Material Handling & Supply Chain Technology Blog

Material Handling & Supply Chain Technology

Material Handling & Supply Chain Technology is the place for conversation and discussion about conveyors, overhead handling; purchasing & logistics; warehousing & distribution; lift trucks, loading docks & AGVs. Here, you'll find everything from application ideas, to news and industry trends, to hot topics and cutting edge innovations.
Previous in Blog: Boosting Efficiency When Times Are Tough   Next in Blog: All That Twitters…
Close

Comments Format:






Change Mode
Close

Subscribe to Discussion:

CR4 allows you to "subscribe" to a discussion
so that you can be notified of new comments to
the discussion via email.

Close

Rating Vote:







Add Vote
2 comments
Rate Comments: Nested

Back to Basics

Posted June 10, 2009 7:32 AM

The idea that the U.S. needs to return to being a leader in manufacturing and technology has been getting some good play lately. Many leaders are now regretting the movement towards becoming a service based economy. In the words of one executive, because of this type of thinking, "real engineering was traded for financial engineering." But how can we as a nation get back to our manufacturing roots? One answer is an improved educational system that will help us come up with the new technologies that will lead to a growth. How should our education system evolve? At what ages should we be teaching technology?

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

Reply

Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.

Good Answers:

These comments received enough positive votes to make them "good answers".
edignan
Guru
Engineering Fields - Systems Engineering - New Member Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member

Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Borrego Springs
Posts: 2636
Good Answers: 62
#1

Re: Back to Basics

06/11/2009 4:20 PM

Just yanking out of the "collective hive mind", when this talk started (in the '80s?) we were told that major industries hadn't re-invested in major tech changes since WWII.

And that while more efficient methods - nothing personal and not claiming I know squat - for steel manufacture (for example) were available, our industries had never and would never invest in major upgrades.

Also seem to remember if you were going to look for opportunities in such old-line industries it would be in "boutique" production.

Again - just asking?

__________________
 "If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"
Reply
2
stevem
Guru

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Defreestville, NY
Posts: 1072
Good Answers: 87
#2

Re: Back to Basics

06/12/2009 8:30 PM

"At what ages should we be teaching technology?" Day one.

"How should our education system evolve?"

We need to abandon the 'one size fits all' approach and steer students with physics/math acumen into a curriculum geared with an engineering career in mind. If they want to take over the wheel, well that's fine too. If we cater to the median in all classes then the leading trail will be bewildered and the trailing tail will be bored, this serves neither well.

We need a cheap, reliable and green supply of electricity and if we apply the kind of resources that went into the Manhattan Project or the Apollo program I honestly think we can get the oil monkey off our backs in 20 to 30 years, but we need to impart a sense of urgency towards that end in today's students to get there.

__________________
 Charlie don't surf.
Reply Good Answer (Score 2)
No more Good Answers.
Reply to Blog Entry
Have a Different Question?
2 comments

Good Answers:

These comments received enough positive votes to make them "good answers".

Previous in Blog: Boosting Efficiency When Times Are Tough   Next in Blog: All That Twitters…

Advertisement

Got Something to Say?
Ask a Question
Start a Discussion

Search this Section
Manufacturing:
Go

Search this Blog
Material Handling & Supply Chain Technology:
Go

Recent Blog Entries

CR4 Sections
Aerospace
BioMech & BioMed
Chemical & Material Science
Civil Engineering
Communications & Electronics
Education and Engineering Careers
Electrical Engineering
General Discussion
Instrumentation
Manufacturing
Mechanical Engineering
New Technologies & Research
Software & Programming
Sustainable Engineering
Transportation

Site Directories
Forum Directory
Blog Directory
User Group Directory
RSS Feeds

CR4 Rules of Conduct
CR4 FAQ
Site Glossary

Who's Online (90 right now)
Show Members
Advertisement