General Information

The Manufacturer's Outlook Survey was just released by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) for the fourth quarter of 2023. Once again and without surprise, one of the main concerns of the manufacturing industry as we work our way into the first quarter of 2024 is potentially demanding economic conditions.

Even with a decrease in manufacturers' confidence, over 66% of those surveyed see solid demand for their company's products. Workforce challenges continue to be a concern, with 71% of manufacturers having trouble attracting and maintaining qualified candidates.

2024 industrial manufacturing focal points include but are not limited to:

• Talent attraction and retention
• Digital technologies
• Supply chain strategies
• Sustainability and movement to the lowest carbon emissions possible

Three of these

Technology has advanced significantly in industrial knife manufacturing and it's not simply limited to the manufacturing floor. At American Cutting Edge, our consistent goal for over 50-years has been to make cutting effortless through the application of technology to add value to and improve the customer experience.

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently. “ Warren Buffett

In the past several years we've made a number of technological improvements in our business. Some have been behind the scenes like a new accounting system and improved connectivity that allows our sales and administrative work-force to serve customers from their homes during these unprecedented times. Other changes, like our new website, are much more visible. No matter what the purpose, all are designed with one end goal “ to make

At American Cutting Edge, our goal is to make cutting effortless for our customers. We've been working toward an effortless experience since 1965.

The American Cutting Edge website is more than just a place for our valued customers to order replacement blades, knives, and wear parts. AmericanCuttingEdge.com is a true customer portal providing unprecedented ACE experience access.

Here are the top 5 reasons to buy ACE brand knives online

1. Buy on your time

   Our time is more limited than ever in today's busy world. As it is often said, Time is money. Online shoppers don't have to

Incineration

Bio-based plastics that cannot be disposed of via normal recycling processes can still be used for energy. Waste incineration plants can capture carbon dioxide from incinerated bio-based plastics to create new bio-based products.

The Role of Industrial Machine Knives and the Plastics Loop

Regardless of which Plastics Loop is required, industrial dies,

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) released its Manufacturer's Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter of 2022. It comes as no surprise that one of the main concerns of the manufacturing industry as we work our way into the first quarter of 2023 is potentially demanding economic conditions. With unease regarding inflation, leftover supply chain disruptions from the pandemic, and the workforce shortage, manufacturers' confidence has declined.

Despite a decrease in manufacturers' confidence, there are bright spots in the 2023 outlook. Over 63% of those surveyed see a solid demand for their company's products.

Additionally, manufacturers plan to invest in:

• Capital spending on new equipment and technological investments
• Training for their existing workforce
• Hiring new employees
• R&D
• New buildings and improvements for existing structures

As business leaders move into 2023, three trends stand out as factors that could impact industrial business as we navigate through an uncertain economy.

In annual predictions, there is almost always a mention of the importance of employees and talent retention. In today's workforce, the need to actively manage a strategy for the development and retention of people is more critical than ever. With the tight labor market continuing, recruiting, and retaining the right people continues to be a challenge.

At American Cutting Edge (ACE), our people are the core of our business. And we hire our employees based on our core values. Curiosity and sharing knowledge is important to our organization. We encourage learning and promote an environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and mutual respect among all colleagues. This mutual respect and fairness then naturally extends to how we treat our customers, shares Director of Human Resources Yolanda Evers.

Recent data from Google Search Trends indicates that demand for warehouse and factory jobs is still climbing. If the number of employees who leave their jobs continues to decrease and demand for manufacturing jobs continues to rise, employers should be able to make a move to reduce overhead costs with more balanced compensation packages. This will help employers gain leverage in employment offer negotiations and help reduce overhead via fairer wages.

Taking into consideration that manufacturing is constantly evolving, it's going to be critical for employers to continue to train new and existing personnel in new and expanded skills to keep up with industry demand. According to Evers, training and planning for our current workforce to expand their understanding of technology is an investment we're more than willing to make. We're constantly looking for ways to develop and attract talent. Finding programs that help us keep ahead of the technology curve as much as possible helps us develop and attract future leaders who will help take ACE to the next level.

The advancement of workforce skills helps employers reduce the skills gap while retaining valuable employees. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives will become increasingly important to get more people involved in the manufacturing sector. To help drive the DEI movement, the U.S. government has released The National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing to Expand and diversify the advanced manufacturing talent pool.

Technology is the Key to the Future

Whether we're talking about Industry 5.0, advanced ERP systems, or technological progress in general, it's clear that there is no escaping the need for more advanced technology in manufacturing. McKinsey research predicts that by 2030, just seven short years from now, the share of physical and manual labor in the economy will have fallen by 27 percent. In its place will be skills that demand more technological and cognitive abilities.

Overlooking the condition and care of your knives during route machine maintenance can be costly and dangerous. Knife sharpening and replacement is sometimes passed over instead of more critical maintenance needs. In some cases, the task of sharpening and maintaining knives is entrusted to a general machine shop out of convenience and expense.

Not all grinding and sharpening operations are created equally. When you work with a general machine shop, they have grinding equipment on-hand that can work a piece of metal and they probably have sharpening capabilities that work well in many circumstances. When it comes to the type of precision equipment you run for your cutting operation and the capital investment you've made in your machinery, you want to make sure that you're working with a true knife expert that has cutting application experience.

As you conduct routine maintenance on your machinery, it's common to take a look at your machine knives and evaluate them for replacement or sharpening. It's not unusual for knife sharpening to be delayed in place of other more critical maintenance needs. However, overlooking the condition and taking care of your knives as a priority during routine machine upkeep can be a very costly and even dangerous move.

It's easy to drop your knives off at a general machine shop for sharpening because they're close by, they have a grinder, and let's face it. It's easy. However, do you know that working with a general machine shop that doesn't understand industrial knives can negatively impact your cutting operation? It's true. This article provides three solid reasons you should work with an industrial knife specialist. The fact is, a sharpening operation with special knowledge of metallurgy, precision grinding, and cutting applications can provide a level of service and performance

As an industrial manufacturer, you have a lot of steps in your production process. You might not give much thought to the impact replacement knives, blades, wear parts, and hardware have on your operation. The reality is that balancing the amount of these components to keep on-hand for your cutting operation is a significant challenge. Regardless of the industry, having the right amount of replacement part inventory on-hand can have a significant impact on the business. Working with the right supplier not only helps organizations manage the financial aspects of extra knives, blades, and parts but also helps keep production running in the event of a major knife failure.

Let's start with the definition of a warehouse agreement. Also known as inventory management programs, these agreements come in different forms, which we will cover later in this blog. The

When most people think about intelligence, they focus on whether an individual is smart. This type of intelligence is known as IQ. Does the person have the ability to learn and apply their knowledge and skills? No one can deny that intellect is incredibly important in the workplace. But, there are other types of intelligence that are equally or even more critical. Let's be honest, you can be the smartest person in the room but if you can't relate to others, work with people who are different than you, or communicate your ideas, everyone will struggle.

One particular type of intelligence that has been getting a lot of press recently is

Reconsider OEM Replacement Knives, Blades Wear Parts

Ordering replacement knives, blades, and wear parts for industrial machinery seems like it should be a pretty straightforward task. Call the manufacturer of the equipment, order the parts needed, and wait for them to arrive. If you limit yourself to ordering directly from the OEM, you could be missing out on an opportunity to optimize performance, improve stock availability, increase yield, and decrease your investment. Keeping all that in mind, it's too much to sacrifice without checking out your options.

Skilled industrial knife manufacturers can be an excellent resource for supplying the replacement industrial machine knives, razor blades, and wear parts you need. Here are some of the reasons why it can really pay to look beyond the OEM when you need replacements.