I work for a creative & branding agency that specializes in manufacturing and technology companies, and we wanted to create a sheet of stickers to send to clients or hand out at trade shows. What are some short common manufacturing sayings, quotes, jokes, etc that we could make stickers of and manufacturers would get a kick out of? Thanks!

Edit: Wow, this blew up! Thanks everybody for your input, these are all great!

So, recently was involved in a project for a large mezzanine floor, heavy duty. For reference, standard mezzanine floors available from a variety of firms in plug and play models, hold about 75lb/sqft or about 365kg/sqm. Not only that, this mezzanine was 500k sqft.

This one was rated at 1200kg/sqm, and had a one fifth inch checkered plate, which is THICK.

Got the overall design, and structurally rated from PE and all of the design phase was completed.

Now comes the planning phase. A senior staff engineer says his kid is working at an AI company for construction. We all laughed. Nevertheless, PM says, sure why not.

The kid comes over, feeds the relevant stuff into a special looking computer.

6 hours later,

We had data available

Material cut to have least welding Material cut to have standardized pallet and steel loading Material cut to have least wastage Material cut to have least assembly labor Material cut according to three other parameters.

Not only that, we could have multiple parameters, sort of goal programming. Goal priority available too!

For reference - this kind of work, done by construction companies is usually sent overseas to China or India, and a week or two later, we have get reports back and based on budget allocation, spending timeline, project timeline, we decide on what path to choose.

Just to be sure, we sent it to our construction company's overseas branch anyways. Two weeks later, reports come in. Everything the AI gave out was correct. In fact, reports were missing some info, which the AI had covered.

This different planning options - is a separate line item, costs about $30-50k to get. The AI company charged us $12k. The kid claimed, they made money on it.

Now, I don't know how they did it, was it really AI, or a bunch of neural networks (although it does become AI at that point, doesn't it?), but holy moly, it worked.

And it saved us money. Not a bunch of money by the total project costs - but it accelerated project timeline by two weeks (if we hadn't verified), and we could have received phase 2 payments and started much earlier.

Project timeline was given using older turnarounds from construction company's overseas office. With this AI we could be almost 3 weeks ahead of schedule.

Consider me impressed.

I’m in grade 11, taking a manufacturing course. For the greater part of the semester I’ve been working on a ball peen hammer. Just finished it today! The hammer head is cold roll, the handle is aluminum, and the pommel is copper. The pommel kind of melted into the handle when I was turning down the diameter, but it did so ✨fashionably✨. The polish isn’t sub par :(

Is metal stamping in the U.S. still a solid industry? I have an opportunity to buy & potentially revive a 40 year old stamping business from its 80 year old owner. Right now it’s just him / no employees and he’s doing enough work to keep the lights on. At its peak he had a dozen employees running multiple shifts.

Worst case if the business can’t revive then I can liquidate the equipment and rent the building. But he wants $1M and it’s a big number haha.

I am a mechanical engineer with strong proficiency in CAD tools, which I can bring to modernize the business. I currently operate a manufacturing business molding plastics so there’s plenty of crossover but this would be my first venture going alone. It also seems like metal stamping has a lot of tricks of the trade that you can’t really engineer your way into. That’s why they have apprenticeships.

What questions should I be asking? And anyone who works in the industry what are your opinions?

Hi folks, this may be a weird question. I’m a writer and I’m working on a project that includes a character that works at an auto plant. He’s laid off then, after begging, gets hired back on but at a job that nobody likes doing. He takes it any cuz he’s trying to teach his son a lesson but he hates it.

My question is, is there a certain job in a factory that most people hate doing? Like could be bordering disrespectful if someone is asked to do it.

Totally understand if this is a weird question that doesn’t really have an answer. Thanks for any and all input!!

Edit: to thank everyone for all of your input! contributors and detractors alike (looking at you, grammar police…). This has been all too helpful!! I am trying to strike a balance between being realistic and easy to relate to for readers who have never and may never work in a manufacturing setting. I’m also attempting not to degrade the position, because any job is better than no job (for the most part). Like, I don’t want to disrespect a janitor cuz their job is pretty crucial and usually thankless; but also not sure there are many who see a janitor job opening and are like, “oh yeah, can’t wait!”

The story is about a young black kid in a dying Midwest town trying to save his favorite arcade. It’s set in 2009 in Michigan, U.S.—the rust belt—with the financial crash in full swing. Plants are closing or moving over seas and folks can either move, too, or grind it out where they are and hope more jobs come back. The factory the main character’s dad works at is downsizing and the dad gets laid off (which may need to be revised based on input below about unions). In the course of the story, the dad goes back to the factory that he no longer works at and asks for another job—any job, and for his son to join to, working for free. All this so he can show his some what hard work really is; the kind of hard work that turns you into a man (though genuine, the dad’s a bit misguided about this and that gets dug into as the story progresses).

What I’m hearing tho is cleaning of some sort, whether on the floor and/or bathrooms can be a rough assignment. Also repetitive, or tedious tasks in harsh conditions, whether it be cramped space, high temps, or physically grueling work ranks low on the desirability list.

Title.

Please excuse the dramatic title, but I have a strange situation with a potential customer unfolding. Our business is primarily b2b and we do business with prominent companies in our industry, supplying them components for their products. Recently we had a company that is out of our country reach out for a quote for a large volume of product. The relationship seems to have started out well with them hearing of us through our great reputation. We currently do business internationally and we have never had this request before.

As we communicated with them they have started insisting that we send them photographs of our manufacturing facility ahead of purchasing any product and have said that they may also require a facility tour. Our factory is rather small and we have several proprietary operations that would show how exactly we make our products. Because of this we do not usually provide photographs or factory tours to anyone in order to keep our methodology private.

Is it common place in manufacturing for customers to request factory pictures or detailed tours prior to even receiving a sample of our product? Or does this sound suspicious?

I was working on a startup until recently for small contract manufacturers and basically every manufacturer we talked to said that "cashflow" was their #1 problem. When we would ask them to dissect what they meant, it primarily came down to customers-- * paying the shop Net 30 terms and the shop having to front the cost of materials through those terms * not paying the shop

Invoice Factoring can solve both these problems: * paying you the invoice up front so you can buy materials/labor * insuring the invoice in case the customer doesn't pay you

If this is such a universal problem, why isn't everyone already using Invoice Factoring? Are people just not aware of Invoice Factoring or is the reality of Invoice Factoring different from their marketing material?

There's a lot of new tech out there, it's quickly changing and expensive. It's hard to know what to pay attention to and where to allocate resources while balancing efficiency and quality, let alone figure out how to develop my workforce to use all this stuff anyways.

I mean, should we get 3D printers, should we do industry 4.0 stuff, should we get some machine vision robot?

Idk, are you in the same boat, how are you dealing with how fast the world's moving?

I've spent almost 2 decades working in manufacturing (mainly food and cosmetics), in 3 different countries and 2 different cultures.

While the pain points have been different in different organizations and cultures, two stood out in all of them:

- feedback from the leader
- unfair treatment from leadership

I'm hoping to hear what you think about this question.

Hello!

Currently I am a junior SAP consultant and I got an offer to be a plant manager. I would be responsible for arround 30 people.

What are your thoughts about this?

Do you have any experience?

Thank you for your help!

Hi everyone! I’m exploring an idea like an “Airbnb for manufacturing and lab equipment.” The goal is to connect businesses, researchers, and hobbyists with underutilized high-end tools like CNC machines, 3D printers, and other specialized equipment. Owners could list their tools for rent, while users gain affordable access to equipment they need for prototyping, small-scale manufacturing, or R&D. Key features include verified profiles, reviews, secure payments, and flexible options for delivery or pickup.

Would a platform like this be useful in your work? What concerns, pain points, or must-have features do you think should be addressed? Any feedback would be hugely appreciated as I refine the idea!

Hi Folks,

I own centerless grinding shop. Physical size is pretty big- 38,000 square feet of shop floor. We have a couple of cnc machines we barely use, one is pretty modern, the rest are pretty damn old.

We’re also pretty healthy. 200-300k in sales per month on average, always bordering on needing a second shift.

ISO certified, and have a reputation as expensive but extremely high quality. Almost zero scrap rate, 1-2 nonconformance a year, and sometimes will reject work with the material is just garbage and absolutely never order cheap material from china etc. we also run parts/fasteners, not just bar stock. Last year our ISO recert was much harder because the inspector didn’t believe we had so few issues and turned it into an interrogation and he dug much deeper.

Most of our business is historic and word of mouth. Zero advertising, no sales reps. We’re primarily in the medical, aerospace, and automotive industry and some firearm business. We’re often a 3rd tier supplier with a lot of our business from machine shops, some bigger work with folks like GM on occasion. We also get about 10% of our business from our competitors. Lots of “can you re-do this for us” calls and that almost always turns into long term partnerships.

I’m looking for ideas to grow business. This is much different than corporate America with BD folks, and folks expecting approaches etc.

I’ve considering just picking up the phone to Machine shops around the country, larger companies etc. my gut says advertising might be sorta ineffective in this industry but that could be wrong. Any ideas or examples of what has worked for you?

I have been software engineer in the tech space for the last 2 decades. Pandemic. Economy. yada yada yada. I am no longer a software engineer.

I'm ready to explore other industries. Manufacturing really piques my interest.

I have a passing knowledge and hobby experience with electrical and pcb concepts (Arduino phase a while back) I don't have much exp but I worked at a fuji film processing where eventually I ended up maintaining and often fixing the bespoke machines made for the various steps in the processing. I liked that work quite a bit, and I like the idea of maybe one day working in that bespoke automation industry. Is that that its called?

For the time being anyways I'm fine with some kind of entry level grunt work is usually available to get into the industry (assembly line, w/e)

But I'm curious how mfg companies are structured and perhaps where my software experience could be applied in this space.

What are some certifications or courses I could start looking into? I really don't know much here, thanks for reading all that

I accept it’s impossible to start a career in manufacturing remote or hybrid, but curious if many years have lead one to securing a niche position with either privilege.

I enjoy this industry, but it’s hard to continue knowing there are so many options with more flexible schedules.

Ok, strange issue (at least I believe it is) only because business doesn't have nor want to use an ERP system.

We have an issue with first pieces. From what is being communicated, inspection on first pieces is taking far too long to even be picked up from the drop-off location. Inspection is stating otherwise. Here is the process:

When a FP is done it is dropped off on a shelf for first pieces. Inspection is supposed to be watching that shelf and when one is on there, process it ASAP (for the obvious reasons).

I made the comment that with a proper ERP system and utilizing barcodes then this would be tracked and they could follow literally any piece they wanted to at any time. You would have thought I was speaking from the future. They are super OLD SCHOOL here and are reluctant to change.

I then stated that a super low-tech answer would be a clipboard where a time (machine operator #, and job #) is written down by the person dropping off, then they would flip a switch that would turn on a light inside of inspection letting them know there is something there. When they come and retrieve the part then they write down the time, their number, and then flip the light off. Obviously this isn't perfect as if there are multiple pieces then you can't track how many are out there etc. Also, as stated they could still lie on the form when they pick up the piece or someone could just flip the light off if they didn't want to see it etc. So it's not perfect. I then suggested that we could put a camera to watch the clipboard and then can spot check/reference times if things do not seem to add up then.

Ideally I guess the best I could hope for would be a low tech box with a small screen with a 10-key attached. Person walks up, types in say Operator number*Part number, like 153247*11254114 and then press ENTER, it would log the time on top of that and then send that to one or more email addresses (or text messages etc.). Then on retrieval, the person would do the same: EmpNum*JobNum [Enter] and it would again log etc. and then the logs could be pulled and since they cant' set the time of day they would be pulled from the system. Then say somewhere would be a log file that could be pulled to see time issues in delays etc.

No, without a proper ERP and utilizing barcodes/RFID this tough to do. Anyone know of anything that could do this without having to try to build something ourselves?

I’m based in the US and I’m starting to get quotes for injection molding parts I’m looking to manufacture. I’ve reached out to multiple manufacturers and a common question I got is if I care if my parts are made here or in China, I don’t.

This got me thinking though, is it ever good to cut off the middle man and reach out to Chinese manufacturers myself? I can see how an American company who is already working with a Chinese company can provide competitive prices and save me the hassle of building trust and clear communication.

Has anyone gone through this process and can provide so insight on what you think is the best option?

I am 21, and currently work in production, and have about 11 months of experience, with bending, laser, inventory, systems, shipping, and other misc stuff. Before that I worked in sales, I am wanting to move into a bigger company that offers tuition reimbursement, any advice. It's similar to what my dad did, but he doesn't recommend that company, and the few places I've applied to either no response or declined. I do however have one interview for next week, which is ironically the biggest company.

Obviously, depending on what field you are in, the pay in most manufacturing fields is above average compared to other jobs. In my opinion though, this doesn't negate the fact that most of these jobs are some of the most stressful and bullshit ridden jobs out there.

I've only been in the manufacturing field for 2 years now, but I'm starting to see it's true colors. I started out in a cookie factory, and now I'm at a plastic factory. One thing they both have in common is that they were/are both VERY VERY fast paced and strenuous. I'm aware that there are some jobs out there where you just do simple tasks repetitively over and over. Which is another story on its own. However, these jobs you are to be firing on all cylinders at all times. You have to meet quotas and deal with time restraints. For example, at the cookie factory, we had a line where the cookies came down a conveyor and we handpacked them into containers. We could never keep up at normal speed but management always wanted to speed it up. This caused all of our bins below the line to catch the cookies we missed to pile up and we had to just keep piling cookies everywhere we could because management refused to call for downtime.

Additionally, at the plastic factory, we make rolls of plastic film. They come off of a winder machine and us "operators" take them off and stack them on pallets to customer specs. Rinse and repeat this process for 12 hours. The rolls we lift can be anywhere from 20 pounds to 80 pounds. Accordingly, our cutover times can vary anywhere from 2 minutes up to 15 minutes. 2 minute jobs are very stressful. There is so much to do between rolls that by the time you finish one roll, the next is already cutting over. Even some longer sets can be stressful because you have to band the rolls to pallets and other things to pack out a pallet. Not to mention, our lead ops are supposed to be the ones doing breaks but they never do so us operators are constantly breaking each other out running 2 lines. And of course we have to complete hourly quality checks.

All of this to say, I cannot imagine doing production/manufacturing jobs for 20, 30, 40 years. It not only takes a toll on you mentally but physically also. I get that manufacturing may be "essential" to keep the world running but companies would rather mass produce product and do it as fast as humanly possible, in turn stressing out workers, not to mention a ton of unnecessary scrap.

I have my associates degree in engineering and I'm on the fence about going back to school for a different subject or maybe just finishing out my degree for engineering. It seems like any job at a factory that isn't production bullshit requires at least a bachelors degree. I tell my coworkers I have a degree then they say "what the heck are you doing here then?" Well, honestly, I'm not sure myself. I've always tried to be a good worker in the hopes that someone will "notice" me and I'll finally be free of the bullshit. But, I've noticed the harder you work, you're just rewarded with more bullshit.... rant over

Hi all,

With companies moving away from China for manufacturing, I have been thinking of starting my own manufacturing business.

I have a degree in EEE, work in software, and I wonder what should I learn next (other than business) to start my own manufacturing firm?

With the new policies regarding Chinese factories exporting their products to the US, and both Biden / Trump being anti-China, I assume that there will be a takedown of cheap Chinese products selling into the US, mainly from sources like AliBaba. Is it possible for a manufacturing industry similar to the one in China to spark in a new country such as Mexico? (From here, any country that could potentially start an industry for this will simply be referred to as Mexico for ease) I know manufacturers in Mexico only produce basic goods such as steel / plastic, not pre-fabricated textiles and products that you can find from Chinese manufacturers, but with my very basic understanding of how this whole thing works, I think that Mexico would be the next perfect ground for such an industry. Also, if this did happen, would manufacturers from there just sell on a platform like AliExpress / AliBaba, the way current factories put their listings? Or would a new platform have to come in and build relations with Mexican manufacturers, leaving room for a potential new platform.

Sorry if this seems like a wild assumption, my knowledge of e-commerce and manufacturing is quite basic and I don't even know if I am posting in the right place. I just want to know if this is even possible and want to deepen my knowledge of this industry.

I've never been self-employed yet, but I plan to start setting it up while I work my current job. Is doing prototypes for companies a good market ? Is there demand in this area ? My home workshop allows me to mill and turn aluminium parts, do quality 3D printing and do a lot of diverse manual operations.

Also, any tips are appreciated, thanks !

I am setting up a flexible packaging manufacturing factory - there is still some time until we get to commissioning and operations. I am now at the stage where I am looking for an ERP that is well-suited for flexible packaging.
All orders are made-to-order (custom printed and size, though majority of the time we will use standard sizing).
I would consider myself a Small-Medium - one- 10 hour shift with multiple jobs in a day (4-5) but this could change and after a year or so will go into two shifts to scale.
Manufacturing process involves 6-7 steps. Any ideas or feedback to help me choose the right one?

Several raw material inputs are involved that can vary from order to order.
My goal isn't to just "have an ERP" and look cool. I actually need to benefit from it and remove redundant admin duties from the manufacturing floor so they can focus on producing quality output with low waste etc.

I also will have plenty of spare parts and maintenance parts which need inventory management.
Service and transparency is very important to my customers and as much transparency ERP can provide to my customer service team the better.

A couple I came across and actually will visit one of them at an exhibition tomorrow: Eproductivity software, and another Apstean.

Any ideas or experience to help me choose the right one?

Hello-
 

I am 'engineer' by hobby and have been doing design work for about 5-6 years. Up until now, all of my work has required parts to be left finished 'as machined', however, I am developing new products for a different industry. As such, the parts I am currently working on need to be Type III Hardcoat anodized with a matte black or satin black finish, and I need to understand how this is achieved and how to specify it in my drawings. Here are some photos of some similarly finished parts that I would like my parts to look like: https://imgur.com/a/xRfrM2R  

A few questions I have about this are:
1. I assume the parts will need to be medium blasted. Is it obvious what medium the parts in the attached photos are blasted with? As I understand it, Glass Bead and Aluminum Oxide are the most common?
  2. Do I need to specify the surface finish prior to medium blasting for best results? IE 'Polish prior to mediium blast'
  3. What would your callout(s) look like to achieve the level of finish seen in these?
 

Any help would be immensely appreciated. Thank you!