reach USD 6,203.96 million by 2030.
• The Asia-Pacific Nondestructive Testing & Inspection Market size was estimated at USD 3,194.41 million in 2022 and expected to reach USD 3,449.50 million in 2023, at a CAGR 7.75% to reach USD 5,807.27 million by 2030.
• The Europe, Middle East & Africa Nondestructive Testing & Inspection Market size was estimated at USD 4,116.94 million in 2022 and expected to reach USD 4,419.37 million in 2023, at a CAGR 7.59% to reach USD 7,396.16 million by 2030.

In addition to the geographic and demographic analysis exampled above, the report also forecasts the revenues and analyze the trends in the sub-markets of:

• Equipment
• Services
• Calibration Services
• Equipment Rental Services
• Inspection Services
• Training Services
• Surface Inspection
• Visual Inspection
• Volumetric Inspection
• And more

Industries served by this report include Automotive & Transport, Chemicals & Materials, Consumer Goods & Services, Energy & Natural Resources, Food & Beverage, Government & Public Infrastructure, Healthcare, Manufacturing & Construction, Military Aerospace & Defense, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals, and Telecommunications & Computing across a host of regions.

For more information or to purchase this report, visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com.