Large technology companies started cutting costs through employee layoffs in 2022. It appears the trend will continue in 2023. Large tech companies such as Alphabet,
There are a variety of interesting products made from copper. Some products are for industrial use, while others are for the general consumer. Demand for
There is much information available for the 2023 manufacturing industry outlook. We are giving a viewpoint from a small business perspective. We are a small
Merry Christmas from all of us at C&C Machine! Like many, we spent the year battling inflation and the availability of raw materials. In the
A Finnish Company, Polar Night Energy, has developed what is being called a “sand battery”. However, it does not store electricity, it stores heat. According
Naval brass is used in marine environments because it has a high resistance to corrosion. Brass alloys 464 and 485 falls into the naval brass
The demand for copper is projected to increase due to the transition to “green” technologies like wind turbines and electric vehicles. The main industries that
Inflation concerns continues to be the top issue for small businesses. More small business owners are expecting sales to decline in the near future. According
Volatile copper prices are affecting the cost of custom bus bars. Copper prices, like the prices of many other materials, have been highly volatile of
Supply chain issues, including the availability of raw materials, are one of the key challenges for manufacturers in 2022. This leads to inflation which is
A China stimulus package can impact a small US precision machine shop by increasing demand for raw materials like steel, aluminum and copper. This can
We recently had the opportunity to machine components for an intake assembly associated with an organization doing research and development for artificial lift techniques in
Tariffs can have positive and negative impacts on CNC machine shops. Imported materials, products and machinery used by the shop that carry a high tariff
The NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) had a negative impact on US manufacturing jobs. What was NAFTA? NAFTA was an agreement signed by the
Industrial robots in manufacturing have been in use for many years. AI-enabled robots are being developed to improve industrial robots in manufacturing. The First Industrial
In NFIB’s (National Federation of Independent Businesses) small business survey of April 2024, the overall optimism index increased by 1.2 points from March. In terms
China is the leading EV battery manufacturer by country with approximately 57% of market share. The China-based company, CATL, has a 34% share all by
Manufacturing custom parts for a surgical technology teaching lab was interesting work. Most interesting was to learn how the parts were to be used. The
We have been a custom heatsink manufacturer serving Texas and Oklahoma for more than 35 years. We have business relationships with aluminum extrusion manufacturers and
We recently ran an order for custom 3D-printed cable-holding tools. It was a small order of 6. For us, small orders are typical for 3D-printed
The automation paradox is where systems have been automated for efficiency, and the human role has been reduced to monitoring and intervening. Although reduced, the
Merry Christmas from all of us at C & C Machine! We’ve had a pretty good year business-wise. Machining components for the energy sector were
Metal fabrication often requires custom punches and dies for punch press machines. Suppliers may be limited because of the small order volumes associated with custom
Manufacturing automation trends may negatively impact the job outlook for machinists, but positively impact the job outlook for other occupations. Manufacturing Trends in Automation The
Trillions of dollars have been spent on renewable energy sources over the past few years, but is renewable energy really replacing fossil fuels? Types of
