Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has the potential to revolutionize both prototyping and manufacturing in the field of industrial casting. By fusing metal powders, manufacturers can rapidly create near-net castings from designs, reducing the costs of metal finishing and material removal. The aerospace industry is ground zero for such innovation, with players like GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, taking the lead.
November 13, 2017Trade of paper and paperboard products has been roiled by recent environmental initiatives in China. In January 2018, the Chinese government began enforcing its National Sword policy, which banned imports of recycled paper with contamination (presence of foreign objects) rates over 0.5%. Furthermore, as part of the US-China trade war, China has levied tariffs on recovered paper imports. How has this impacted the US paper recycling industry?
October 9, 2019Roy Amara once said, “We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run”. In the machine tool market, additive manufacturing promises to be revolutionary, enabling the production of parts that would be nigh-impossible to create with conventional machine tools. How is additive manufacturing going to impact the types of parts and profitability of machine shops in the future?
February 22, 2019Airbnb has quickly grown from a novel idea to rent air mattresses to strangers for a night to a major player in the lodging and travel industry, and the growth has caught the attention of numerous parties.
June 19, 2019Suppliers of fresh, frozen, and processed meat and poultry are facing increased competition from producers of meat substitutes. Manufacturers of such products include Beyond Meat, Kellogg Company’s MorningStar Farms, and Impossible Foods. As these companies continue to improve the taste and texture (e.g., ability to sizzle on a grill) of plant-based patties and other meat substitutes, more individuals are experimenting with these products. The increased availability of meat substitutes on restaurant menus and grocery store shelves is also spurring sales.
January 21, 2019While the US commercial printing industry is forecast to undergo slight declines to 2021, some portions of the sector are expected to escape the broader funk and flourish...
May 9, 2017People love amusement parks. They’re a fun experience to share with family and friends. Even so, it’s getting hard for a park to compete with ubiquitous electronic amusements, let alone other parks. They’re having to step up their game and crank the thrills to eleven with regular investment in top-notch attractions. But bankrolling a world-class coaster or expansion isn’t easy, and operators are turning over every couch cushion to find new sources of revenue.
June 1, 2018Houston, Texas removed glass from its curbside recycling program back in March of 2016 as a result of increasing processing costs and budget constraints. Similar developments in other cities paint a glum picture for the future of the recovered glass industry. Or do they?
February 22, 2017Since the depths of the recession, multi-family residential projects have emerged as a star in the building construction market for architectural service providers. From 2011 to 2015, multi-unit housing projects experienced double-digit yearly growth in unit starts, while annual expenditures vaulted 24% at a minimum between 2012 and 2015. This surge in the construction of new multi-unit residential buildings has been evident in many large US cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.
January 18, 2017With the recent federal decision to allow sports betting, states are leaping at the opportunity to seize their share of the legal take. eSports – the competitive play of video games – is set to be the next sports gambling opportunity. Are states and those in the gambling industry ready?
September 17, 2018