Recent ASME Congressional Briefing Examines Robotics and Manuf...

Recent ASME Congressional Briefing Examines Robotics and Manuf... Recent ASME Congressional Briefing Examines Robotics and Manuf... Recent ASME Congressional Briefing Examines Robotics and ManufacturingJan. 27, 2017 ASME President Keith Roe (far right) welcomed the audience to the ASME Congressional Briefing, Advanced Robotics in Manufacturing Enabling New Technology and Increased Opportunity, on Dec. 13 at the Senate Hart Office Building in Washington, D.C. Participants at the veranstaltungs panel discussion included (left to right) moderator Chuck Thorpe of Clarkson University and co-chair of the ASME Robotics Public Policy Task Force, and panelists Michael Dudzik of IQM and Howie Choset from Carnegie Mellon University and Medrobotics Inc.The ASME Government Relations department recently hosted a Congressional Briefing on advanced robotic technologies and their impact on manufacturing. The briefing, titled Advanced Robotics in Manufacturing Enabling New Technology and Increased Op portunity, was held Dec. 13, 2016, at the Senate Hart Office Building in Washington, D.C.The briefing featured a panel discussion highlighting four prominent members of the robotics and manufacturing research communities Howie Choset, professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University and co-founder of Medrobotics Inc. Larry Sweet, the IRIM Associate Director of Technology Transition and Professor of the Practice in Robotics at Georgia Institute of Technology Erik Nieves, founder and CEO of PlusOne Robotics and a member of the ASME Robotics Public Policy Task Force and Michael Dudzik, president of the scientific research institute IQM. The panel was moderated by Chuck Thorpe, senior vice president and provost of Clarkson University and co-chair of the ASME Robotics Public Policy Task Force. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware (far left), co-chair of the Senate Competitiveness Caucus, provided opening remarks for the Congressional Briefing, which also featured panelists Erik Nieves of PlusOne Robotics (center) and Larry Sweet from Georgia Institute of Technology.Following an introduction by ASME President Keith Roe, the briefing began with opening remarks delivered by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), co-chair of the Senate Competitiveness Caucus, who suggested a few topics for the panelists to consider during their discussion. These included what the manufacturing industry might look like in the future, what impact robotics could have on the manufacturing jobs market, and how small and medium-sized companies can best be helped to succeed with - and adapt to - new technologies. The senator added that he thought there was reason for optimism moving forward, citing the Manufacturing USA and Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEP) initiatives as opportunities for increased success in the coming year.The briefings moderator, Chuck Thorpe, then set the stage, providing the audience with an overview of how robots are changing the manufacturing environment. Whereas we on ce thought of manufacturing as dangerous, dull and disappearing, there are now new D-words associated with the field, according to Thorpe. These include dexterous, because robots can access distributions-mixs and perform tasks that humans cannot or should not, and deeply integrated, since robotic technologies today are built into the systems themselves, so they dont look like robots. Addressing whether manufacturing was disappearing, Thorpe doesnt believe so. Instead, he said, new robotic technologies are encouraging new skills and jobs to arise. Thorpe ended with the idea that for further advancement, robotics needs mechanical engineering, and mechanical engineers need robotics, a connection that is often overlooked. Approximately 70 people - including congressional staff, administration officials, thought leaders, ASME leadership and ASME Industry Advisory Board members - attended the Congressional Briefing on Dec. 13.Howie Choset of Carnegie Mellon, the first panelist to prese nt, spoke to the relationship between robotics and jobs. Choset has a background in working with snake robots - highly flexible systems designed to go into small spaces - and believes that flexibility, both in a robots structure and skill, is the key to advancing the industry. Robotic systems are expensive and 98.5 percent of manufacturers in the United States are small- or medium-sized manufacturers who do not have the capital to invest in technology that cannot adapt to future changes. Choset also mentioned that paired with this idea of flexible robots is the need for flexible job training.The following panelist, Larry Sweet, agreed with Chosets final point, and went on to speak about the increased need for collaborative robotics. Observing that many manufacturers landsee the opportunity to grow if automation becomes more flexible, Sweet noted that the key is to balance the risk of adopting new technologies while making systems more flexible for increased productivity. Collabora tive robots, flexible robots, and mobile robots are all new types of technologies that will inject flexibility into the system, prompting innovation and increased productivity. Today, robots and humans are co-habiting manufacturing floors, but working separately. In order to advance, Sweet suggests that humans and robots must work together so that they can each perform the tasks the other cannot at the same time, on the same product. ASME President Keith Roe (left) with Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) at the Congressional Briefing in Washington, D.C.Panelist Erik Nieves, an industrial robotics engineer, spoke further about the impact of robotics on the small manufacturer. Most manufacturing that employs robots today is low-mix, high-volume production, or manufacturing processes that build the same thing over and over. Robots are extremely good at repetitive tasks, but they need to become better at doing high-mix, low-volume production. Nieves noted that three-quarters of our industrial base is made up of companies of 20 employees or less, meaning the main place for growth in robotic manufacturing is with small companies.The sessions final panelist, Michael Dudzik, also provided a voice for small companies. Noting that robots come to the manufacturing floor first and foremost because of a business need and not because of technology for technologys sake, he added that adopting robotic technology needs to be a good return on investment for a small company that has limited capital to invest. Dudzik said this was the reason robots today need to be agile and flexible, and echoed the sentiments of the previous speakers who called for increased flexibility in both our robotic systems and our workers. Dudzik suggested that Congress could help advance robotics by implementing policies that help accelerate the robotics ecosystem in the United States so that the U.S. manufacturing base can be more competitive globally.Samantha Fijacko, ASME Government Relations

These are the Top 10 email sinners

These are the Top 10 schmelzglas sinnersThese are the Top 10 emaille sinnersEmail has become the most essential tool of business communication yet many workers lack vital email skills so are you one of the top ten biggest email sinners?Research done byLondonOffices.comhas revealed the biggest email faux pas that can negatively impact a business.They believe companies should train staff in how to craft concise and professional emails which help to convey the right image of their company and steer clear of potentially offensive text speak such as FFS.From overuse of capitals and exclamation marks to failing to reply and constantly having an out of sekretariat responder switched on, there are email faux pas many of us will recognize.Chris Meredith ofLondonOffices.comtoldYCBEmail is essential to modern business but very few companies invest in training their teams how to use it effectively.As a result, there is a huge amount of miscommunication over email and our list identifies the to p ten biggest email sinners.Here are the Top 10 emailers from hell1. The Shouty OneEvery email they send will end with exclamation marks or will be in full caps. They fail to realize this is the digital equivalent to shouting in the recipients face.2. The Vague OneThey are sent an email with five questions and then reply with eight answers, sadly leise not addressing the questions they were asked so the recipient remains unenlightened.3. The Invisible OneThis worker receives 50 emails a day and never seems to reply to any of them. They also tend to have cryptic email addresses that bear no resemblance to their name or their job, making them almost impossible to contact in the first place.4. The Abrupt OneThey are not necessarily rude, they are just in the habit of using as few words as possible. You might send them essays about your ideas and put an awful lot of time and effort to describing your deepest thoughts as coherently as possible but you still get Sounds good.5. The Oversha ring OneSometimes just apologizing for a late reply is enough, you dont always need to share the details of how your hemorrhoids are acting up today and youve been stuck in the toilet.6. The TexterEmails should be concise and business-like but many young professionals fail to understand the difference between email and texting and so think its acceptable to include text speak such as WUU2? (What are you up to?), BRB (Be Right Back) and FFS (We shall leave this one to your imagination). Theres no place for such acronyms in business emails.7. The Formal OneWhen you receive an email from them you may feel like youve just opened a letter from 1852. This ultra-polite emailer will address with Dear Sir or Madam and sign off with Yours with the deepest respect. You may feel like responding with Nigel, Ive known you for twelve years, you dont have to email me like this.8. The Absent OneAs soon as you hit send you get a response saying they are on holiday and will return last year. Yes, they still havent switched off their out of office from last summer. You can see them across the room but apparently, theyre not really there.9. The ComedianThese are the people who like to think theyre Ricky Gervais but sadly they are more like hisThe Officealter-ego David Brent. Their emails usually contain a lame gag and some boasts about their life away from the office. They fail to realize that no one is remotely interested.10. The Profound OneThese are the amateur philosophers with inspirational quotes downloaded from the internet. They like to think they bring wisdom to the workplace but the reality is most people find them incredibly tedious.This post was originally published on YourCoffeeBreak.co.uk.

I Hate My Job. Now What 3 Ways to Find a Position Youll Love

I Hate My Job. Now What 3 Ways to Find a Position Youll Love I Hate My Job. Now What 3 Ways to Find a Position Youll Love More than50 percent of Americans are unhappy at work, according to Forbes.Low pay, meaningless duties, and personality conflicts with superiors are just a few of the reasons that contribute to a vastly unsatisfied workforce.If youre one of the millions who have said I hate my job and want to do something about it, read onfor tips and resources thatcan help you find a new position youll love.1. Identify the keywords you need to succeedWhether youre looking to change careers or simply find a different job in your field, a great resume is an absolute must. This crucial document is the best way to convey how youll help your next employer achieve their goals- and its how youll make your first impression.However, its not enough to have a polished, professional resume. Because the typical job posted online receives hundreds of applications, most employers use applicant t racking systems (ATS) in order to manage the hiring process. An ATS is set up to weed out candidates who dont measure up- or candidates who dont include the correct resumekeywords. If your resume highlights your experience with customer relationship management (CRM) software, and the job posting specifies knowledge of Salesforce as a requirement, your resume could get overlooked if you dont mention Salesforce by name.Jobscan identifies the crucial keywords you need in your resume.Take some time to consider what you hate most about your job- and why. Do you enjoy your tasks, but hate the setting? Would you prefer a nimble startup to a large, staid corporation? Come up with a list, and then search for positions that are mora appealing to you.Once you have identified some jobs youd like to apply for, use Jobscans resume analysis tool to see how your resume stacks up to each one. The better your resume is targeted for each individual job, the better your chances of getting past an ATS. Keywords can vary even for very similar jobs, so dont assume that a one-size-fits-all resume will get you noticed. Jobscan willidentify the most important keywords in a job posting and tell you which ones youre missing and which ones you should emphasize to better match your resume to the job.2. Determine what your resume is missingKeywords are, well, key to an effective resume- but they arent the only thing you need. Consider the followingMeasurable accomplishments.Anyone can list off duties they performed at a previous job. What prospective employers really want to see is what you achieved in each position on your resume. They want to know how youll be able to help them achieve their goals. Streamlining processes to save money, reducing time spent on projects, and increasing profits are all examples of howyou can showcase your positive impacts. And remember to quantify your accomplishments whenever possible.Consistently exceeded sales quotas wont get the same response as Exceeded sales quotas for 6 consecutive quarters. Measure and demonstrate your impact.Education and training.For some roles, it doesnt matter what your degree is in- or whether you have a degree at all.For others, you wont even be considered if you didnt major in the right field, or earn the necessary licenses, or pass specific exams.If you find that the majority of new positions youre drawn to want education or credentials beyond what you have, perhaps its time to go back to school. If your education is your strongest selling point, you can lead off your resume with your education section. If your graduation is well in the rearview mirror, you can list it at the end.Hard skills vs. soft skills.Hard skills refer to programs and processes you have experience with, such as Six Sigma training or Joomla. While soft skills(motivated or organized, for example) are important, employers primarily need to know that you have the base qualifications for a specific position. Companies do often consider cultural fit when hiring, but the majority of your resume improvementefforts should go toward incorporating hard skills- because anyone can list any soft skill on their resume, these subjective traits are given far less weight by employers.3. Seek out targetedcareer adviceCareer advice that may be perfect for a social media manager wont necessarily do a mechanical engineer any good. And if part of the reason you hate your job is because you no longer want to be in that field, youll not only need career advice targeted toward your new field, but overall advice on how to change careers.For brainstorming and research help, Jobscan has compiled a collection of resume keywords for specific career industries. Check out the list below of and learn about what words youll likely see in your searchAccountingBiomedical EngineeringCivil EngineeringCustomer ServiceSoftware EngineersFinanceMechanical EngineeringNon-Profit ManagementPhotographyRegistered NursesSalesSocial Media ProfessionalsSoftwa re EngineeringAlso, consider turning to an expert for advice. A career coach could help you work through why you hate your job, and what you need to look for- and avoid- for your next one. Jobscan partnerLisa Quastis a former Fortune 500 executive turned professional career coach. Whether you read her best-selling book or sign up for one-to-one coaching sessions, shescertain tohelp you through your transition.Finding a new job or changing careers might be hard, but dreading going to work each morning is hard on the soul. The more you know about the kind of job you want, including how to present yourself as a great candidate, the sooner you can eliminate the phrase I hate my job from your vocabulary