Over The Wire — July 2026
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Over the Wire
July 2026 · 3 Ideas, 2 Quotes & 1 Question
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| A few things we read this month made us think of the people we work with. These were the best of them. Pour a coffee; this will only take a few minutes. | |||
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Worth Your Time
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01 · The Numbers
Durable goods orders rose again in June.
New orders for manufactured durable goods rose 0.3 percent in June to $334.8 billion, up three of the last four months. Excluding transportation the gain was 0.6 percent, and computers and electronics led the way, up nine of the last ten months. If your programs feed those categories, the order books say demand is holding.
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02 · Your Money
The tax bill hiding inside a healthy 401(k).
Leave a large 401(k) untouched and required minimum distributions at 73 can raise your tax bracket, make more of your Social Security taxable, and increase your Medicare premiums all in the same year. The move the article lays out: measured Roth conversions in the years before 73, at brackets you choose instead of brackets you are forced into. Worth reading before your next conversation with your advisor.
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03 · Worth Your Health
Your phone is already a health dashboard.
No smartwatch required. The health app already on your phone can count steps, keep a food and fitness diary, pull in records from your doctor, and put emergency medical information on your lock screen. A practical walkthrough for both iPhone and Android.
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04 · The Floor
“Always-on” supply chains are becoming the norm.
GE Appliances describes it as a supply chain that is always on, always thinking, always connected. A recent Kearney and AWS study found 67 percent of companies started supply chain transformations in the past year, and only 10 percent have hit their top three targets. Knowing where everything is at all times is becoming table stakes. Getting there is the hard part.
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3 Ideas
I. Most proposals are not decided on price alone and are often determined before the RFQ is sent. Missing volumes, unclear material or finish specifications, and tolerances that are tighter than actually required all contribute to more assumptions and higher prices. A complete package with an appropriate DFM review is the fastest path to a sharp number.
II. Estimating and engineering are some of the scarcest resources in a shop. An RFQ that arrives complete gets quoted first. One that needs three rounds of questions may experience a disproportionate delay. If you need numbers fast, the package you send matters as much as the shop you send it to.
III. The right shop for 50 pieces is often the wrong shop for 50,000. Volume changes the process, the tooling, and sometimes the most viable manufacturing location. Plan that handoff at the quotation stage, not during the product ramp.
2 Quotes
“Only the paranoid survive.”
Andy Grove · Former CEO of Intel
“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”
Peter Drucker
1 Question
Which part on your bill of materials would hurt the most if its supplier stumbled this fall?
If a part came to mind just now, that is the one worth a second look. Send us the drawing.
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Principal Spotlight
A medical device cover from one sheet of PETG.
Bo-Mer’s current featured project: a large medical device cover vacuum formed from a single sheet of PETG and trimmed on a 5-axis machine, a way to get complex shapes without the tooling bill that comes with injection molding. They have run this kind of work in Auburn, NY since 1946: thermoforming, rotational molding, plastic and metal fabrication, painting, and full assembly under one roof. One robotics customer put it plainly on Bo-Mer’s own site: “the only choice for domestic thermoforming.” If molded tooling does not pencil for your volumes, ask us whether Bo-Mer fits your part.
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News from Lupton
Before you go, two updates from our team this month.
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Serving the Working World Since 1969
The key to our success is our people.
Founded in 1969, Lupton Associates helps OEMs, engineers, sourcing teams, and program leaders move custom components from requirement to practical manufacturing and quotation paths.
Our team brings decades of territory knowledge, manufacturing-process experience, and customer relationships to every project. We start with what is known — the drawing, material, volume, timing, documentation, or supply problem — and help determine the information and manufacturing review needed next.
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Have a part you’d like a second set of eyes on?
Or contact us directly. We’ll tell you honestly whether there’s a fit.
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Lupton Associates · 343 N. Main Street, Suite 201, Canandaigua, NY 14424 · (585) 393-4999
luptons.com |
