Week 10 in Manufacturing News

Global manufacturing growth plumbs new depths amid trade tensions

Global manufacturing growth decelerated in 2018 as a result of trade and tariff barriers, according to the UN’s latest International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics.

Issues involving the US, China and the EU – which together account for over half of global manufacturing production – cut world manufacturing value added by 0.2 percentage points in 2018 versus 2017 as growing uncertainty from the trade war and Brexit put the brakes on investment.
Full article on GTR.

UK manufacturers’ optimism at 27-year low amid Brexit stockpiling

Manufacturers’ optimism about their prospects for the rest of the year fell to a 27-year low last month amid record stockpiling to cope with the potential fallout of a no-deal Brexit, according to a survey of the industry.
The UK manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to a four-month low of 52.0 in February, down from a revised reading of 52.6 in January.

Japan’s output tumbled after a dive in new orders, especially from China. On Thursday, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that factory activity in China, the world’s second-largest economy contracted to a three-year low in February, caused by trade talks uncertainty with the US.

Manufacturing across the eurozone, which depends heavily on demand from China followed the same pattern. It contracted in February for the first time since June 2013.

Only the US manufacturing industry, which has grown in every month since 2009, continued to expand, though at a much slower pace, reflecting the weaker economic outlook.
Full article on The Guardian.

Manufacturing Automation and Robotics Summit 2019: Key takeaways

Employee Engagement:

• People still feel threatened by automation, which shows that a change in how we promote technology is required.

Cobots vs Standard Robots:

• Important that your business understand the pros and cons of both cobots and standard Robots in order to make an informed decision

Maximising Business Value from your Investment:

• The benefits of digital technologies are undoubtedly achievable, but only by setting out on a ‘journey’ in the right way – for many businesses, there’s no magic leap from spreadsheets to automated quotes, for example.

You may also like 10 Things You Need to Know Before Buying Manufacturing Software.

Autonomous Mobile Robotics:

• Don’t just simply automate an existing process, could that process be improved?

Full article on The Manufacturing.

Aerospace Parts Manufacturing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis 

The global aerospace parts manufacturing market size is expected to reach USD 1.14 trillion by 2025. The market is anticipated to register a CAGR of 3.8% over the forecast period. Increasing fleet replacement rates are expected to lead to a surge in aircraft production, which is expected to boost the growth.
Full report on Research and Markets.