One of the main issues in the recent strike against General Motors revolved around the increasing electrification of automobiles. The shift to electric- and hybrid-powered vehicles is expected to radically alter the shape of the auto industry in the decade ahead. It will also change the look of assembly lines.

The automotive industry is at the threshold of a disruption not seen since the Brass Era of the 1900s. Electric vehicles, connectivity, mobility-as-a-service, and autonomous vehicles promise to change the future of transportation in the same way that the "horseless carriage" did a century ago.

Recently, I received an e-mail from a U.S. electrical products company warning me that, on Oct. 15, the tariff on power supplies and power cords imported to the U.S. from China would increase from 25 percent to 30 percent.

Drones have come a long way in a fairly short time, commercially speaking. In less than 20 years, these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have gone from being used by the CIA to attack the Taliban in Afghanistan, to soon being used by Amazon to deliver a wide range of packages to homes.

Lower limb prosthetics have been around for more than 200 years. But, it's only in the last 40 years or so that they've progressed to the point of accurately mimicking the human body.

In my last column, we saw how Sherrill Manufacturing re-established the flatware industry in the U.S. by reshoring production.

Lightweighting is one of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers today in the automotive, aerospace, maritime and rail industries. The push for new materials is forcing engineers in these industries to explore cost-effective alternatives and develop new assembly processes.

For more than 70 years, Toyoda Iron Works Co. Ltd. (TIW) has supplied steel-plate body frame components, chassis elements and other auto parts to numerous automakers worldwide.

Much of the conversation around medical device cleanliness is about sanitation and sterilization. While both are important for eliminating potentially harmful microorganisms, medical devices also need to be cleaned prior to sterilization.

Not many CEOs become household names. Looking at the current Fortune 100, I came up with just three: Jeff Bezos of Am-azon, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, and Michael Dell of Dell, the latter only because I stare at a Dell laptop all week.