Remember the good ol’ days when Claude was your uncle from Wisconsin, Copilot was the guy helping fly the plane, and Gemini was your astrological sign if you were born in early summer? Today, these names—along with ChatGPT—are the top artificial intelligence (AI) assistants available on computers and smartphones everywhere. Just a few years ago,
Between the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing trade wars being waged by the Trump administration via tariffs, the importance of manufacturing in the United States has once again taken center stage. To keep up with domestic demand for things like high-tech semiconductors, it’s more important than ever that as many things
Remember those dire warnings about robots coming for our jobs? While there are some people who have certainly been displaced by robots and other types of advanced automation technologies, it’s safe to say that, for the most part, adding robots to manufacturing facilities has not resulted in the massive job losses that some feared. To
On Sunday, March 1, 2026, Americans awoke to the news that the United States and Israel had launched a series of missile strikes against Iran. Despite campaign promises to the contrary, the Trump administration had inserted the U.S. into a new armed conflict in the Middle East. As Americans continue to struggle with inflation and
Put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager for a local manufacturer. Thanks to an ongoing skills gap issue, the highly skilled workers you need to fill open positions are getting harder to find. You have work that needs to be done. Because of advancements in technology, the roles you need to fill need
The COVID-19 pandemic taught the United States government an important lesson about the importance of supply chains and ensuring the ability to manufacture critical components, such as semiconductors, domestically rather than relying upon overseas suppliers. During the pandemic, supply chains ground to a halt and the inability to acquire important semiconductors from foreign manufacturers like
Have you shopped for an automobile lately? With the economy in flux and uncertainty seeming to be the only constant, many consumers have put off major purchases recently. However, those venturing out to their local car dealership will find more choices than ever before. Are you interested in driving an electric vehicle (EV)? Or is
It’s a tale as old as time. A manufacturer builds a factory in a small town. That town’s local high school becomes a reliable source of future workers, as generation after generation of family members pursue a career at the local factory where their family members have worked for years. But what happens when that
Are you still digging out from the snow and ice that swept across the country over the weekend? If you live east of the Mississippi River, then the answer is probably a resounding “Yes!” From the Midwest and Northeast to wide swaths of the Southeast, Winter Storm Fern wreaked havoc across dozens of states. Unfortunately,
In this era of rapidly evolving technology and an ongoing manufacturing “skills gap” leaving hundreds of thousands of manufacturing positions open across the country, there’s one question that everyone involved with career and technical education (CTE) should be asking: am I teaching the advanced skills manufacturers so desperately need? Smart Manufacturing Training is More Important
If manufacturers summarized the last decade, many would choose one word that simultaneously sums up their experience yet doesn’t seem powerful enough to convey the magnitude of their struggles: challenging. From the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic that snarled supply chains around the globe to the current administration’s on-again, off-again foreign trade policy driven by fluctuating tariffs,
