Top 5 Plant Engineering articles, August 4-10: Compressed air, Workforce development, steam production, more

Articles about compressed air demand, workforce development research, high-efficiency steam production, asset management laws, and M2M to IoT on the plant floor were Plant Engineering’s five most-clicked articles from last week, August 4-10. Were you out last week? Miss something? You can catch up here.

By Chris Vavra August 11, 2014

1. Compressed air demand: find and fix leaks first

Don’t forget the demand side of your audit when assessing your compressed air system.

2. Plant Engineering 2014 Workforce Development Study: 6 key findings

According to the data in this report, 66% of manufacturing facilities are experiencing a skilled workforce shortage, and an average of 7% of jobs within plants are unfilled because of it. See what actions are being taken to close this gap and improve manufacturing’s appeal to the younger generations.

3. High-efficiency steam production from the sun

New spongelike structure converts solar energy into steam, according to MIT researchers. The new material can convert 85% of incoming solar energy into steam, a significant improvement over recent approaches to solar-powered steam generation.

4. The three laws of asset management

How manufacturers can benefit from the adoption of ISO 55000, which was adopted in 2014 on how to provide a framework for the principles and benefits of establishing an asset management system.

5. The changing plant floor: from M2M to IoT

Connectivity improvements are poised to transform manufacturing.

The list was developed using CFE Media’s web analytics for stories viewed on plantengineering.com, August 4-10, for articles published within the last two months.

– Chris Vavra, content specialist, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.


Author Bio: Chris Vavra is web content manager for CFE Media and Technology.