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PS Files

Former Managing Editor Lisa Towers brings a female perspective to some the industry's most important and controversial topics.

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PS Files
08/08/2010
Former Managing Editor Lisa Towers brings a female perspective to some the industry's most important and controversial topics.

Money matters
03/10/2009
Managing Editor Lisa Towers looks at the potential of stimulus spending to renew our skilled workforce.

Sharing the pain
02/10/2009
Managing Editor Lisa Towers says economic complexities are reflected in international trade obligations.

Be American, buy American
01/13/2009
Managing Editor Lisa Towers says it's an important lesson that bears repeating.

Of greed and giving
12/08/2008
Managing Editor Lisa Towers talks to one bearing manufacturer who has gotten the generosity ball rolling.

Pickens in our pockets
11/11/2008
Managing Editor Lisa Towers says energy independence is going to cost us, but just how much?

The trades' secret
10/08/2008
Managing Editor Lisa Towers says readers find happiness in making things work.

Passing it on
09/09/2008
Managing Editor Lisa Towers writes about one plant manager's journey through his maintenance career, and the advice he would give to those interested in entering the field.

How did you get here?
08/07/2008
Whether it's by choice or by chance, Managing Editor Lisa Towers wants to hear about your experience in the maintenance profession.

Addicts and accidents
07/09/2008
Managing Editor Lisa Towers says workplace safety comes down to personal responsibility, especially when drugs and alcohol are involved.

Investing in success
06/09/2008
Managing Editor Lisa Towers reports on a CMMS acquisition trend that reemphasizes, to industry insiders and outsiders, the importance of asset management.

Them or us
05/27/2008
Managing Editor Lisa Towers questions who is to blame for the faults in our trade policy. Dig deeper into this issue by listening to a related podcast led by Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) Executive Director Scott Paul.

Podcast: AAM's Executive Director Scott Paul discusses trade issues with Indiana steelworkers
05/22/2008
In a conference call just before the Indiana presidential primary, Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) Executive Director Scott Paul presented a variety of ideas about China's effect on American manufacturing, and the steel industry in particular. AAM estimates that Indiana has lost 110,000 jobs in the past seven years. Some of the state's job losses derive from flawed trade policies, Paul says. Now, the AAM and Hoosier state steel workers want to know what the three presidential candidates are going to do to, if anything, to address this challenge.

A few good words
04/07/2008
Managing Editor Lisa Towers asks whether you will make American manufacturing the centerpiece of your how you cast your vote in the 2008 presidential election.

Giving it all away
03/05/2008
What makes this country great? Part of the equation in anyone's calculation has to be American manufacturing. It has built our middle class and made the prosperity that we enjoy today possible. John Ratzenberger gets it, and he's trying to make sure our politicians don't forget it.

Sharing leads to savings
02/08/2008
Managing Editor Lisa Towers asks whether a cooperative model for managing maintenance inventories that can help reduce costs would be right for your organization.

In adversity comes opportunity
01/11/2008
Managing Editor Lisa Towers says that recession or not, there are bright spots in manufacturing. How is your organization faring in the midst of economic uncertainty? Send her your thoughts.

Under pressure, manufacturers cook
12/05/2007
Managing Editor Ken Schnepf reports the results of two studies that say manufacturers are optimistic about the future, but they're losing confidence in the U.S. economy.

Climate change debates put heat on carbon capture and storage projects
10/31/2007
Sequestering CO2, also known as carbon capture and storage (CCS), in recent months has moved from drawing board concepts to real projects backed by universities, corporations and the federal government. Worldwide debate over climate change has sparked the intellectual and financial support of these projects.

What it takes to be a leader
10/08/2007
Learn personnel management strategies from the former CEO of Porsche. It's what you get out of the supporting staff that makes your organization excel.

Infrastructure protection: Council aims to coordinate state, local security efforts
10/02/2007
Plant managers and engineers are at the front line in the war on terrorism, according to the Department of Homeland Security. That's why it recently established the State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Government Coordinating Council (SLTTGCC), which, in part, seeks participation from people like you.

Interest grows in energy education
08/20/2007
Renewable energy degree programs are cropping up at universities across the country and interest in them is growing like a field of budding flowers. While the programs won’t be in full bloom for a few more years, they’re taking root throughout the country and are available for students and practicing engineers alike.

Wireless finds its calling for maintenance and asset management
07/06/2007
For maintenance and condition-monitoring, wireless technology offers much more than just reducing or eliminating costs. However, wireless also requires an integrated infrastructure approach rather than independent, proprietary point solutions.

Wisconsin’s hiring and growing: Is it a blueprint for others?
06/04/2007
A blueprint maintenance professionals, plants and governments throughout the nation can follow to realize growth and attract new workers just might be in Wisconsin.

Robotics is the way of the future and present for manufacturing
05/15/2007
Learning to put robotics to use is an essential survival skill for U.S. manufacturers as robots become more efficient, reliable and easier to control while the available labor market shrinks with automation as part of the solution to fill the gap.

How much is U.S. critical infrastructure worth to you?
04/17/2007
If you’ve ever wondered just how secure your plant might be or if you’ve implemented the right level of security measures, then the Web-based infrastructure protection training program offered at no cost by the federal government is for you.

Hydrogen fuel cells approach liftoff
03/13/2007
Hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklifts are getting a lift from companies that expect the prospect of reducing total plant floor logistics costs will lead to their widespread use.

Project converts biomass and food processing waste into useable energy
01/05/2007
The Biogas Energy Project has converted eight tons of food waste into energy since October. It is billed as the first large-scale demonstration of this new technology in the United States.

Plants plug into green power
12/18/2006
An Environmental Protection Agency program Program is designed to drive development of renewable energy sources.

Energy incentives
11/27/2006
Grants and other incentives utility companies offer to their business customers are worth a look, but they might not be as beneficial to each and every company as they seem on the surface.

Foreign Trade Zone program improvements to level field
10/05/2006
These programs make it easier for U.S. companies to get involved in foreign trade and leverage the advantages of U.S. manufacturing in global competition. Maintenance professionals can benefit by participating in development missions, visiting other countries to learn how their overseas competition does things.

Filling up the engineering pipeline
08/29/2006
Early exposure to engineering can pave a positive path for the future. Engineering-focused summer camps prove to be huge influences on young people, says managing editor Ken Schnepf in his latest column.

USW, Sierra Club seek better world
07/24/2006
The United Steelworkers (USW) and the Sierra Club are working together in support of good jobs, a clean environment and a safer world under the Blue-Green Alliance they formed.

Ahead of China
06/26/2006
The prevailing notion in modern manufacturing is that China has passed the U.S. in many disciplines, but a recent study reveals the contrary. Managing Editor Ken Schnepf examines why the U.S. is ahead of China in six-sigma and lean practices, as well as a variety of other areas.

Green roofs bloom with unexpected benefits
06/12/2006
Green rrofs are quietly cropping up across the nation. Find out the expected and unexpected benefits of putting a lawn on your roof through the eyes of successful implementers like the Ford Dearborn Assembly Plant.

Defending U.S. manufacturing
05/03/2006
A recent report named the top 10 "pro-business" states. They showed exemplary can-do attitudes and innovative approaches. Who are they and what does this mean to U.S. manufacturing?

National Manufacturing Week: Coexisting, surviving and thriving
03/29/2006
Coexisting, surviving and thriving in a global economy was the underlying theme presented by a prestigious group of speakers during National Manufacturing Week.

Emissions rules debate far from settled
03/01/2006
More aggressive mercury reduction could be on the horizon and it's best you are prepared, says Managing Editor Ken Schnepf.

Building robots with tomorrow’s engineers
02/08/2006
Want to have some fun? Managing Editor Ken Schnepf says you should get involved with the FIRST Robotics Competition. Read about how 93,000 students in 32 countries compete in the field of robotics each year.

Looking for qualified help
01/18/2006
It is no secret that a labor shortage is on the horizon. Managing Editor Ken Schnepf writes that the unions will have ways to help fill the void.

Putting technology to work
12/15/2005
Managing editor Ken Schnepf reports that nanotechnology is on the precipice of a gigantic surge.

Knowledge control is key in today's workplace
11/09/2005
Shrinking workforces and changes in career attitudes demand knowledge control.

How do we deal with the angry spouse, customer or other individual bent on causing trouble?
10/05/2005
The fact that violence is now the second leading cause of death at work, while tragic and sad, should serve as a wakeup call.

What you can do to help stop terrorism
09/12/2005
In both the private and public sectors, people realize that good security requires an ongoing partnership among different disciplines. This means sharing information and knowing what to look for.

Are women welcome?
12/07/2004
Easing the maintenance crisis should begin with recruitment of female workers.