On Wednesday, Aric Newhouse, the Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Relations of the National Association of Manufacturer (NAM) released a statement concerning the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Cement MACT and Boiler MACT regulations. Mr. Newhouse stated that the House will have an opportunity to protect manufacturing jobs and economic growth when they meet later this week. They can do so by passing legislation to stop the EPA from executing the Cement MACT and Boiler MACT rules.

The Cement MACT will cost the industry $3.4 billion over the next three years, while the Boiler MACT will cost manufacturers $14 billion to install devices on boilers in an attempt to reach almost impossible levels. These costly regulations will without a doubt put many industry jobs at risk.

While the manufacturing industry understands the importance of environmental protection it is only now slowly recovering from the economic downturn, and the EPA’s overregulation threatens manufacturers businesses and jobs. NAM states that these regulations will greatly increase energy costs and make it difficult for businesses to compete. As a result, NAM is urging congress to pass the Cement Sector Regulatory Act and the EPA Regulatory Relief Act in an effort to rein in the EPA. NAM is wholly committed to working with Congress to establish climate and energy policies that will protect the environment while at the same time preserving industry jobs and development.

On the other side of the coin, the White House said the NAM’s bill may override some long overdue requirements to reduce air pollution from industrial boilers, solid waste incinerators and cement plants. The bills may also lessen the EPA’s ability to ensure that the standards it develops are implemented to protect Americans and their families from pollutants. So the question remains, where is the happy medium for both parties? There is no doubt though that manufacturers need to be aware and act immediately.

No matter what the outcome of the political debate, all industrial employees should have a complete and relevant skill set to their trade. Especially if the EPS’s new regulations come into play, workers will need to know how and when protocol will change. The only way to ensure your employees are properly trained for their job is through quality industrial skills training courses. ITC offers an array of online courseware. Click here, to view our expansive online catalogue of online courseware and additional products, including CD-ROM courses and full motion video courseware.

According to the most recent Beige Book of the Federal Reserve Board, lately there has been more manufacturing activity in the Midwest and West than in the Mid-Atlantic region. While Cleveland reported a decrease in auto production, the decline was not alarming as it is expected this time of year due to normal seasonal retooling for model changes. Chicago reported a leveling off of auto production in August after a great month in July. Some commercial Aircraft manufacturers in the San Francisco area said production rates were greatly increasing due to new orders for air crafts with a more narrow body. A metal manufacturer in the Minneapolis district said they planned to expand a facility in Northwestern Montana. The capacity utilization in the steel industry also continued at record high levels in the Chicago area. Overall, the industry seems to be looking great and is growing at a steady pace. Research done by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago noted that manufacturing production increased by 0.6% in August, its fourth consecutive month showing improvement.

The hiring rate has also increased. The employment index was reported to have risen from 1 to 7. While the price of raw materials has been said to have gone up at an annual rate of 2.8%, it is surely an improvement from the 4.6% reported last month. Most manufacturers have also been able to receive more for their products, with pricing having increased approximately 1.61%. The prices for raw materials are expected to continue to rise and may permit continued pricing pressure.

With growth looking bright for the industry, the demand for skilled industrial workers will be at an all-time high. ITC Learning is devoted to providing employers and employees with the most user friendly online courseware by utilizing SCORM and full motion video courseware. ITC Learning’s online industrial training will aid workers to enhance their skill sets and stay up to date with the latest industrial technologies.

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As the last months of 2011 near, many manufacturers have considered what the remainder of the year will look like for their industry. The ups and downs of the economy have surely wearied us all, however things are looking bright for some manufacturers in the United States. With a positive outlook on revenue, employment and growth, industrial manufacturers may be in for a treat. The New York Times article, “Factory Field Trip” provides an insight into the struggles and achievements of Gray Construction and examines the importance of quality industrial training as well as how having trained workers with the appropriate skill sets for their trade may help turn the industry around.

A leading buying consortium for manufacturers, Prime Advantage, released the results of its 8^th Prime Advantage Group Outlook Survey. Prime Advantage surveys executives and purchasing professionals that represent manufacturing firms with annual revenues stretching from $10 million to $1 billion. The firms embody U.S. based manufacturers in more than 25 different industries including commercial food service, material handling and construction. The results of the survey showed solid growth projections for the remainder of 2011. The manufacturers surveyed are said to have taken a leap of faith and heavily invested in product development during the economic downturn. As a result, nearly 40 % claim new products and customers are stimulating growth and expect revenues to increase in the remaining months of 2011. Only 13 % forecast a drop in revenues due to expected slowing in particular markets. Almost 80% of those surveyed say capital spending on items such as property or equipment would either increase or stay the same. 36% claim employment rates will increase, while 52% expect them to stay the same. The graph below depicts the revenue expectations for manufacturers over the past year.

ITC Learning’s online industrial training courseware offers in depth training for your all industrial employees. We offer a variety of training courses, including maintenance training, control training, process training, hydraulic training, air compressor training and many more. Whatever your business expectations are for the remainder of the year, your employees should be appropriately trained for their trade. And with properly trained employees your business will grow exponentially.

Click here, to read the full article, “Factory Field Trip”

When it comes to industrial trades, safety should be the number one concern for all employers and employees. Working in plants, on site and with heavy machinery are risky jobs. Often industrial workers come in contact with harsh chemicals, electrical circuits and dangerous tools on a daily basis. Because of the nature of their work relevant safety training is essential to the well-being of your staff and your business.

Proper maintenance and operation of on the job equipment is critical to avoid injuries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that on average, for every 100 full-time workers, 4.3 non-fatal occupational injuries are reported in the manufacturing industry. In an effort to protect workers from injury and illness in high-hazard workplaces, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an annual inspection plan under the Site-Specific Targeting 2011 (SST-11) program. The program will inspect non-construction workplaces with more than 20 employees. Establishments are randomly selected from a list of more than 3,700 manufacturing and non-manufacturing facilities. The OSHA will inspect all facets of each establishment’s operations to determine how effective their safety and health efforts are.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 has made employers responsible for providing their employees with safe and healthy working conditions. Employers can do so by providing personnel with safeguards and safety devices. They can post warnings and hazards as well as offer education and industrial training programs.

Unfortunately, accidents in the workplace are often unavoidable, especially when workers are dealing with hazardous equipment and materials. However, measures can be taken to help thwart those that are caused by careless mistakes and improper training. ITC learning is dedicated to training industrial employees so they can gain the proper knowledge required to operate equipment safely and correctly. Protect your business and your employees by investing in ITC’s online skills training courseware.

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While training new and existing staff will benefit the output of your employees, the ultimate objective is to maximize your return on investment. In order to do so, your company must assure those being trained understand the goals of your business and how advancing their skill sets will be critical to your company’s success as well as their own. Below are a few tips to enhance the online training experience for your employees as well as increase the chances their new skills are effectively retained and applied.

1. Clearly state your goals

By clearly defining your business goals, your employees will know exactly what is expected of them and how their training skills will apply to their daily work.

2. Offer guidance

Sometimes we forget that even adult learners need instruction. By offering your trainees support and coaching, their industrial skills training is likely to be more effective and run smoothly. With almost 70% of jobs requiring some form of training, it is important that your employees are not only properly trained but are also able to reach out to a supervisor if they are lost or confused.

3. Give your employees the opportunity to showcase their new skills

Nothing is more frustrating than spending the time to learn something and then never getting the chance to demonstrate your newly acquired skills. Make sure the industrial skills you teach your employees are relevant to their work and encourage your staff to utilize them on a daily basis.  An important skill many industrial workers must have is the ability to identify and solve problems. If properly trained, workers should ask questions and investigate problems to ensure your machinery is operating to its full potential.

4. Monitor your newly trained employees

Your employees may have recently expanded their industrial knowledge, but they are still new to the application of their skills. Monitoring their performance and assuring they have the opportunity to apply these skills will continue to help them learn and improve their skill sets.

5. Measure results

The goal of investing in skills training is to increase your bottom line. Once your employees are adequately trained and monitored, measure the results. Has their performance improved? Are they utilizing their skills properly and when necessary? Having your management address these questions and measure their output before and after training will prove to you investing in industrial training can greatly benefit your business.

ITC Learning strives to make training and retraining industrial employees easy and effective. Our online courseware is user friendly and allows you to track the progress of your employees. Click here, to learn more about the online industrial training programs ITC has to offer.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net & Renjith Krishnan

On Wednesday, September 7, 2011 the United States House of representatives voted to extend the trade program known as the Generalized System of Programs. The renewed program, which expired last year, allows tax-free entry for approximately 4,800 products from 130 developing countries. The renewal will extend the 35 year old bill through July of 2013 and will reimburse U.S. importers for any levies paid since the beginning of the year.

This bill could potentially pave the way for congressional approval of three free trade agreements with South Korea, Columbia and Panama in hopes of creating more jobs for Americans. President Obama supports the free trade bills, however has been holding off on submitting them to Congress until he is sure he will gain votes towards the workers aid program.

Before the recess in August, a few senators mentioned they agreed with both the free trade bills and the Trade Adjustment Assistant program, which provides job seeking assistance and benefits to workers who lost their jobs due to a move in production to outside the U.S. The program’s assistance for firms provides financial assistance to manufacturers who have also been affected by the import rivalry.  However, some Republicans are skeptical about the Trade Adjustment Assistance because it is expensive.

The free trade agreements with South Korea, Columbia and Panama could potentially escalate U.S. exports by about $10 billion per year. They may also aid the industry in generating more than 250,000 jobs for Americans. More than half of the tax free imports included in the free trade bill are raw materials, parts and machinery used for manufacturing products in the U.S.

By expanding export coverage the U.S will likely produce more manufacturing jobs for Americans and decrease the unemployment rate of the industry.