Recent Posts
Part I: American Manufacturing—Past, Present, & Future
Posted on 5/8/25 12:25 PM
Will Manufacturing Become This Century’s Roaring ’20s? The foundation for the reemergence of American manufacturing is happening quickly after nearly five decades of ramping up outsourcing—at least the corporate manufacturing pledges of $8 trillion and counting during the writing of this article trend in a positive direction. While new manufacturing is still a work in progress, let’s review the unwinding of what was the manufacturing sector in America.
Topics: manufacturing, Global Markets
To “B” or not to “B” . . . Crimping Flexible Power Cords
Posted on 6/27/24 2:37 PM
By automation or manually by hand, Interpower® crimps bridges for country-specific plugs, and IEC 60320 connectors onto miles of flexible cable it manufactures each year. For cord sets, the optimal crimp is one that provides the most electrical contact between the conductors of stranded wire and its bridge or connector—the B crimp provides optimal electrical contact for flexible cable.
Topics: product design, testing, manufacturing, crimps
A Day in the Life of an Interpower Molder
Posted on 12/20/23 2:13 PM
At 7 a.m., Jess, an Interpower Level 2 molder, prepares the ENGEL injection molding machine to mold Continental European (CEE) Cord sets. The CEE plugs will be molded onto 1 mm² international cable, and Jess checks to make sure the 100-lb. CEE mold and proper steel inserts are in place. An additional team member verifies that the correct mold inserts are in place.
Topics: power cord, power cord made to order, international power components, product development, manufacturing, product information, molding
Just-in-Time (JIT) & Just-in-Case (JIC)—Which Inventory Strategy is Right for You?
Posted on 11/21/23 8:11 AM
In postwar Japan, Taiichi Ohno was tasked with rebuilding the Japanese car market from scratch. Known as the father of the Japanese Toyota Production System (TPS), Ohno inherited limited raw materials in a fledgling automotive market—the behemoth Fordesque assembly lines employed in the U.S. were too sprawling for Japan’s compact approach.
Topics: shipping, manufacturing, supply chain, JIC, JIT
Wing-clipped Port of Los Angeles TEUs Plummeted 17% in August
Posted on 10/18/22 9:41 AM
East and Gulf Coast Ports Overtake West Coast in Imports The backlash at America’s largest seaport seemed inevitable. Not that many months ago, upwards of 120 ghost ships languished well off L.A.’s coastline waiting to berth and offload cargo.
Topics: designing for export, USA Made Products, shipping, manufacturing