Company News
10 Great Things about People You don’t like. Click to keep reading…
If you’re in a leadership role, or part of a functional team at work, you should check out this blog post on the value of including people that you don’t like in the mix. Carl Jung said “the meeting of two personalities is like the...
24 January, 20192019: Ten Trends to Watch. Click to keep reading…
Here are some of the trends and stories to watch for in 2019, according to the Kiplinger Letter: GDP – growth will slow in 2019 to 2.5% (versus 2.9% in 2018). Growth will also slow in Q4 2019, as the jobless rate will inhibit firms...
24 January, 20195G is (almost) here. Click to keep reading…
5G is here—sort of. Verizon and AT&T both launched preliminary 5G services in late 2018, but neither is broadly available or meaningful at this time. The 5G adoption rate for phones is only expected to hit .4% in 2019. So the real race to 5G,...
25 March, 2019Agriculture Woes. Click to keep reading…
Agriculture in the U.S. has managed to avoid a serious downturn since the 1980’s, when debt loads fed a wave of bankruptcies. Balance sheets have benefited from stable land values, despite the rise in debt. The value of the real estate accounts for about 80%...
24 April, 2019Amazon Business. Click to keep reading…
Amazon Business provides its users purchasing solutions for companies of any size. Each business can assign users that are allowed to purchase business supplies at Amazon.com on behalf of their employer. The administrator can add authorized users, manage payment and shipping methods, approve workflo
02 April, 2019Apprenticeship Redux. Click to keep reading…
Expect the Department of Labor to propose new rules surrounding apprenticeships sometime this fall. The change will allow industry-led groups to certify apprenticeship programs that will augment the existing state and federal system. Work-based learning programs could be certified by trade and profe
03 October, 2018Are you up to snuff of LinkedIn? Click to keep reading…
Are you establishing your brand with authority on LinkedIn? There are more than 13 million companies on the platform vying for the attention of more than 500 million users. Here are some ideas from a Hootsuite blog that will help you optimize your brand on...
02 April, 2019Armstrong Rapid Manufacturing
Armstrong Rapid Manufacturing is 50 years old! Armstrong specializes in rapid prototyping of aluminum and zinc castings and thermoplastics. John Armstrong established Armstrong RM in 1968 with old-world craftsmanship and ideals. Armstrong has built upon this foundation of manufacturing expertise and
24 April, 2019Armstrong Rapid Manufacturing Celebrating 50 years. Click to keep reading…
Celebrating 50 years of expertise in metal and plastic prototyping and low-volume manufacturing The last 50 years have seen many technological milestones. In 1968, man was yet to walk on the moon, computers were enormous, and the plastics industry was about to boom. For a...
25 March, 2019Attitude of Gratitude. Click to keep reading…
When you cultivate gratitude you’ll sleep better, feel happier, be more empathetic, and strengthen your resilience. Gratitude can rewire your brain and activate the release of dopamine and serotonin. With practice, you can retrain your brain to deflect negative thoughts. Here’s how you can cultivate
03 October, 2018Automation in Manufacturing. Click to keep reading…
Recently we toured our manufacturer, Clow Stamping Company (www.clowstamping.com), and it was great to see the implementation of robots to their manufacturing floor. They were driven to this investment partly by the efficiency they gained, but mainly by the labor shortage they are seeing in...
04 June, 2019Autonomous Cars? Yes. They’re a thing. Click to keep reading!
The rise of autonomous cars is upon us. Although some of us might feel like the Jetson’s era was just a kitschy cartoon, self-driving cars are likely to change the urban landscape. If we use self-driving cars the same way that we currently use passenger...
22 August, 2018Continuous Improvement is a Mindset. Click to keep reading…
Happy New Year 2019. 2018 was a fantastic year for most businesses – mine included. Thank you to all our customers for the business you placed with our group over the past year(s). As we look forward to 2019, expectations are that this is...
24 January, 2019Creating a culture for Success. Click to keep reading…
We are using technology today in abundance. Everything from monitoring homes to scheduling dinner reservations. When technology works we save time gaining productivity and efficiency. When it fails, we fall back on a relationship (human interface) to guide us through. In many cases, this...
27 February, 2019Deficit Debacle. Click to keep reading…
It’s expected that the budget deficit will expand to $1 trillion in 2019, almost 5% of GDP. While the deficit topped out at $1.4 trillion in 2009, that occurred during a recession, versus today’s long-running expansion. There are many factors that are contributing to the...
27 December, 2018EMP: Thermal Management products where Innovation Meets Performance. Click to keep reading…
As a global leader in the manufacture of thermal management products, Electro-Mechanical Products (EMP) employs the latest technologies, materials and engineering techniques to create custom products including: Cold Plates/Chill Plates Flat Plate Heat Exchangers Custom Coil Windings Nonmetallic Hea
27 February, 2019Energy Costs in 2019
Expect that energy costs will be somewhat higher in 2019 compared to 2018. Crude oil prices will continue to rise, with U.S. crude averaging $70/barrel. Gas prices are also inching up and will average $2.90 to $3 next year. Natural gas prices will remain stable,...
27 August, 2018Everyone has Baggage. Click to keep reading…
Typically, each member of the Lupton Business Development team has the privilege of writing an article for this newsletter once a year. We generally focus on market trends, new technologies, etc., as it relates to the world of manufacturing. I originally set out to write...
24 April, 2019Factory Well-Being. Click to keep reading…
Manufacturing output contracted for the second month in 2019, the first back-to-back declines since mid-2017. Weakened output industries included motor vehicles, furniture and machinery. Retail sales and housing sales numbers are also down in 2019, signaling a loss of economic momentum in 2019. Ther
03 May, 2019Fast and Furious
Did you know that Dynamic Plastics built over 300 new tools in 2018? Dynamic Plastics is a full service provider of low-volume tooling and thermoplastic injection molding solutions. Dynamic will move your project from prototype to production within a budget and timeline that gives you...
25 March, 2019Fitness and big data. Click to keep reading…
Life insurance companies are beginning to offer rewards to customers that track their fitness activity using wearable trackers (like Fitbit and the Apple Watch). Insurers like fitness buffs, as they are likely to live longer and are probably more health-conscious, and less risky to cover....
27 December, 2018Foreign in a Domestic Sense. Click to keep reading…
As many employers struggle to fill job vacancies, displaced Puerto Ricans are being recruited for jobs in the U.S. Industries that hire workers via temporary visas are having an especially hard time filling positions, and find hiring Puerto Ricans a solution that helps alleviate the...
14 September, 2018Free trade pact. Click to keep reading…
Vice President Pence visited Canada to encourage Prime Minister Trudeau to fast track the ratification of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal (USMCA). Lawmakers will need to act quickly, as Parliament adjourns in June. “The USMCA is not only a huge economic boon to the U.S.,...
04 June, 2019Get Lean. Click to keep reading…
Lean manufacturing concepts have been around since the late 1980’s. If you have questions about the basic tenets of lean and how is plays into a continuous-improvement strategy, check out this MMSonline article. Lean manufacturing is focused on the identification and elimination of waste. Waste...
12 June, 2019Happy Holidays
Hosting family over the holidays? Invited to a holiday brunch? Download this recipe for a delicious Cranberry Coffee Cake. It makes the perfect hostess gift.
21 November, 2018Keeping our Edge. Click to keep reading…
The U.S. has enjoyed a long history of innovation that has fueled the rational exuberance of the economy. Three important innovations fueled our R&D dominance: the Internet, the microchip and the computer. Those concepts were developed through a triad – the alliance of business, government
04 June, 2019Labor shortage. Millennials and the future. Click to keep reading…
Employers all over the country are struggling to find qualified job candidates. Many of our principals find it very challenging to find quality people for all different types of manufacturing positions. As the economy continues to grow and companies are trying to increase productivity to...
28 August, 2018Libra Industries: NIST SP800-171 Compliant
Libra Industries, an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, is pleased to announce that it is now compliant with Special Publication 800-171 – “Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Information Systems and Organizations” – from the National Institute of Standards a
27 December, 2018Manufacturing in 2019. Click to keep reading…
While manufacturing is in the midst of a very solid year, a few storm clouds are gathering in the sky. Rising interest rates will inhibit the availability of credit. The strict immigration policies will continue to make it difficult to find skilled workers in a...
03 October, 2018Manufacturing Worker Shortfall. Click to keep reading…
A recent Deloitte study projects that by 2025, there will be a 2 million fewer workers than manufacturing jobs, due to a proficiency gap. These skilled manufacturing jobs pay, on average, more than $27/hour (compared to the average hourly wage in the U.S. for all...
27 February, 2019Mars revealed. Click to keep reading…
If you’ve been wondering what NASA has been up to, it turns out they have been busy trying to get a lander to Mars. The InSight spacecraft survived a descent through Mars’ atmosphere, and landed on the surface on November 26, 2018. NASA was able...
04 December, 2018Practice with Deliberation. Click to keep reading…
We have all heard the old adage “Practice makes perfect.” Malcolm Gladwell’s 2008 book, Outliers: The Story of Success, touted 10,000 as the ‘magic number’ of hours someone needs to devote to their craft to become an expert. A pioneer in the study and science...
06 November, 2018Product Launch Pacing. Click to keep reading…
Researchers at Georgia State University, V. Kumar and his colleagues, considered how Apple, the most successful company in the world, launched products to the marketplace. They studied the relationship between the frequency of product launches, how unique the product is and the valuation of the...
27 August, 2018Slay the Intro. Click to keep reading…
Do you have trouble remembering names? Check out this Science of People’s post on a technique that will help you remember someone’s name. Participants in an Emory University study found they could improve their recall ability by up to 69% using a visual attachment trick....
12 June, 2019Slumping Commodity Prices
Kiplinger Letter sees commodity prices staying soft for at least the first half of 2019. The health of the global economy and uncertainty related to the U.S. and China trade disputes are keeping prices from rebounding after a slump late in 2018. It is expected...
27 February, 2019Smart Manufacturing. Click to keep reading…
Staying aware of market and industry trends is vital to remaining competitive and relevant for any organization. In the manufacturing world, there has been a strong push towards “Smart Manufacturing”, and as a result we are finding factories increasing efficiencies, reducing down time and therefore;
12 October, 2018Super Ager Habits. Click to keep reading…
What are some of the secrets of aging well? Recent studies have illuminated a few characteristics of people that have lived into their nineties, and another study looked at 80-somethings whose memory and cognitive ability matches people that are much younger. Close relationships: People that...
27 February, 2019Surf clean in 2019. Click to keep reading…
Here are some great tips on avoiding hackers, data breaches and malware attacks in 2019: Set boundaries and stick with them. Decide upfront what data you are willing to share online, and stick with your limits. When you install new apps, use your own rules...
24 January, 2019Tariff Showdown. Click to keep reading…
As an economic strategy, tariffs can be an effective way to test your trading partner’s willingness to retaliate. Ethan Harris, head of global economics at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, says “The act of putting on tariffs teaches you something about the other side.” While...
27 August, 2018Thixomolding. Click to keep reading…
The thixomolding process is similar to plastic injection molding using magnesium alloy in place of a plastic resin. This technology creates ultra thin, light-weight components with high precision and tighter tolerances than casting. Some of the highlights of magnesium thixomolding include: Strength
06 November, 2018Today’s Relationship Building. Click to keep reading…
While so much of our everyday lives are conducted online, it is still important to me to build personal relationships while doing my job. An early reliance on automation can hinder the development of an authentic and genuine personal connection. Admittedly, I did not...
06 November, 2018Trade Deficit Decline. Click to keep reading…
The Commerce Department reported that the trade deficit fell in February to to $49.4 billion (3.4%), marking the lowest level since June, 2018. The goods deficit with China dropped 28.2% to $24.8 billion amid President Trump’s imposition of trade tariffs. The narrowing of the trade...
03 May, 2019Trade war woes. Click to keep reading…
Touted as the new NAFTA, President Trump struck a deal with Mexico and Canada in September, 2018. The USMCA (U.S-Mexico-Canada) agreement will ensure the continuation of cross-border commerce among the three countries. The new agreement includes changes to the rules of origin percentage for the...
06 November, 2018Trump vs. China. Click to keep reading…
Here’s an interesting take on the Trump vs. China trade war that is starting to impact business in the U.S. The New York Times Thomas Friedman contends that the trouble with China is the market access barriers that China implemented over the past forty years....
04 December, 2018U.S. Steel. Click to keep reading…
While steel tonnage import volumes are slowing, due to President Trump’s hefty tariffs, U.S. steelmakers have moved into a stronger position in the glutted global steel market. This strategy may backfire, as U.S. steel prices rise well above the price of imported steel. The premium...
25 March, 2019
