United States to Surpass China as No. 1 Country for Manufacturing by 2020

As the competitiveness of American industry rises, so too does ranking amongst the world’s leading manufactures. Fortune.com notes that as of 2017, the United States is the second most competitive manufacturing economy after China. Global manufacturing executives predict that by 2020, The United States will surpass China as the leading manufacturer in the world.

There has been a drastic rise in competition in the United States and much of that can be attributed to cheap labor being a thing of the past. It used to be a vital point for manufactures, especially in China during the 1990s, where they encouraged cheap labor and required less environmental regulations. Today, technology has drastically reduced the need for additional workers and the keys to success are dependent on advanced technologies, the availability of materials and whether or not intellectual property protections are strong. The United States is ahead of the curb in these 3 categories.  

Future Forecast of Manufacturing until 2020

It is extremely beneficial that manufacturing firms believe the United States is a great place to do business, but there is misguidance when it comes to success having the same impact it did nearly half a century ago. Wages for most workers has been stagnant for a generation and those without college degrees are being granted less opportunity. 

The decline of manufacturing employment should not be considered a political failure, but rather a natural economic process that many industries have gone through in the past. As technology sectors become more sophisticated, it requires fewer workers to get the job done. There may be fewer workers, but it is a good sign manufacturing executives want to do business in America.

To the common citizen, they assume most products aren’t made in the United States anymore, but rather in China, Mexico and Vietnam to name a few and that the only jobs available or even left in America, are in hospitality and the food industry. While it is true the number of jobs in the manufacturing sector has declined, it doesn’t mean that the United States has become deindustrialized. It just means the number of jobs available have declined because efficiency in technology has required less workers.

There are many things that come off as surprising, one of them being that manufacturing is the largest and most dynamic sector of the United States economy. The industry is highly connected to other sectors, such as retail, mining, and transportation and also accounts for nearly 80% of what the private sector spends on research and development each year. Manufacturing provides innovation that keeps other businesses going.

If proof is required that manufacturing is still a viable and healthy industry in America, look no further than Rotor Clip Company Inc., the global leader in the manufacturing of Tapered Section Retaining Rings, Constant section retaining rings, Spiral Retaining Rings, Wave Springs and Self-compensating Hose Clamps. It is a family owned business that has been around since 1957, a testament to their importance among manufacturers. Rotor Clip serves a handful of industries, such as Industrial, Aerospace and Transportation, On/Offshore, Automotive, Commercial Aerospace, Topside/Onshore, Construction and Farm, Space and Defense, Subsea/Seabed, Recreational Vehicles, Railway and Heavy Industry and Down Hole/In Well. It is an example of how manufacturing serves every other industry in America and should be taken more seriously amongst the public.

Another surprising fact is manufacturing output is near a record high. In today’s economy, US factory workers produce twice as much as they did in 1984, but with a third fewer workers. Though there is still a high demand for foreign-made goods, it is believed it will take another 3 years of growth to surpass China.

The important thing to remember is American manufacturing is alive and well and technology has never been as advanced or efficient for the common worker. The only downside is the loss of well-paid jobs hurting the working class. The rise of low-skilled manufacturing in China and other developing nations equates to fewer Americans working in factories. A large percentage of American workers are in the service/producing industries, where inequalities in opportunities, skills and incomes are more apparent. Rebuilding the manufacturing economy to what it once was is not an easy task, but if it’s any indication, by 2020, the United States will be the leading manufacturer in the world and will harness the latest technologies to rebuild the industry, gain workers and begin to earn much more equitable profits.

Justin Arbadji is a Marketing Assistant for Rotor Clip Company 

Stryker's Answer To The Health Care Dilemma: Innovation

“For us it’s always about innovation,” says Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo. In a recent CNBC interview, Mr. Lobo begins by revealing Stryker’s growth in the market against their competitors, growing north of five percent for the last seventeen quarters. This is especially the case for their knee replacement technology, in which Stryker is using robotic assistance in their operating rooms in order to obtain a more precise placement of the implant. As a result, the patient will come out of a surgery with less soft tissue damage, giving them a faster and less painful recovery process. This major breakthrough in the Medtech industry reveals a promising future for society, as companies such as Stryker are raising the standard for surgical procedures and equipment.

Stryker's Mako Robot

However, Mr. Lobo explained that training is a significant challenge while introducing robotic assistance, as it requires a complete change in behavior among surgeons. The modified procedures entail a new stance in the operating room, along with changing the implant itself. Instead of traditional knee replacements that follow an oval motion, Stryker’s implants are designed to have a natural circular motion. For example, a significant feature of Stryker’s Triathlon Total Knee is their patent pending anatomic radius, which improves the motion of the knee.

Stryker sponsor, Fred Funk, is a prime example of a knee replacement success story. At fifty-four years of age, the professional golfer desperately needed a knee replacement. After his surgical procedure in 2009, he not only returned to golf, but won in the PGA Tour Champions league. Fred Funk’s success stems from both his dedication to return to the game, but most importantly a less invasive surgery, which allowed him to recover quickly enough to return to his normal life.

Fred Funk, Professional Golfer

Meanwhile, about fifteen years ago Gloria Slass, the wife of the late Founder of Rotor Clip Company Robert Slass, was in dire need of a knee replacement . Due to many tennis injuries accumulated over the years, Ms. Slass underwent an excruciating knee replacement surgery in the early 2000s. During her recovery process, she developed arthritis in the knee due to soft tissue damage. Unfortunately, after recovering Ms. Slass had to give up her lifelong passion for tennis due to the severe pain. The lack in medical robotic assistance at this time was the result of a more invasive surgery. Based on the two anecdotes, the evolution in the medtech industry represents a bright future ahead for healthcare, as it is ensures a better tomorrow for patients.

Beyond orthopaedics, another innovative field that Stryker is taking by storm is neurotechnologies. Mr. Lobo explains how their technology can treat two types of strokes that can occur. For instance, in the result of a Hemorrhagic stroke, titanium coils are packed in the aneurism in order to allow blood flow. As for an Ischemic stroke, the procedure would entail the removal of clots from the brain using a stent. Therefore, with the ability to treat an often debilitating condition that results from a stroke, Stryker takes great pride in their advancement in neurotechnologies. Generally, the victim of a stroke is left impaired, which costs the healthcare system a significant amount of money.

That said, although Stryker is not necessarily concerned with how the healthcare system evolves, they are still working to reform it through innovation, as a means of cutting costs for it. Towards the end of the interview, Mr. Lobo stresses the importance of permanently repealing the medical device tax, which has previously been suspended in the past. In conclusion, as an OEM supplier, we here at Rotor Clip fully support and are proud of our fellow American manufacturers for making the world a better place through innovation.

Evan Slass is a Digital Marketing Communications Specialist for Rotor Clip Company.

Equipment Manufacturers; Bright Spot In Darkening Market

BE&E's Twin Drag Conveyor is built for biomass processing

 With the rise of renewable energy quickly overtaking fossil fuels in cost, labor force, and investment, the US manufacturing landscape is going through a period of uncertainty as it redefines itself. On one hand, new sources of energy are shirking off old limitations of supply chains, attracting more and more investment and incentive. On the other, however, the models being discarded also serve as the lifeblood of communities all over America, of every kind, and cannot be replaced so easily without detrimental impact on them.

Where does manufacturing fit into this? The US has a multi-faceted quilt of industries embedded with each other, responsible for so much of world demands. Yet, according to many projections, some may be obsolete by the 2030's. In looking at what industries can survive the oncoming changes brought on by renewable energy, one of the most promising fields is equipment manufacturing.

Many companies are already seeing equipment manufacturing as a sector for the US to assert itself into an increasingly accelerating international renewables market it is in danger of lagging behind. One such example is Biomass Equipment & Engineering, a division of Veneer Services. Based in Indianapolis, Veneer Services specializes in manufacturing timber products, but its sub-division BE&E converts equipment products suited for a rapidly ascending biomass industry. Offering products such as chip screens to enable sorting for cyclical models, or twin drag conveyors that are designed for future additions and adaptations, Veneer's BE&E serves as evidence equipment manufacturers are already taking advantage of their flexibility in the renewable market.  

In his op-ed in The Oklahoman, Terex Corporation's CEO John Garrison emphasized his Oklahoma City-based company of 34,000's commitment to making machinery suitable to new global markets. 

"Equipment manufacturers build products big and small", Garrison says, "but what distinguishes our industry is how the men and women in Oklahoma make the equipment that helps improve the lives of people around the world.:

"Our American workers continue to produce world-class products, and they deserve the chance to sell these products in every corner of the globe. That means strengthening trade agreements to grant manufacturers access to international markets; we cannot afford to simply walk away from agreements that form the cornerstone of the international economy. It also means we must continue to strengthen our training and technical education programs to ensure our workforce continues to develop to meet the future needs of manufacturers." 

 Indeed, equipment manufacturing may prove to be the most crucial card the US can play in the global market. Adaptability is proving to be a value for companies in these turbulent times. Equipment manufacturers like Terex can use this distinct advantage better than other industries. While renewable energy is dissimilar in many ways from oil and gas, issues of operations, labor safety, and development, are universal for both. Converting many products and plants to serve the next energy landscape is possible. What is more, with its unique and spanning playing field, it is more doable in the US than anywhere else.

Donal Thoms-Cappello is a freelance writer for Rotor Clip Company.

The Jetsons: A Modern Reality?

When it comes to changing trends and technologies in society, we are often faced with this question of what the future holds. This is certainly the case for the automotive industry, as many people tend to fantasize or poke fun at how we are getting closer to entering the reality of the 1960s television show, The Jetsons. This animated series alluded to the idea that the future of mobility would entail flying vehicles and human-like robots. Although we are not quite at the point of levitating vehicles, the automotive industry has proven decade after decade that it is indeed a continuously innovating sector in the market.

With the exception of other automotive companies that have previously released hybrids, the Toyota Prius made headlines in 2000 as the first four-door hybrid sedan in the United States. This was a significant moment in the automotive industry as it created a major conversation among consumers and of course within the industry itself as to how prevalent these sustainable vehicles would become. As a result, the introduction of hybrid vehicles shed light on the alternative sources of power for operating a vehicle. Now, seventeen years later, companies such as Tesla have continued on this trend set by Toyota with the emergence of their fully integrated electric vehicles.

As the US market continues to prevail through the transforming evolution of automotive technologies, it is appropriate to reflect on what the future of driving may hold at last. Scott Corwin, a managing director with Deloitte Consulting LLP, has great insight on this transformation, as he leads the Future of Mobility initiative. In his in-depth article, The Future of Mobility: How transportation technology and social trends are creating a new business ecosystem, Corwin highlights five converging forces of automotive transportation and mobility.

These converging forces include; maturing powertrain technologies, lightweight materials, rapid advances in connected vehicles, shifts in mobility preferences, and the emergence of autonomous vehicles.

Maturing Powertrain Technologies. The emergence of battery operated vehicles will tremendously help to lower emissions by eliminating the use of gas, while offering higher energy efficiency. It’s important to note that the consumer will generally have a high value on the vehicle’s energy efficiency above many other factors.

Lightweight Materials. Advances in chemistry and physics, have proven the ability to eliminate a significant amount of weight for vehicles. For example, Corwin pointed out that the Ford F-150 truck eliminated six hundred pounds by using aluminum rather than steel, while still ensuring safety for drivers.

Rapid Advances in Connected Vehicles. With a plethora of cars on the roads nowadays, safety for drivers is a main concern, especially during extreme weather conditions. Fortunately, the advances in connectivity among vehicles help detect other cars, as well as infrastructure. These are known as vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V).

Shifts in Mobility Preferences. The rise of smartphone applications, such as Lyft and Uber have changed the mobility preferences among Millennials. As a result, this generation doesn’t value owning vehicles, as they have acquired a pay-per-use mentality. For example, “nearly 50% of Gen Y consumers like using a smartphone app for transport.”

Emergence of Autonomous Vehicles. What once seemed to be a technology of the future, self-driving vehicles have now become a reality. Although they are not exactly on a mass-scale production, there are areas where this technology has tremendously improved the driving experience. Generally one of the most significant challenges for drivers is  parallel parking. For example, the BMW i3 has a parking assist option where the car will autonomously park on its own. However, for fully autonomous vehicles, Corwin explained how long-haul trucks could help send and receive products faster by eliminating the driver. This is the result of cutting out mandatory rest stops, thus making the delivery or pickup more time efficient.

NOTE: Rotor Clip will soon be launching Clip Chat, a podcast series that will cover the changing landscape of the manufacturing industry, hosted by Co-owner Craig Slass. Our podcast premier will cover the future of mobility, as discussed above. Check out our Facebook and Twitter page for more details.

 Evan Slass is a Digital Marketing Communications Specialist for Rotor Clip Company.

Endolite’s Linx Prosthetic Limb Takes Home Best in Show Award

For those who are born without, or lose a natural limb understand the obstacles and challenges that are ahead in their daily lives. In the wise words of Charles Darwin, all living organisms, including humans face the scientific evolutionary fact of ‘survival of the fittest.’ That said, as humans are the most advanced life-forms on Earth, we have adapted not only through a biological evolution, but also through technological advancements. In other words, the ability to manufacture and continuously innovate high-end prosthetics is evidence that we are an adaptive race that combines technology with our biological needs.

On June 13, Endolite’s Linx system, a lower limb prosthetic technology, received the highest honors at the 2017 Medical Design Excellence Awards in New York. Not only did Endolite receive the Gold Medal Award in Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Products category, but they were also named out of forty-five finalists, the Best in Show Award. The medtech industry award show was based on  the following criteria: Design and Engineering Innovations, Functional (User-Related) Innovations, Benefits to Overall Healthcare, Benefits to Patients and Market Differentiation. By fulfilling each of the judged criteria, Endolite, a US branch of the Blatchford Group, shed light on their 125 year devotion to the designing and manufacturing of cutting edge prosthetics.  

In light of their most recent accomplishment, Linx is the first fully integrated, microprocessor-controlled lower limb system, helping above-knee amputees. According to Endolite, the Linx ankle talks to the knee at a rate of 400 messages per second, which gives lower limb amputees the ability to live a more active and independent lifestyle. This particular prosthetic limb functions by combining four microprocessors and seven situational awareness sensors, as a means of collecting data on the individual user’s day to day activity and their terrain. As a result, all of the data collected is used to help the prosthetic limb adapt in order to mimic a human limb tailored to that particular patient. This means that over the course of a day, the Linx system will adjust over 2000 times in order to adapt to both the anatomical body structure, as well as the surrounding environment.

Endolite’s success stems from the acknowledgement that quality prosthetics are vital for long term musculoskeletal health. Therefore, after being awarded with the highest honors as a top of the line medtech company, it is apparent that they value constant innovation through their engineering front. By developing high end devices that mimic the response time to a human limb, Endolite strives to give amputees the ability to walk or run, while also eliminating pain. Other prosthetic devices tend to create discomfort and pain to the patient, considering they do not easily adapt to the individual user or their surrounding environments. For example, sixty one percent of lower limb amputees often experience chronic back pain after 2 years of the amputation. As a result, this puts stress on the rest of the body as it can lead to both osteoarthritis in the knee and/or hip, as well as increased energy expenditure on the heart.

Overall Endolite, is revolutionizing the prosthetic industry one bionic step at a time.

Evan Slass is a Digital Marketing Communications Specialist for Rotor Clip Company.

Winning Engineering Students Look Forward to Careers in Manufacturing

Our 2nd annual Ring-A-Majig contest ended with a team of four engineering students from East Carolina University taking the top prize. Their winning entry, a model railroad hand cart, featured a design that incorporated several retaining rings as the fastening method, as well as a wave spring used to activate the braking system.

Members of the winning team included Erik Panarusky, Sam Poindexter, John Rayner and Zachery Rogers. Professor Ranjeet Agarawala served as the team’s advisor.

Winning Design: Model railroad cart is held together by retaining
rings and features a wave spring as part of the braking system.

In addition to a cash award, the students received an all-expense paid trip to Rotor Clip to tour our manufacturing facility and to attend the Atlantic Design and Manufacturing Show in New York, where they exhibited their winning design.

The pulse of manufacturing is quickening and our winning students are part of the excitement that has been building around manufacturing as a career. They look forward to working in companies that utilize the latest technology and practices to produce tomorrow’s breakthrough products.

“Manufacturing plays such a vital role in the world today, and having knowledge and training of up to date processes, automation, seems to be extremely important,” noted Eric Panarusky. John Rayner characterized manufacturing as a “viable career option for a young person.”

“With the advances in manufacturing technologies, 3D printing and robotics specifically,” he continued, “now is as good a time as any for a young person to be getting into manufacturing.”

The students also weighed in on their tour of Rotor Clip, which was for most the first time they had ever been in a manufacturing facility. Zachery Rogers was impressed with the smooth process flow of the factory “…from prepping raw materials to be stamped or coiled with machines, to the packaging of the clips using the plastic wraps (shrink wrap), or the wires (Rings On Wire).”

Eric Panarusky noted the advantage to actually seeing a factory in action versus learning about it in a classroom.

“It can be hard to grasp the scale and interactivity of design and manufacturing until you see it in person,” he said. “I felt the tour was most beneficial in the way of showing how each individual person and machine played a vital role in the entire operation.”

“Seeing this company producing as much product as they’re producing in house was awesome,” added Sam Poindexter. “Looking into the process of how everything is done at the company really gets me interested.”

The trade show was also a first for our students and they were happy to take part in it.

“The trade show was a fantastic opportunity to see current and future advances in manufacturing technologies,” said John Rayner. “Some of the things companies are working on are simply amazing and young people are at the forefront.”

Eric Panarusky was impressed by the diverse companies at the show and the range of products they exhibited.

“It made the workforce I'm hopefully about to enter seem less daunting,” he said, “especially because it made the job market and specific areas of work appear very, very, broad.”

The experience gave Zachery Rogers a basic understanding of what companies are looking for and how they showcase their services. “(It) has helped me understand how companies interact with one another,” he concluded.

We have been heartened and encouraged by the response to our contest, both by the quality of the work submitted and by the promise it holds for the future of manufacturing in our country. We wish our winners luck in their job endeavors and look forward to seeing what creative designs students submit for our 2018 contest.

Joe Cappello is Director of Global Marketing for Rotor Clip Company.

Spray On Memory-An Aerosol Can Filled With Ones & Zeros

Researchers at Duke University created a new “spray on” digital memory device. Although far from being used commercially, the proven concept shows the potential this amazing break through in technology may have on our future.

The “spray” is made of silica-coated copper nanowires encased in a polymer matrix, which can be dissolved in methanol, creating a liquid that can be sprayed through the nozzle of a printer onto a surface. Yes, there is a 3D printer that is used like an aerosol can.

Duke researchers 3D printed a series of gold electrodes onto a glass slide. Then printed, or “sprayed”, the copper-nanowire memory material over the gold electrodes, and lastly printed a second series of cooper electrodes.

To demonstrate, the researchers connected the 3D printed device to 4-programmed LEDs, which became illuminated in various combinations depending on the program.

Where would this spray on material be used? Researchers are looking at Radio-frequency identification tags (RFID), most notably used in tracking inventory. RFID tags electronically store information and when scanned provide limited information, i.e., the product was stored here, picked up at this time, and delivered at this time. With spray on memory, a consumer can see the inventory information, along with the temperature the product was stored in and for how long, or how the product was handled, which would be great for medications, or a perfectly preserved bottle of wine.

Or for golf enthusiasts, imagine having this printed onto your personal golf balls or clubs to track speed, elevation, distance, wind resistance, or to find your ball when you slice it into the woods.

What’s more, the spray-on memory can be re-written with no limits. While conventional memory devices might last only a few years, the spray-on memory has the ability to store data for a decade without degradation.

The current storage space of the spray-on memory is equal to a 4 bit flash drive. That is essentially the computer power of using your TV remote or programming a coffee maker. However, still in its infancy, the spray-on memory technology will only develop to become better and more efficient.

Vincent Rodgers is a Marketing Communications Specialist for Rotor Clip Company.