Digital Issues

Ensuring an engaged, educated fluid power workforce Since the pandemic started, there has been many a cry about the skilled worker shortage in industrial manufacturing and engineering. To be fair, as the Baby Boomer generation has come closer and closer to retirement in full, there has already been great concern over who will take over…

Getting back to in-person with FPTC 2022 If there’s one thing I’ve always said about fluid power, it’s that I love the people I work with daily, both in my own circle of employment but also within the companies I cover on a regular basis. In 17 years writing about hydraulics and pneumatics, I’ve had…

A refreshing — and useful — change I’m the first to admit I struggle with change. When something works and it’s already good, I become frustrated when the powers that be feel the need to change things. But change can be welcome. Change that will help others is never a bad thing. But changing just…

When the manufacturing workforce has the upper hand This past August in suburban Chicago, John Manzella, of the Manzella Report, spoke on “Labor, International Trade, and What’s Ahead” at the annual NFPA International Economic Outlook Conference. One of the issues he touched on was the current labor shortage. He explained that we have job openings…

Getting smaller and bigger all at once Lately, it seems a month doesn’t go by where I’m not receiving some news about a merger and acquisition in the industry. Sometimes, it’s one small distributor or repair shop acquiring another to expand their reach. And others, it is the big players getting even bigger. Unless you’ve…

10 YEARS OF FLUID POWER KNOWLEDGE Welcome to the tenth edition of the Fluid Power Handbook. It’s exciting to be part of this milestone, as we continue to update our information on hydraulic and pneumatic components and systems. This year, we’ve incorporated more technical sidebars with frequently asked questions, sizing and specification tips and looks…

Strength ahead, but still some uncertainty Over the last few months, I’ve chatted with several fluid power manufacturers who have stated that their business is busier than normal in any type of recovery mode. It’s an all-hands-on-deck situation, where every employee is pitching in and hiring has become a challenge. These were all just passing…

Passing the baton after a fulfilling career As I retire from my career in fluid power media, I want to thank all of the people who have made my career possible. That includes managers, coworkers, and customers. It has been a great run of over 43 years and I feel very fortunate to have had…

Are we on the road to deglobalization? I wrote back in June of 2020, as the country was still reopening in many places, how many manufacturers’ confidence in the global economy had been shaken. Our supply chains had been greatly tested — and we quickly realized how reliance on China was impacting our ability to…

Getting back to in-person? After nine months of Zoom events and virtual meetings, associations seem to be gearing up for a 2021 that may see a return to in-person conferences. With vaccines on the horizon for citizens in the United States, I’m hopeful that this can be accomplished safely. The value we receive from meeting…

We need to do better for our future This year has given us plenty of opportunities to look inward and study who we are and how we treat people. We have been dismayed by the inequality we’ve seen over the years, culminating this summer with multiple protests. From what I’ve heard, most businesses and organizations…

We’re shut down — not broken — and that’s a good thing As he does every year, Alan Beaulieau, President of ITR Economics kicked off The NFPA Industry & Economic Outlook Conference on August 11 — a little differently than his usual dry humor from the stage, but still with his similar upbeat attitude. The…

Keeping You Informed Welcome to the ninth edition of the Fluid Power Handbook. Each year, our editorial staff works hard to add to the detailed information we’ve already accumulated on hydraulic and pneumatic components and systems. Once again this year, we’ve incorporated several new frequently asked questions into many of the Handbook sections, dealing with…

The changing global economy in pandemic times In speaking to a few different fluid power manufacturers recently, one theme seems to run true for many — this COVID-19 pandemic has rattled confidence in the global economy and reliance on far-fetched supply chains may be decreased. Reshoring is a term anyone in the industrial world already…

Komatsu focusing on smart hydraulic control At this year’s CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE shows in Las Vegas, Komatsu unveiled a suite of new products, under the theme of “creating connections.” Many of the company’s new products boasted more intelligent hydraulic systems and advanced hydraulic control. So, I asked Rich Smith, VP of Products and Services for…

Keep optimism through IFPE and beyond Each week, we see more news of the dip occurring in the industrial market here in the U.S. Markets and shipments are down and have been across the board, particularly in the fluid power space. The NFPA has indicated mobile hydraulic, industrial hydraulic and pneumatic shipments decreased when compared…

Making headway with hands-on experiences I’ve always maintained that the four-year college degree — while useful in teaching young people to be adults — can be a waste. As a journalist, I learned most of what I needed to know in two courses and several internships. That’s why I’m a big proponent of hands-on training…

Are we 10 years away from driverless cities? At the NFPA IEOC in August, I had the chance to hear John Ellis speak on Transportation 2.0. Ellis is a developer who has worked with some of the biggest names in tech and automotive — with names like Motorola, Ford, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SAE, Linux…

Making progress with women in fluid power Last May, it felt like we broke records when we had more than 20 women attend our Women in Fluid Power panel discussion at our Fluid Power Technology Conference. And later that year, our sister publication created its inaugural Women in Engineering issue, where we featured amazing women…

BROADENING HYDRAULIC FLUID POWER KNOWLEDGE Welcome to the eighth edition of the Fluid Power Handbook. Every year, our editorial staff works hard to add to the detailed information we’ve already accumulated on hydraulic and pneumatic components and systems. Once again this year, we’ve incorporated some new frequently asked questions into many of the Handbook sections.…

Smart manufacturing must be open to change — are you? Over the course of two weeks, I heard several industry experts echo a fascinating trend as they discussed the future of manufacturing. The factory of the future is going to have to be flexible and fast, using IoT and AI, to deal with customized products…

Plot your IoT course like an open roadmap At the National Fluid Power Association’s Annual Meeting last month, attendees had the opportunity to hear from Jeremy Drury of IoT Diagnostics. Drury opened his talk with an old roadmap, comparing the opportunity to plot your own IoT course versus opening up an app on your phone.…

The power of connections Engineers and others working in fluid power understand the importance of connecting with their peers. This is especially true for those younger individuals just entering the field. Fluid power is a technology that many (myself included) admit they “just fell into.” Very few actually enter it intentionally (apart from those involved…

Don’t leave humans out of the Industry 4.0 equation At the recent Integr8 conference in Detroit, a panel of five speakers from Bosch Rexroth discussed how to successfully implement Industry 4.0. Key to connected industry, they all agreed, was ensuring that people are at the center of decision-making. Rodney Rusk, the i4 business leader for…

Pneumatics and automation must go hand-in-hand to survive Although some manufacturers are moving away from pneumatics in their machine designs, the industry can continue to grow if done smartly. That is, seamless integration of automation and pneumatics will rely heavily on the continued adoption of smart technologies, data collection and use, and more compact, efficient…