What did visitors tell us at IMTS? One shop owner said, “I’ve got a ton of orders, but I can’t find the people to make the product.” Another said, “I wish I could find a magic machine that makes product and runs itself.” I don’t have the answers, but I will try to define the problems so the answers may become more apparent. * * * There are millions of people in this country looking for a job that pays an adequate living. One survey found that college students expect to make about $58,000 a year one year after graduating. My guess is that young people without a degree hope to reach $58,000 to $70,000 within 5 to 10 years in a job or profession. From a job competition standpoint, let’s start with fast food. In Chicago, the starting pay for a Chipotle employee is advertised at 16.75-17.75 per hour, while McDonald’s pays roughly $16 to $20, or about $34,000 to $41,000 a year working full time. Would a Gen Z worker without college figure that fast food is a better leg up toward that $58,000 to $70,000 job than learning a complicated skill in a machining firm, where the workforce tends to be older and the surroundings somewhat dirtier? Fast food also offers a clear path for advancement, which can be appealing to a hard worker. A Chipotle crew member can move up to shift leader, then apprentice, then general manager, a job advertised at $55,000 to $77,500 plus quarterly bonuses. Chipotle’s top general managers can reach $100,000. For a 20-year-old looking at a $25 machining job with unclear advancement in an unfamiliar field, it is not hard to see why fast food is a simple and easy choice. * * * Another possibility for a youngster without college…
A few years ago, Richtech Robotics would call hospitality groups and offer them robots. They got laughed out of the office. The answer was always the same. We’re a people company. Now they’re building an 8,000 square foot factory in Las Vegas. Three production lines for robots and sensors, all managed by AI. They’d planned it for 2027, but a new FCC rule made them move it up to this year. I talked with Richtech’s COO, Phil Zheng, at IMTS. He told me why their humanoid robots have eyes that don’t do anything. Why Chinese citizens might not love robots as much as they seem to. And why even the people building this stuff are surprised how fast AI and robotics are moving. (Blog continues below video) ************* Link to Graff-Pinkert’s Acquisitions and Sales promotion! ************* Listen on your favorite podcast app using pod.link. . View the podcast at the bottom of this post or on our YouTube Channel. Follow us on Social and never miss an update! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swarfcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swarfcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/todays-machining-world Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmwswarfblog ************* Interview Hightlights The Robot Has to Match the Data Standing at the Richtech booth, I asked Phil why the robots look like people. The…
I worked remotely last week to keep an eye on my son Abe while he was off school. Amazingly, he played with toys for several hours by himself without disturbing me. Abe constantly imagines stories playing out between his toy vehicles and action figures on the fly. A dinosaur eats a truck and a barbie doll and he proclaims it an omnivore. Meanwhile, I try to play next to him, and I go through the motions. I get writer’s block, while he tells story after story. Abe builds with Legos and blocks letting a project evolve. He started building a jet ski and then when it seemed like it wasn’t turning out the way he wanted, the project became an electric boat, which he wanted to be aerodynamic, even though he just learned the word and wasn’t totally sure what it meant. Like most adults, I edit myself too much. I don’t let my thoughts just flow out. What if I could fearlessly come up with idea after idea fast like him and try them without stopping myself? I’d call new customers on a gut feeling they could help me with finding a machine. I’d create new types of videos…
I was driving down Governors Highway, a four-lane street I often take to my office, when I heard a loud thump on my right front tire. We’ve had tornadoes lately, and a lot of heavy branches were littering the road. The noise subsided as I reached the next light. As I stopped, I heard honking on the right side of the car. A young Black man was gesturing for me to open my window. He told me I had a big tree branch under my tire. I thanked him. Then he got out of his car, pulled the branch out and tossed it onto the grass. I was a bit stunned. He had done something really nice, totally unsolicited, and then he just drove off. I doubt I would have done the same for him. *** In my lifetime, race relations have changed a great deal. My parents fled our home on the South Side of Chicago because “schvartze” (Yiddish for Black people, with a negative connotation) were living too close. Today we live in a neighborhood where our Black neighbors watch our home when we are gone and have our keys. America has changed. We have changed. Last week,…
PODCASTS
The Machinist with Purpose, with Doug Rizzo-EP 273
This Robot Can Grab a Beer, with George Konidaris-EP 272
Best of Swarfcast: A 67-Year Adventure in Swiss Machining Continues, with Paul Huber-EP 199
Why Onshoring Is Really Happening, with Lloyd and Noah Graff-EP 271
Why We Choke Under Pressure — And How to Fix It-EP 250
Best of Swarfcast: Talking Citizen CNC Swiss Lathes with Marc Klecka – EP 109
Can Work Make You Happy? Ask the Russian in Brazil, with Tatiana Koval-EP 270
Best of Swarfcast: Tai Chi, Machine Tools, and ALS, with Greg Knight — EP 240
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