Mechanical Engineering: Pressing Problems and Emerging Solutions
The mechanical engineering sector has played a significant role in the innovation of renewable energy and green technology. Due to this role, many industry leaders have a high awareness of both economic and ecological problems related to climate change, as well as a vested interest in creating solutions.
Putting aside the question of whether climate change is natural or human-made, at Pivot International, we’ve earned a reputation for our agile and innovative supply chain solutions. Thanks to our global network, we’re well prepared to protect our partners against threats posed by climatic disruptions, as well as geopolitical upheaval and currency fluctuations.
This article briefly explores some of the mechanical industry’s primary concerns related to global climate change, as well as emerging solutions.
The US-China Trade War
American tariffs on Chinese goods have brought both economic and ecological impact. Economically, the trade war “will cut 2019 global growth to its slowest pace since the 2008-2009 financial crisis,” and both countries are grappling with how to reprioritize spending. Ecologically, the trade climate is rendering low-carbon products and processes challenging to obtain.
In 2017, solar equipment firms penned a letter to the ITC in an attempt to stop the tariffs on imported solar modules. The firms stated that the tariffs would undercut “the cost-competitiveness of solar” and reverse “its high growth trajectory. We would be forced to cut our operations, seriously endangering manufacturing jobs at our factories.”
Their concerns were justified. The Solar Energy Industries “estimates that nearly $8 billion in new solar investments capable of generating 7 GW were lost due to tariffs, along with the loss of 9,000 jobs due to layoffs or hiring freezes, far less than the expected increase in manufacturing jobs.”
Unions as a Resolution
At the mechanical engineering sector world conference in Germany, IndustriALL General Secretary Valter Sanches spoke of the need for a “union 4.0.“ Unions, according to Sanches, must formulate new global agreements.
Matthias Hartwich also stated that unions must act soon, “otherwise [the transformation] will be left to the decision of companies and their management alone, and then change will happen to the workforce rather than with them. We need to be proactive and put forward our demands and proposals.”
Competition From Platform-Based Companies
According to Forrester’s James Staten: “A platform business makes money from services delivered via apps and APIs on a scalable technical foundation that customers and suppliers can integrate into their operations, incorporate into their offerings, and extend through their contributions.”
There are concerns that the platform-based company is overpowering mechanical engineering. Platforms, however, need the data that mechanical engineers supply. Engineering companies hence “need to be careful that they do not end up as hardware vendors competing to make products for platforms.”
In the words of Ahmed Ghoniem, the Ronald C. Crane Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, “global warming is a global problem.” What’s more, there is no single mechanical engineering solution to the problem. “Unless we all agree to work on it, invest resources to develop and scale solutions, and collectively implement these solutions,” Ghoniem warns, “we will have to live with the negative consequences.”
In an industry where the margin for error is incredibly small and incredibly costly, and in a world where supply chain disruption is a constant and ever-escalating risk, partnering with Pivot provides protection against both immanent and potential threats to your business’ bottom line.
Do you have a product idea that can help move us toward a cleaner, greener future or need help securing your supply chain? If you’re seeking advanced expertise in mechanical design, development, production, or any other services we provide, request a free consultation. Contact us today to get started!
Industry 4.0 and Industrial Product Engineering
In his book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, demonstrates that industry is currently undergoing a fourth revolution — a great “turning” — in the way we build and deliver the products that drive our global economy.
This fourth turning — preceded by the first in the late 1700s with the appearance of factories, the second in the early twentieth century with the appearance of the automobile, and the third after World War II with the advent of computers — is characterized by technological advancements in artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), smart manufacturing, and increasing automation.
With B2B spending on IoT technology, apps, and solutions predicted to reach $267 billion by 2020, “Industry 4.0” is driving “creative destruction” along three vectors that are changing the face of industrial product engineering:
1. Virtual prototyping and augmented reality
The design process is being increasingly simulated in the digital world to test and perfect products not only long before they go to market but long before they are ever physically created. Digital simulation dramatically reduces the margin for unforeseen error in product design and development, vetting a product at a phase where redesign is not only feasible but highly cost-effective.
Combined with augmented reality solutions that allow designers, engineers, manufacturers, marketers, and other stakeholders — even those on different continents — to easily view and collaborate on a product at any stage of its creation, digital simulations are breaking down barriers between design and development and between those involved at the various stages of a product’s lifecycle.
2. 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing)
3D printing, a manufacturing process that is disrupting traditional industrial product engineering practices, enables three-dimensional objects to be built from successively deposited layers of material. Starting with a 3D model of the desired product that has been digitally rendered with computer-aided-design (CAD) or with a digital scan of an existing product or part, the model is digitally “sliced” into cross-sectional layers, resulting in a digital “blueprint” that is sent to the printer. The 3D printer then operates according to the instructions in the blueprint by extruding “ink” (this ink can be synthetic, organic, or even biological material) that eventuates in a three-dimensional object.
3D printing brings with it a wealth of unprecedented possibilities, including the ability to dispense with the expensive process of specialized tooling, the ability to generate geometrically complex designs precluded by traditional manufacturing techniques, and a means to overcome the glaring inefficiencies of the traditional supply chain.
3. Smart factories
Manufacturing facilities are becoming increasingly “smart” (responsive, adaptive, connected) with cloud computing and sensor technology connected to the IoT. The smart factory is a giant leap beyond traditional automation, comprising a highly integrated and flexible system capable of learning and adapting to real-time demands as fed by an everflowing stream of data from IoT-enabled operations and production systems.
As explored in an article by Deloitte, the smart factories that are leading industrial product engineering into the future can “integrate data from system-wide physical, operational, and human assets to drive manufacturing, maintenance, inventory tracking, digitization of operations through the digital twin, and other types of activities across the entire manufacturing network. The result can be a more efficient and agile system, less production downtime, and a greater ability to predict and adjust to changes in the facility or broader network.”
The wheels of Industry 4.0 are rapidly turning, and if you’re ready to revolutionize your operations or are trying to bring a product to market, we can help. At Pivot, we have a track record of over forty years of expert experience in partnering with manufacturers to achieve state-of-the-art operations, and with businesses to help them successfully launch new products. Contact us today and see what we can do for you.
Experts Share Profound Advice on Innovative Product Engineering
Looking for a bit of inspiration to get those product ideas flowing? Take a look at the following advice from the world’s most renowned innovation experts.
Product Engineering Advice
- “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” — Bill Gates
This business magnate, investor, and computer programmer just might be the world’s most famous inventor. The former chief executive and chairman of Microsoft — the world’s largest personal-computer software company — Bill Gates almost single-handedly ignited the personal computer revolution. When it comes to innovation, Gates offers a piece that is a bit unorthodox, but tremendously useful: keep your eyes on your unhappy customers. One of the greatest skills you can have an entrepreneur and innovator is to be able to objectively utilize customer feedback and use it to improve your products and services. Remember, customers, are often unhappy because you aren’t meeting a particular need. If you can figure out a way to meet that need, it will make your business that much better.
- “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar
That magical motivation to create and innovate doesn’t just magically maintain itself — it takes practice, dedication, and hard work. That means you need to develop daily habits that foster innovation and creativity. Innovation isn’t a fleeting flash of brilliance, it’s a lifestyle.
- “Chase the vision, not the money, the money will end up following you.” — Tony Hsieh
Zappos founder and CEO Tony Hsieh is a true e-commerce pioneer. Zappos has totally revolutionized the shoe market, as well as e-commerce as a whole. His advice to focus on your vision, not money is powerful. Too many entrepreneurs end up chasing profits instead of dedicating their time and energy into the >development of a truly innovative product
- “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.” — Richard Branson
English entrepreneur and investor Richard Branson knows all about breaking the rules. The tremendously successful founder of Virgin Group, which today is comprised of over 400 companies, including the iconic Virgin Records music label, Branson struggled with dyslexia and was always a poor student. On his last day of high school, it is reported that his headmaster reportedly said, “You will either end up in prison or a millionaire.” The latter of the two options obviously became a reality, but because of his academic difficulties, Branson subsequently blazed his own trail toward success, breaking a great number of rules along the way. After high school, he started selling records out of a local church, advertising the sales in a popular magazine. Selling records at a considerably lower price than mainstream outlets, his business model instigated a number of long-term changes in the music industry and paved the way for his eventual establishment of an entire music empire.
Pivot International is a product design, development, and manufacturing firm with extensive experience in the medtech industry. If you are interested in engineering a new product or updating an existing product, contact us at 1-877-206-5001 or request your free consultation today.
