Ford completes upgrades at Chicago plants | U.S. Steel to idle 2 furnaces but maintain production goals | Ben & Jerry's exhibit focuses on criminal justice system
Ford completed $1 billion in upgrades at its two Chicago plants, including new body and paint shops, a revamped cafeteria and break room, and improved parking security. The latest Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator and Police Interceptor Utility vehicles will be produced at the plants, where 500 jobs were added.
United States Steel will idle two furnaces next month, one in Gary, Ind., and one near Detroit, for maintenance and upgrades. The company says it will still reach a 5% increase in production this year because of upgrades to other plants as part of $1.5 billion renovation program.
An art installation looking at the effects of mass incarceration will be on display at Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury, Vt., through next June. "It's rare for companies to have organizing theories, but our way of organizing and trying to drive social impact and systemic change is by increasing awareness around systemic issues, engaging our fan base on those issues, and ultimately encouraging them to take action," says Jabari Paul of Ben & Jerry's.
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Three of the four last presidents issued directives to create plans to protect critical US infrastructure, of which 85% is owned privately. There are four key steps to preparing your infrastructure in case of emergency, writes Ernie Hayden, who offers a step-by-step guide to registering with the government.
The job of a chief procurement officer has evolved and is now less about purchasing and more about working with other C-suite executives, says Marcell Vollmer, SAP Ariba's chief digital officer. "One very important thing that AI does is simply automate certain parts of the procurement process, which frees up CPOs to be concentrated on more strategic activities and look at organizational trends outside their own department," he says.
Some fear that automation will eliminate the job of the average industrial worker, but only 9% of jobs are predicted to be fully automated, says researcher Georgios Petropoulos. He notes that low-to-medium skilled workers will mostly be affected by industrial internet of things, but new jobs in other sectors will balance out unemployment.
Lehigh Carbon Community College in Pennsylvania brought in a dozen local teachers interested in helping students pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics, to tour area manufacturing facilities, including Lutron Electronics, Mack Trucks and B. Braun Medical, to see what careers will be available for students when they graduate. The teachers will also be involved in a project aimed at helping them design on-point STEM curriculum.
Manufacturing Institute and Arconic Foundation present Science, Technology, Engineering, & Production (STEP) Forward: Wichita, a free networking event to promote diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace. There will be a panel discussion with industry leaders to discuss work culture, workplace flexibility and many more topics. RSVP to join us on Wednesday, July 17 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Central time. For more information or to host an event in your region, please contact AJ Jorgenson at ajorgenson@nam.org.
