This is an original article from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.

This blog is the second in a series on cybersecurity and Industry 4.0.

In blog one of this series on “Cybersecurity and Industry 4.0 – What You Need to Know” we discussed the four aspects of Industry 4.0: cyber-physical systems (CPS)/cobots, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud manufacturing and automation, as well as how they are interconnected. Strong cybersecurity practices protect those interconnections, ensuring manufacturers’ systems consistently deliver accurate data in a timely manner – something critical to the success of an Industry 4.0 model.

Over the past few years, there has been a remarkable resurgence of manufacturing in the United States. Illinois in particular has experienced a great deal of growth, making manufacturing Illinois’ largest industry. This growth brings positive impacts such as having a higher economic contribution to our state and the fact that manufacturing continues to generate various job opportunities.

This is an original article from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.

Is your organization, like so many others today, struggling to recruit and retain a well-qualified and high-performing workforce? Are your workers excited to be a part of your team and motivated to serve your customers? Do they care for one another and the success of your business?

This article is provided by ITR Economics in partnership with IMEC.

This is an original article from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) defines people-centric leadership (PCL) as a leadership approach that seeks to create a culture in which everyone is encouraged to improve and apply their talents and given the opportunity to pursue excellence at work every day.

This article is provided by ITR Economics in partnership with IMEC.

US Real Gross Domestic Product (Real GDP) in the second quarter of 2022 came in 0.23% below the first quarter, marking two consecutive quarters of contraction and fulfilling the technical definition of a recession. While the word “recession” tends to elicit fear, we do not believe the current economic situation warrants significant concern. The decline was led by imports outpacing exports, changes in private inventory investment (not a reduction, but rather a smaller increase), lower fixed investment in residential and nonresidential structures, and a decrease in government expenditures and investments. However, core segments such as consumer spending, the labor market, and the industrial sector are on solid footing − more on this below.

As employers continue to grapple with the talent shortage, some manufacturers are having success hiring more non-traditional candidates and using innovative and inclusive methods in their recruitment.  Non-traditional candidates are people with relevant skills who may not meet traditional job requirements. Education and experience are often overlooked and maybe even excluded when sorting through resumes or applications. This could include the neurodivergent community, justice-impacted or returning citizens, people with disabilities, youth between 18-24 who didn’t go to college, limited English speakers, and others.

This is an original blog, written by Rosemary Ravinal, Public Speaking Coach, Presentation Skills and Media Trainer.

Every presentation is a performance.  It is a performance with a specific audience in mind, concise content, delivered with energy and authority.  Whether you are doing a virtual presentation or in-person, there are common best practices that will ease your discomfort and greatly improve your impact.  If you think of yourself as the lead performer and your slides as your backup singers, you will be well along the path to Presentation Bliss (as opposed to Death by PowerPoint).

This is an original article from the NIST Baldrige blog.

Broadway legend André De Shields (YouTube) once shared his three cardinal rules of sustainability and longevity:

1. Surround yourself with people whose eyes light up when they see you coming. 
2. Slowly is the fastest way to get to where you want to be.
3. The top of one mountain is the bottom of the next, so keep climbing!

This is an original article from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd two years ago, many organizations and companies made commitments to racial and social justice. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices were created and DEI officers were hired. But have they been given the resources they need to succeed? Have they been given the teams and leadership buy-in to make real change happen?