Pneumatics Blog

A year-old editorial entitled "How to Develop Products like Toyota" suggests that concurrent engineering and other processes implemented by U.S. manufacturers — to reduce time-to-market and increase the quality of produced goods — have had the opposite effect. The article also suggests that Toyota, despite the efforts of others, remains the benchmark for efficient production. Why is the premise of this commentary, with the benefit of one year's worth of hindsight, still correct — or why not?

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Will technology advances bring new life to old equipment? One company says its proprietary air motor is poised to replace the gasoline engine, while another has dusted off the 100-year old scroll compressor to challenge lead acid battery technology. What are their chances for success?

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Is the fluid power industry in decline? Have excess regulations, knowledge loss, and technology competition brought fluid power to the downward slope of the product life-cycle curve? One commentator with a quarter century investment in the industry is not optimistic, considering the reduction of profitability and inability to "grow organically." What do you think?

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Two thirds of respondents to the Design News 2009 Salary Survey "report that their companies have laid off engineers this year." Almost half say they have received no raise, while 15% absorbed pay cuts averaging 20%. Depressing news to be sure, but many say money's not their motivation. Job satisfaction, they claim, comes from "problem solving, technical challenges, and the opportunity to be creative." What about you?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Pneumatics, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Pneumatics today.

Unobtrusive; pervasive; lethal. Swarms of bug-like drones will soon infest the war-fighting environment. What are the chances that Multi Air Vehicles, said by the U.S. Air Force to be a "research project," are already running reconnaissance missions — and not necessarily on the battlefield?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Pneumatics, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Pneumatics today.