After more than 500 inspections since 2017 by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the state of Ohio’s OSHA programs at Family Dollar and Dollar Tree and over 300 violations, OSHA has proposed penalties of $1,233,364. OSHA has stated that their inspections found problems with exit routes, fire extinguishers,…
Category: News
National Ice Cream Month
DON’T miss out! Today (July 19th) is National Ice Cream Day – but if you love ice cream as much as me — you’ll be happy to know that the entire month of JULY is ICE CREAM MONTH! you still have time. OK — now that you know – I’m headed out to get some…
Florida MFG 2022 – October 7th
Get ready! The 2022 Manufacturing Day is just around the corner and MadeFlorida.org has issued great information and resources to make it the best Manufacturing Day yet. (RESOURCES HERE) The goal of Manufacturing Day is to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. Held annually on the first Friday in October with events that continue throughout…
Made in USA
“. . . Victory for American Manufacturers“ Scott Paul, President for Alliance of American Manufacturers The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved the final Made in USA Labeling Rule on Thursday, July 1. The Rule dissuades marketers from making unqualified “Made in America” claims for imported products. The FTC said the new rule allows the commission…
High-tech manufacturing: A Priority for Asia Pacific Manufacturers
Over the last two years, the turbulence in manufacturing and the supply chain has underscored the need for manufacturers to accelerate the shift in focus from mass production and economies of scale to market and customer responsiveness. “High-tech manufacturers are increasingly directing their technology investments to secure and optimize operations while addressing data privacy and…
Data Breach Hits McDonalds
Mcdonald’s is the latest major corporation to fall victim to a hacking attack. They recently disclosed that hackers found a way into their network and stole information belonging to employees and customers in the United States, South Korea, and Taiwan. If there’s a silver lining in the disclosure, it lies in the fact that Mcdonald’s…
Consumer Prices in Tampa Bay are UP 11.3 Percent
According to the Consumer Price Index for the Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater area issued by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2022, area prices up 11.3 percent over the past 12 months. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater rose 2.1 percent from March to May. The index for all…
Barrette Outdoor Living Acquired for $1.9 Billion
CRH plc, the global leader in building materials solutions, announced an agreement to acquire Barrette Outdoor Living, Inc. (“Barrette”) from TorQuest Partners and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) for an enterprise value of $1.9 billion. The leading provider of residential fencing and railing solutions, Barrette Outdoor Living is proud to be an…
What do YOU Need?
Suncoast Technical Education Center Training Survey YOUR OPINION MATTERS! Please let us know your needs and thoughts by taking this 5-minute, 7-question survey powered by surveymonkey.com. CLICK HERE
CYBERSECURITY DIRE WARNING ISSUED FOR VMWare PRODUCTS
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued Emergency Directive (ED) 22-03 and released a Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) in response to the active and expected exploitation of multiple vulnerabilities in the following VMware products: VMware Workspace ONE Access (Access), VMware Identity Manager (vIDM), VMware vRealize Automation (vRA), VMware Cloud Foundation, and vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager. These products, because…
No More Passwords? YEP!
It’s hard to imagine not needing a password for our computers, phones, and tech devices — but the Big Three — Apple, Google, and Microsoft are all hard at work on creating a variety of passwordless schemes that will transform sign-in standards as early as next year. Passwordless sign-ins across iOS, Android, Chrome, macOS, Safari,…
DELOITTE: Manufacturing Eyeing Growth Despite Turbulence in 2022
According to Deloitte’s newly issued 2022 Manufacturing Industry Outlook, “The manufacturing industry is building back fast, undeterred by significant labor and supply chain challenges.” Deloitte recommends that manufacturers carefully navigate some of the elevated risks and challenges to keep the momentum moving forward. Deloitte says, “It’s unusual to see positive economic indicators paired with historical…
CONGRATS to Ed Fry
– the 2022 FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Secondary Educator of the Year! H. Edward Fry II, Instructor of Engineering & Manufacturing at Nature Coast Technical High School in Brooksville, will receive the Distinguished Manufacturing Secondary Educator-of-the-Year Award from Florida Advanced Technical Education Center (FLATE) later this summer. The FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Secondary Educator of the year…
The B2B E-Commerce Opportunity -Are You Ready?
“There’s an enormous opportunity to be seized in manufacturing B2B e-commerce, yet only a tiny percentage of manufacturers are reaping the benefits to date. To stay ahead of the curve, manufacturers must ensure their order and inventory management systems are ready for the challenge. Let’s examine some of the numbers behind the e-commerce boom and how manufacturers…
Nature Coast Workforce – The SKILL GAP
We asked the NCMA survey participants, what skills are applicants lacking that apply for positions with your company? Participants collectively identified “soft skills” as the number one skill level lacking, followed by machine operation skills and problem-solving skills. 92 percent (92%) of all survey participants said that soft skills are lacking in applicants. The survey…
TOP 10 Brands that Phishing Attackers Use to SCAM . . .
Scammers are great at impersonating government agencies and well-known brands to lure email recipients into giving up their personal information. Then they take the information and exploited it directly or sell it to the highest bidder on the Dark Web. Security firm Checkpoint is tracking which brands/companies are imitated the most. Quite often Microsoft tops…