An EcoBoost for the Environment

There has been a great deal of talk about the future of alternative fuels. From electric to natural gas to hybrids, it often seems that the auto industry is only focused on moving away from fossil fuels and combustion engines. But in fact that is not really the case. Major auto makers like Ford know that while alternative energies heavily influence today’s automotive landscape, the near future is going to demand traditional combustion engines with increased fuel efficiency. In fact, federally-mandated CAFE (Corperate Average Fuel Economy) standards for small passenger cars will increase from today’s 36 MPG to 61 MPG in 2025. Therefore, industry leaders like Ford will need to find a way to make a 100-year-old product nearly twice as efficient in just 13 years. 

To reach these goals and still make cars and trucks that people want to drive – and can afford - Ford has designed a new line of engine, dubbed the EcoBoost.  These exciting new engines help boost fuel efficiency by shrinking the size of the internal components – while increasing performance through a combination of improved fuel injection and turbocharger technology. 

At Keats we know we are going to play a large role in this push for greater fuel efficiency. We recently designed and built a new fuelinjection steel shield that is used in modern, fuel efficient combustion engines. We’ve used four-slide and multi-slide stamping to manufacture 3,000,000 of these custom cold rolled steel shields, which were created to help all companies at the forefront of automotive manufacturing reach their lofty fuel management goals. Because we are already at the center of this burgeoning designing and manufacturing movement, Keats is well positioned to take full advantage of the next 20 years in automotive innovation and change.

Metal Stampings and Hearing Aids

With great strides in recent years, hearing aids are becoming just as technologically advanced as other electronics, like LED TVs or iPads. So maybe you can’t play Words With Friends on a hearing aid. Yet.  But the newest crop of audio assistance devices on the market do their best to achieve an unprecedented level of integration with those types of devices, and more. We take a look at those products, and some other interesting industry news, in this week’s blog.

Bluetooth support: As a cursory glance at this listof articles proves, this is one of the hottest trends in hear aids today. Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids combine the best of all worlds: environmental audio amplification, along with audio feeds from your cell phone, music player, television, and more, directly into your ear, through the device – with no wires. Fears of frequency interference and tangled connections are a thing of the past, and no longer do hearing aids need to be switched out for earphones or headsets. Truly a breakthrough in convenience and assistance for all hearing aid users.

Attractive asthetics: This hearing aid  combines a stylish look with an incredibly useful visual feedback feature. Bucking the trend of smaller and smaller assistance devices, this one is meant to be seen.  With the appearance of an earring, the hearing aid also features a small LCD-type screen that displays a green, yellow, red, or blue wavelength symbol to indicate whether a speaker is too loud, too soft, too fast, or just right. In the concept stage right now, this one would certainly make a useful addition to the hearing aid market.

Solar power: Seeking to address a community which otherwise might not have access to hearing aids, the inventor and associates described in this piece developed battery-free devices, operated through solar power. As of now, 20,000 people in 30 countries have benefitted from this combination of ingenuity and generosity, with more nations on tap.

As metal stamping experts with exactly the type of fine-precision capabilities to produce hearing aid components, we look forward to the opportunity to be part of such useful and innovative technologies. Visit our site for more information.

A Mission Statement for Manufacturing’s Future

Maybe some real talk is just what is needed to keep manufacturing on the right path in the near and distant future. As close observers of news throughout the industry, beyond just our core of precision metal stamping, we’re well aware of the obstacles facing manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad. Throughout these tough times, though, our optimism has been fed by the fact that the issues are being addressed head on. Too often, hindsight provides the answers when it’s already too late. In manufacturing, industry leaders are aware of these problems – and have a plan to fix them.

Nowhere, perhaps, have the sticking points been addressed more directly or cohesively than in former National Association of Manufacturers President Jerry Jasinowski’s piece on a proposed agenda for manufacturing. Beyond the familiar topics of the U.S. technical skills gap and the need for favorable trade agreements, Jasinowski takes a proactive approach to two other areas. Technology innovation has not often been seen as a weak area for the U.S., but he suggests a closer look in the rear-view mirror to maintain our dominance as research and development experts. Additionally, he calls for a unified, favorable, and common-sense tax plan to foster development and production here in the U.S. No arguments on any of his points here – at Keats, we’re committed, through our partnerships and our production, to the continued success of the industry.

Workin’ On the Railroad: Domestic Steel Production Increasing

Planes, trains, and automobiles: familiar trappings of holiday travelers around this time of year. A steel plant in Pueblo, CO, is benefitting from the continuing growth of at least one of those ever-enjoyable travel methods: with the need for head-hardened steel used in laying rails expanding, the facility will be stepping up its production in 2012. This growth in investment will be accompanied by further efforts to produce higher-quality rail steel, capable of handling the heavy-duty demands of railcar coal transport in addition to travel and commuter rail.

Our work here at Keats Manufacturing is a bit removed from high-impact rail construction, but the repercussions in the industry at large are apparent. Our products do, of course, involve steel, and we’ve seen a number of commodity suppliers come and go over the past few years, in the face of waning production and a difficult economic climate. An investment of this caliber by any raw material producer is a sure sign of strength in the larger manufacturing world – and we also applaud the continued innovation in an industry as well-established as steel production.

Nucor’s Forecast Sheds Light on Manufacturing

This NASDAQ report on Nucor’s 4th quarter forecast – expecting year-over-year growth from Q4 2010, but a decline from Q3 numbers – also discusses how the steel manufacturer’s strengths and weaknesses play into the manufacturing market and industry. Of course, like any commodity, pricing of Nucor’s products – sheet steel, rolled steel, and so on – and subsequent profit or loss, is tied directly to the performance of those companies that purchase these materials.

Core U.S. manufacturing sectors like automotive, energy, and heavy equipment have, according to Nucor, been stronger this year than last. Obviously, this is great news, with the only minor downside being that an especially strong early 2011 means that a downward trend was shown for the year as a whole. Especially in this still-uncertain economic climate, such ups and downs are to be expected, and we see a positive outlook in the fact that this year’s lows are higher than last year’s lows – and, in some cases, are even better than previous highs. Also something to look forward to: a renewed burst of raw material purchasing as budgets are replenished in January, promising another early-year boom for 2012. Keep in touch with Keats for more information moving forward!

New Stamping Press Has Immediate Benefits

It’s one of those everyday parts of life that you never really notice – until it’s not there. Sure, this could apply to lots of things: your shoelaces, for one, or your cell phone, for another. What we’re talking about today, though, is the overhead dome light in your car. It sure can be jarring to pull open your driver’s side door at night, expecting to duck into a well-illuminated interior, only to be met with the same pitch-blackness that you’re standing in. Dome lights have been on our minds more than usual here at Keats, though, since we’ve been using a brand new piece of equipment specifically to manufacture dome light components for one of our partners.

With such a versatile range of operations here, we can assist all types of other manufacturers in getting their products completed and ready for shipment. It’s especially rewarding when one of our long-time partners is able to expand a product line that Keats has been an integral part of, which was the case with this dome light manufacturer. Landing a major contract with a domestic automotive manufacturer (our industry colleagues will understand our inability to use specific names here), our partner needed increased production from our end – and fast! Our new stamping press allowed us to step up and meet that need, keeping the dome lights rolling off the assembly line and into your car. Our numerous facilities and ample production space are ideal for this type of flexibility: obtaining new, dedicated equipment on demand to meet a specific need. Check out our website for more stories of manufacturing success.

U.S. Manufacturing Growth Strong in November

Automotive, spring stampings, military parts: the U.S. manufacturing industry covers a vast amount of products and uses, and all of it is surveyed periodically by the ISM. The ISM, or Institute of Supply Management, independently surveys incoming orders, new equipment deliveries, and, of course, production, and compares it against previous months and other countries. November’s report yielded results that came as a surprise to many, according to this MarketWatch report: not only was U.S. manufacturing booming, but it was outpacing the rest of the world.

While this is certainly good news, its unexpectedness yields some questions. Or, maybe, just one: “Why?” The article proffers a couple of theories, the most plausible of which are an expiring tax credit on new equipment, and increased auto production. Also mentioned is a corresponding and equally surprising lack of production in countries like Germany and Mexico. At Keats, our El Paso facility allows us to work closely with manufacturers in Mexico, and one of our, and their, key industries is the automotive sector. This partnership has always proven beneficial, in our view of the U.S. manufacturing picture, and we’re confident that this latest report will yield to signs of increased production at those facilities, while maintaining the strong trends here.