As Standards Change, So Do the Bodies That Set Them
Traditional standards organizations are quickly learning that the speed of technological innovation is spawning a new wave of decision makers -- the industry consortia. In recent years, standardization has gone through a metamorphosis. Whereas national institutions and the test of time in the marketplace have been the traditional arbiters of standardization, the ever-quickening pace of technology...
Read More »PDM: Not Just for the Big Boys Anymore
Product data management software (PDM), championed for years by large companies, has recently dropped in price, making it available for the first time to many small and mid-sized firms. In addition to its affordability, PDM also has a slew of new functions to consider. Product data management (PDM) has, until recently, been utilized exclusively by larger manufacturers, an imbalance of...
Read More »Find a Local Supplier or Service
Make ThomasRegional.com your next stop. Whether you're an engineer specifying a part or a purchasing professional in need of a supplier who can get it to you when you need it, http://www.ThomasRegional.com/news?issue=nI15 offers a fast and easy solution. * SOURCE as locally as you need or as far as you require from over 550,000 distributors, manufacturers and service companies searchable by...
Read More »A Dynamic Duo: Thermoplastics and Compressed Air Systems
Automation technology is on the rise -- and so is the need for extremely durable materials within these systems. After much trial and error, an ideal plastic has been engineered that fits the bill. In the age of automation, the use of contaminant-free compressed air systems has become commonplace. Paint and protective coating sprays, robotic assembly tools and heavy-duty packaging machinery all...
Read More »Streamlining Your Supply Chain with Software
Maintaining a competitive edge in today's marketplace requires a lean and mean supply chain. With the recent proliferation of software solutions, find out which one is the best for you. Despite the tightening of technology spending, AMR Research estimates that companies will spend about $7.8 billion this year buying and installing supply chain management software. The anticipated boom in spending...
Read More »XML: B2B Standards Soon to be Established
The lack of a widely accepted protocol has hindered the implementation of Extensible Markup Language (XML) in e-business. However, an international initiative involving some of the biggest names in industry is closer than ever before to standardization. Anyone with the slightest interest in e-Commerce has by now heard of Extensible Markup Language (XML). It was designed as a protocol for use in...
Read More »Regional Forecasts for the PVF Industry
The U.S. pipe, valves and fittings industry faces mixed weather in 2001, with some areas expected to experience upswings and others, downturns. Members of the industrial PVF (pipe, valves and fittings) industry have once again predicted an upswing in their market and yet, year after year, reality rarely coincides with expectation. Although the stainless steel segment has gained some ground, the...
Read More »Government & Industry Update
Learn why President Bush has allocated millions of dollars for the expansion of government e-procurement in his latest budget plan and how the U.S. Navy has jumped on the PDA bandwagon. One of the proposals included in President Bush's 10-year budget plan is an effort to expand the government's online purchasing. The proposal comes in the form of a $100 million allocation, over a three-year...
Read More »Engineers Find More Free Time with CAD CD's
When engineers can save time by not having to redraw parts, they have more free time to focus on the big picture. Thousands of professionals are turning to CD parts libraries to find predrawn components they can incorporate directly into their designs. Productivity. It's more than a buzzword in today's business world. Maximizing productivity is a cold hard fact of life that touches every...
Read More »SI Measurement May Finally Bring Consistency
A universal system known as the International System of Units affords engineers a more reliable and efficient means of measurement. Though some engineers are oblivious to its existence, there is a system of measurement that has achieved what was once thought of as impossible, true consistency. Taking the base logic of the metric system a step further, this modern means of measurement is known...
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