The US manufacturing sector has gotten some good news lately. Manufacturing activity, factory orders, and employment have continued to rise in recent months. In addition, a small boom in plant construction and renovation is actually boosting the economy as a whole. But it will be hard to make sure that this momentum continues if people don’t realize just how important manufacturing is to the economy. And that’s where National Manufacturing Day comes in. On October 3rd manufacturers all over the US opened their doors to students, teachers, and other members of the public in order to show them just what role manufacturing plays in the American economy.
At open houses and other events, manufacturers can show attendees how many jobs manufacturing supports (17.4 million), how much of our GDP the sector is responsible for creating (12.5%), and how many skilled, well-paying job opportunities there are at manufacturing companies. They can also show people how they make the components that are found in the products they use every day. Some people may believe the myth that America doesn’t make anything anymore; this day presented an opportunity for manufacturers to debunk that myth.
By showing that a strong manufacturing sector is needed to grow the US economy and shining a spotlight on all of the high-paying jobs that factories can offer, National Manufacturing Day helps encourage students to pursue the skills needed to perform these jobs. This may be the most important part of National Manufacturing Day because manufacturers cannot expand if they don’t have a skilled workforce at their disposal. The factory sector is growing now, but what about five years from now? Ten? These manufacturers won’t be able to find the workers they need if people don’t realize how important manufacturing is and learn the skills required to keep our economy growing. That is why we need National Manufacturing Day and other events like it. Many Americans may not think too much about the factories that make their stuff, but we have the ability to change that.
At MPS, we have certainly taken notice. We understand the importance of American-made items, which is why we host manufacturing and production in our California facilities. Not only has this part of the business grown steadily recently, as more and more customers are seeking “Made in the USA” products, but we also expect further growth in the coming years. We have made it a priority within our company to support American manufacturing; National Manufacturing Day is a good way to highlight the importance of why.
It finally happened. After months of rumors and conjecture, Apple has finally unveiled the iWatch, its entry into the growing smart watch market. While the possibilities of these new electronics seem to be endless, it does bring up one question: Are consumers going to want to purchase yet another device they need to charge every night when they get home from the office? What if there was a better way to keep their newest gadgets charged? There is a better way: wireless charging technology.
This technology has been in the works for a long time. In the past, there have been many people who thought it couldn’t be done, but now wireless charging technology is being used for a number of practical applications. And no matter the application or industry, magnetics are a crucial component.
Electronics aren’t the only products that can benefit from this technology. We manufacture coils for a medical device manufacturer; these coils, when placed close together, can be used to allow a medical device to recharge. One company has even developed a way to charge electric vehicles wirelessly. By using inductive power transfer technology, their device can be used to charge an electric car as fast as its battery will allow.
Wireless charging technology is clearly useful for devices large and small, but you can’t discount the importance of the magnetic components used. The magnetics not only need to work well, but they also need to be part of an energy-efficient design. And you can be sure that, as this technology continues to grow in popularity, we will continue to offer only the best in magnetic components and technology.
As manufacturing becomes more technical and requires advanced machining and applications, our team is leading the way in the custom manufacturing process. Because we service many clients in highly critical industries, we understand the importance of high quality products. With higher end applications comes the need for more engineering expertise—which is just what our custom manufacturing capabilities offer.
When a customer comes to us to request a part, they are typically looking for something that is standard, off-the-shelf. We like to think – is there a standard product out there that fits all of your specific needs? For example, with magnetic components, there are so many variations, materials, sizes, shapes, constructions, and other factors that come into play. Standard, off-the-shelf products can certainly meet requirements, but we know that our custom solutions are the most comprehensive for our customers. Additionally, we know that our custom solutions can be just as, if not more, cost effective than a standard product. Our engineering team consistently keeps cost in mind during the custom design process, as many requirements are cost sensitive in some form (such as materials, availability, etc).
Many of the components that our customers request contain advanced and intricate magnetic systems that are key factors in the design, requiring a knowledgeable engineer to design it. Our experienced engineers will design the proper product for you that meet industry requirements and guidelines. Or, if the customer already knows exactly what they’re looking for, our engineers can work with their team on the desired components. We will work with each customer to create a custom product that is ideal for their needs and meets their specifications. Our process is very flexible and is meant to be unique for each and every customer. Let us custom manufacture components for your business.
One of the most talked about and widely growing trends in energy/utility management these days is the “smart” grid.
Articles such as this one point out that the market is “expected to almost double in less than 10 years,” due to a range of demands. In general, so many products and services these days are controlled electronically, from the smart grid to motors and so much in between—companies everywhere are moving from mechanical to electronic controls.
What this means is that everything being electronically controlled needs to be monitored via sensors and transformers, and current transformers are becoming increasingly popular as a result. These current transformers monitor and measure electronic products effectively, and generally make sure everything is running smoothly. They are a very critical component in electronic design and function. In essence, they allow users to see what exactly is going on with the product, thereby maximizing the energy usage—and maintaining efficiency.
For example, when utility companies have electronically controlled power lines, they install current transformers to monitor the current going through the lines in order to ensure nothing abnormal is occurring. The same principle is true for all electronic products, no matter what the application or industry.
This is where MPS Industries plays a crucial part. We offer a range of current sense transformers, all with extremely high degrees of accuracy, many of which are available in custom designs to meet your specific needs. They are RoHS compliant, and are made with the state-of-the-art technology and quality for which all of our products are known.
We’re quite confident our sensors are built to meet the most demanding electronic-monitoring needs, and we will ensure any product is measured and maintained effectively and accurately.
We take great pride in the production of our magnetic components, and we continue to improve their quality and capabilities as technology continues to change the manufacturing world. It’s always interesting for us to see how our magnetic components fit into specific applications, which can range from a variety of different industries. Recently, we have seen the growth of two very different industries—automotive and energy—both of which our magnetic products can be used for.
Automotive
The automotive electronics market is a growing one, especially with the emergence of hybrid and electric vehicles. More and more cars are being controlled by a variety of electronics –think lighting, infotainment centers, power windows, power seats, and proximity sensors. Then you have the introduction of hybrid and electric vehicles, which count electronics as a huge part of the vehicle’s controls. With all of these electronics, you need magnetic components for support and use—this is where MPS steps in.
Not only can we provide the magnetic components for all of the new electronically-controlled features in each new generation of cars, but we also provide products that are fit for critical applications, such as the automotive industry.
Energy
With solar and wind power and green energy becoming more and more popular, the energy industry is set to become a booming industry in the next few years. As many companies are beginning to invest in energy management systems and smart grids, which are able to store energy in a grid in order to distribute the energy evenly, we are seeing a rise in the use of inverters. These inverters need the use of our magnetic components in order to properly manage the use of energy.
The auto and energy industries also have a lot in common—as electric vehicles become more dominant, so will the use of auto charging stations, which utilize a lot of energy as well. In the near future, we see both industries growing tremendously and overlapping with one another. Our company and our magnetic components will be there every step of the way, helping the vehicles run smoothly and the energy grids to stay powered on.
As a manufacturing company, it is important for us to maintain solid relationships with our suppliers, provide our customers with high quality products and services, and remain informed of the most recent trends throughout the industry and within the economy. Recently, some of our employees took a trip to China in order to visit our facilities there and ensure our Chinese production is running smoothly. Additionally, it gave us the opportunity to visit with some customers and suppliers.
One common theme we uncovered while in China was how dramatically the manufacturing landscape has been changing. In fact, almost everyone we spoke with commented on the labor issues that have been occurring in China. Many factories have closed down, or reduced their size, as a result. It was encouraging, however, to see how the strong factories have survived. Many of the Chinese factories are beginning to integrate newer technologies into the production process, including automation; our overseas factories are no different. We have put focus on the use of automation in order to improve our production process and remain competitive in the changing market. It is important to us to provide continuous support for all of our customers; this includes keeping our pricing competitive and improving the quality of our products, which we have been able to achieve through the introduction of a more automated production process. Despite the labor trends occurring in China, we are still able to maintain healthy and productive facilities there. You can watch how it’s done in our automation production video.
It was a great opportunity for us to spend two weeks in China, visiting our facilities, suppliers, and customers. We pride ourselves on offering the highest quality products and services, so we make it a point to keep up with every aspect of our business and ensure everything is top-notch.
