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Despite Challenges, Industry Still Forges Ahead
cross the US and throughout the world, the economic outlook on energy manufacturing is a mixture of good and bad news. Oil prices are currently at their low- est level in at least six years (
chicagotribune.com), but the oil patch in Alberta, Canada, is experiencing its highest unem- ployment rate since 1996 (
bloomberg.com). In 2015, there were almost 209,000 US solar workers, while the coal industry employed about 66,000 people. Solar pays better than aver- age, but the coal miners still make more than anyone (techin-
sider.io). In September 2015, the US Department of Energy announced up to $70 million in funding for the Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute, which will be focused on smart manufacturing (
energy.gov). Texas, which produces a lot of energy-related equipment, lost 4800 jobs in Oct. 2015 and 35,400 jobs overall in 2015 (
dallasnews.com). As I said, the news is good and bad. In this year’s Energy Manufacturing Yearbook, we’ll look at the challenges the in- dustry is facing, as well as point out the many advancements taking place.
Highlights include: t GN Corporations Inc., an Alberta manufacturer that
provides the oil & gas industry equipment precision machined to customer specifications, recently made a strategic automation leap to further increase produc- tivity and ensure its global competitiveness.
t Toshiba America Energy Systems’ Milwaukee Service Center is simultaneously addressing the need for shorter lead times for service business components and scalable production capacity to support long-term business growth projections.
t While the surge in grid-connected renewable energy sources can put a burden on the country’s “dumb” grid system, this opens opportunities to manufactur- ers to provide sensors, controllers and software that can make these existing connections “smarter.”
t Even as the price of carbon-based fuel plummets, the cost of power generated by large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants is within reach of coal- generated electricity and dropping.
Dean L. Bartles, PhD, FSME 2016 SME President
While technological advancements are at the fore-
front of SME’s initiatives and throughout the pages of this yearbook, we haven’t forgotten the importance of the workforce that supports this vital industry. This is where Tooling U-SME comes in with its online training courses specifically for individuals in oil, gas, energy and mining
focusing on: t Basic Measurement, t Blueprint Reading, t Quality Overview, t Lean Manufacturing, t Total Productive Maintenance, t 5S Overview, t Basics of Tolerance, t Linear Instrument Characteristics, t Math: Fundamentals, and t Interpreting Blueprints.
If you’d be interested in taking any of these courses, please visit
toolingu.com/markets/oil-gas-energy. On the media front, SME’s Advanced Manufacturing
Media group recently launched a new magazine, Smart Manufacturing, to help educate manufacturing profes- sionals about the new and emerging technologies used to make things in this digitally connected new era, a subject that’s near and dear to me. You can subscribe to Smart Manufacturing at
sme.org/smart. We’re also excited about our new Smart Manufacturing Seminar Series, which focuses on advanced manufacturing technologies, tools and practices that optimize development and production in all industries. The topics to be covered are: additive manufacturing; lightweighting with advanced materi- als; automation; and the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT). Each series will also provide opportunities to network and view product demos. For dates and locations, visit
sme.org/ smartmfgseries.
I hope you enjoy all of the information shared in this
year’s Energy Manufacturing Yearbook. If you’re in need of a manufacturing solution, please visit
sme.org to see how we can help.
1 — Energy Manufacturing 2016
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