For years, manufacturing experts have been discussing the coming wave of digital transformation that’s going to revolutionize modern manufacturing. Using terms like Industry 4.0, Smart Factory, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and the like, they’ve envisioned a future in which all manufacturing systems are connected via the Internet to provide real-time data that can
The inflation that followed the COVID-19 pandemic hit especially hard at one particular location: the grocery store. Rising food prices made it more expensive whether you chose to eat at home or out at your favorite restaurant. The law of supply and demand doesn’t bode well for price decreases in the near future. Since we
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, employers in every sector experienced a phenomenon that manufacturers had been dealing with for many years: a shortage of skilled workers. Most people vividly remember “CLOSED” signs adorning windows due to staffing shortages. While we’re a ways past the pandemic now, many businesses continue to experience skilled labor
FAIRVIEW, TN – He took the job in 2003 as a business education teacher. But Kevin Sizemore didn’t know he’d build a mechatronics program that offers students an associate’s degree along with their high school diploma. Sizemore, the mechatronics instructor at Fairview High School in Fairview, TN, said his goal as an instructor is to
Today’s career and technical education (CTE) instructors face a variety of challenges. For many new CTE instructors, it’s a matter of establishing a program and getting it off the ground. However, it can be just as difficult to revive and improve an established program that’s underperforming. That’s the situation Dean Lepkowski found when he took
There’s more than corn in Iowa. Baseball fans who cherish the 1989 classic Field of Dreams will remember a baseball diamond forged out of a corn field outside Dyersville, Iowa, that brought the ghosts of former baseball greats out to play ball. Today, just down the road from Dyersville, you’ll find an institution that
If you’re a fan of country music classics, you’re probably familiar with Alan Jackson’s 1992 hit, Chattahoochee, an ode to the muddy river that taught him how to swim, who he was, “a lot about livin’ and a little ‘bout love.” Today, the Chattahoochee teaches a lot more than that. We’re talking about Chattahoochee Technical
As the global economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturers all over the world are still struggling to fill hundreds of thousands of open positions. Despite their best efforts, manufacturers face a shortage of highly-skilled workers to meet their increasing demand. The skilled labor shortage isn’t the only challenge facing manufacturers, though. Global
Have you ever changed the oil in your vehicle? Some people enjoy performing their own routine maintenance, while others prefer to take their vehicle to the dealership or a quick lube place over their lunch hour. If you’ve never changed the oil in your vehicle, why not? It’s a fairly simple and straightforward procedure. Remove
*This article is part 4 of 5 In the previous article in this series, we focused on why Industry 4.0 skills are a critical part of a modern HVACR training program. With a wide range of new advanced automation technologies being used in modern HVACR systems, the HVACR technicians of today and tomorrow need advanced
When I was but a wee youngster, I vividly remember thinking about the future and wondering what marvels I would see in my lifetime. For some reason, I was certain that flying cars would be the norm by now. Of course, today’s automobiles are still firmly grounded, although many of them are now electric. Can
Major federal legislation coupled with recent industrial trends point to the potential for a resurgence of growth in the United States’ manufacturing sector. In particular, this growth centers on those embracing smart technology, or what has become known as Industry 4.0. The decade leading up to the COVID-19 crisis (2010-2019) saw 1.3 million manufacturing jobs
