Month: September 2019

Dealing with Broken Links- A Process

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Actually I am amazed at how few broken links I encounter in all of my online research.
But occasionally, we do encounter  the challenge of broken links.

A broken link- but what can we do to get the material that was supposed to be there?

I use the following process to meet the challenge of a broken link:
Deconstruct the broken link into a “likely domain” and the “deliverable Sought.” (In this case a .pdf file.)
So in this case the likely domain was “Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” and the deliverable sought was “BR0470 .pdf”
I searched for “Nuclear Regulatory Commission BR0470.pdf “

      1. And Google gave me this :

That top link looks like it!

So I followed the top result that Google provided.

    1. Which took me to the page that has a link to the file that I wanted:

This is the page that the google search found. the link we want is the third bullet (look for the pdf icon)

I then selected the pdf link  on that page which was in fact the deliverable that I was seeking.

    1. Which then delivered this:

NRC Primer on Lean Six Sigma .pdf

 
Which is the deliverable that I was seeking, and a very good reference on Lean Six Sigma!
That’s my process for dealing with the challenge of broken links keeping me from the information that I want.
What’s yours?
 

PMPA Business Trends September 2019

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PMPA Business Trends September 2019

 

“We find it interesting that September 2019 came in even with September 2018- despite the UAW strike against GM (Automotive is our
largest market served) and continued production weakness at Boeing.”

 

With 80 companies responding, the PMPA Business Trends Index for September came in at 132, identical to last September, and up 9 points or 7.3 percent above the 5-year average for September. The index is 101% of last year year-to-date. September’s index is up 3 points or 2.3 percent of this year’s low in June. The 3-month moving average of this sales index has levelled as it continues below the 12-month moving average- indicating that the pace of growth in our industry has slowed. We’ll take slowing growth that is 7.3 percent above the prior five years’ average sales for September!  Our year to date average is now 136, up 2 points or 1.5 percent over 2018’s year-end average of 134

 

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August ISM PMI -After 35 Months, a No-Grow Month for Manufacturing

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After 35 consecutive months of growth, the Institute for Supply Management’s Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) contracted in August 2019, coming in at 49.1% (Readings above 50% indicate growth or expansion in the sector.) Last month, it was at 51.2
 

After 35 consecutive months of expansion, manufacturing has a no- growth month.

According to the ISM report: 
“Comments from the panel reflect a notable decrease in business confidence. August saw the end of the PMI® expansion that spanned 35 months, with steady expansion softening over the last four months. Demand contracted, with the New Orders Index contracting, the Customers’ Inventories Index recovering slightly from prior months and the Backlog of Orders Index contracting for the fourth straight month. The New Export Orders Index contracted strongly and experienced the biggest loss among the subindexes.”
“Respondents expressed slightly more concern about U.S.-China trade turbulence, but trade remains the most significant issue, indicated by the strong contraction in new export orders. Respondents continued to note supply chain adjustments as a result of moving manufacturing from China. Overall, sentiment this month declined and reached its lowest level in 2019,” says The Institute’s Timothy R. Fiore.
 
PMPA analysis
This was below expectations which still had the index above 51%. While proclamations of “recession” are unavoidable in the media these days, we would urge caution about this single data point being a trend. IT HAS BEEN 35 MONTHS SINCE WE HAVE HAD A POINT BELOW 50!
Our latest PMPA Business Trends Report for July  showed a slowing of growth in shipments by our shops (3MMA fell below the 12MMA) but the index itself recovered higher and all forward looking three month sentiment indicators turned strongly positive.
Mixed Signals
Industries reporting contraction to ISM  include several of our markets most heavily served : Fabricated Metal Products; Transportation Equipment; Primary Metals;  and Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components.
Here you go.

Our bottom line: The shock should be that we have enjoyed 35 consecutive months of growth, not that we finally had one month of no-growth out of 36!
What do you think?
Chart courtesy of Calculated Risk blog

ARTICLE – PMPA ListServes are Power

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Published September 2019

By Carli Kistler-Miller

A Peak Behind the Scenes at PMPA Carli explores the power behind PMPA ListServes which provide answers, recommendations and solutions through a peer-to-peer email network.

 

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CRIBSHEET – #80 How Sulfur and Manganese Improve Machinability

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September 2019

Craftsman’s Cribsheet #80

To shop personnel, “free machining” has several meanings:
• High rate of production is what the boss is looking for.
• Low cost of production is what the business owner and accounting seek.
• Smooth, workman-like finish is what the engineers and customers are expecting.
• To the operator, longer tool life (fewer tool changes and adjustments) and short controlled chips are desired.

 

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