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Risky business: The trade war and American farmers

Seth Sandronsky Food & Beverage

Chinese authorities recently announced an end to U.S. agricultural imports following President Trump’s threat to hike tariffs by 10% on $300 billion on Chinese imports, effective Sept. 1. That is bad news for U.S. farmers. What follows is a look at what some industry groups and politicians are doing and saying in response to the situation. "This trade war with China needs to come to an end. It is doing a lot of damage now and we are concerned about the long term," said Gary Wertish, the elected president of the Minnesota Farmers Union.

Infographic: The cost of downtime

Brian Wallace Science & Technology

When the system stops, so does business. So, it is in your interest to resolve any problem as quickly as possible, and more than that, to prevent downtime in the first place. This is where infrastructure monitoring comes in. Every operating system is unique, and if you have a mixed IT infrastructure, you need a server monitoring service that caters to them all. There are several ways to look after your IT infrastructure. Learn more with this infographic.

How to role model good choices for your employees

Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk Management

I am not advocating parenting your employees. But some of your employees may not have had the best role models in their life, so they have undeveloped critical judgment skills and poor decision-making with an inability to predict the consequences of their behavior. I worked with a young lady once who had barely been on the job for one week before asking for a day off to go shopping with her mother. That judgment is bad enough, but she confided to me that her mother had advised her to simply call in sick and not risk asking for the day off!

Meeting production goals with remote conditioning monitoring

Abhishek Jadhav Manufacturing

Hitting production goals are key to driving revenue and growth for any manufacturer. But there are many unknown factors in the road to production. Equipment failure and downtime have no place in plants with aggressive goals. In this article, we will discuss how conditioning monitoring can help diagnose potential problems and prioritize addressing those issues by revealing the presence and development of defects. By taking advantage of remote condition monitoring, those same manufacturers can gather the insights necessary to safely maximize production while minimizing disruption.

A climate of change: What should your organization do?

Linda Popky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The data show the earth is getting hotter — hotter now than it’s been since records were first kept in 1880. The rise in temperature affects animal and marine life and causes potentially devastating dangers for people. What should we do about it? How involved should businesses and associations be on this issue? Will support one way or the other help or hurt your business? Here are a few points to consider.

Are manufacturing wages stagnating?

Michelle R. Matisons Manufacturing

While some argue that a $15 per hour minimum wage still does not provide a living wage, it’s an improvement for all workers regardless of pay disparities among various sectors. At first glance, manufacturing would be one sector least affected by a minimum wage hike. But let's compare recent increases in manufacturing wages. In July 2018, the average manufacturing wage was $21.43. One year later, in June 2019, average wages topped off at $22.03, slightly down from May’s $22.04. This suggests incremental wage growth has now halted: is there wage stagnation in the manufacturing sector?

AI, IoT converge to create a new technology superpower: AIoT

Joseph Zulick Science & Technology

When people hear the terms artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT), most think of modern advances in a futuristic world like those that have been depicted in science-fiction franchises. Many of those predictions are now coming to fruition in this Fourth Industrial Revolution that is currently transforming the way the world works. Even though the full capabilities of AI and IoT are still in their relative infancies, these two technology superpowers are now being combined across every industry to provide scenarios where information and problem-solving can improve outcomes for all stakeholders.

England’s Manston Airport set to reopen for flights and cargo

Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & Automotive

Thankfully, news of airports closing down is a rare occurrence, despite the challenges faced by increasing competition and capturing a slice of the passenger or cargo market. However, for the historic Manston Airport south of London, closure was a reality and since May 2014 the site has been abandoned, awaiting approval for a very different future. The plan had been to put housing and other development on the sprawling airport site. Now, in a major shift, the new owners of the airport have plans to restart flights and develop it once again as a center for aviation.

Seeking silence: Ultimately, it’s an inside job

Lisa Cole Mental Healthcare

Noise — it's everywhere! Noisemakers abound: fans, compressors, leaf blowers. Even libraries, once a respite enshrouded in a tomblike hush, have now become community headquarters. Am I the only one left seeking silence in what seems like a deafening world? From the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: "Sound is what we hear. Noise is unwanted sound. The difference between sound and noise depends upon the listener and the circumstances."

Workers put spotlight on Amazon’s less-than-‘Prime’ labor…

Michelle R. Matisons Distribution & Warehousing

Amidst the hustle and bustle of Amazon Prime Day, which began July 15 and ran through the following day, laborers' voices are also being heard. This is because the world's largest and wealthiest online retailer continues to report massive earnings that do not trickle down to all workers. That has led many to organize at Amazon Fulfillment Centers globally. While Amazon's full-time wage increases place it on par with other, more solid $15 per hour wage positions, employees are reeling from what’s called the "rate." This is the expected working pace of a job, and Amazon offers a uniquely high-tech way to tell workers they are falling behind: a machine that surveils and warns them.

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