The COVID-19 pandemic created a ripple effect for U.S. manufacturers that revealed not only a lack of redundancy in the supply chain but also a lack of transparency. As the pandemic took hold, worldwide demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) dramatically increased and many material and product costs skyrocketed. It quickly became apparent...

Welcome to “Ask Deb from QA,” a new column from MxD.
Every week, Deb from QA — with decades of experience on the factory floor — will answer your questions to demystify and explain the digital manufacturing industry.

Please submit your questions to debfromqa@mxdusa.org

Alex Velez was working his regular graveyard shift at a Checkers restaurant in southwest suburban Chicago when he realized he’d had enough.

The customers were rude. He hated the constant smell of boiling oil. And he was tired of the frantic hustle to fry large orders of french fries for last-minute parties.

So one night, from a corner of the...

In 2012, Pioneer Service CEO Aneesa Muthana lost 90% of her revenue.

One of her biggest customers bought four of her other customers. And they took all the business to China and Mexico.

“I made a decision then and there that I have to begin getting out of my comfort zone,” Muthana said. “I needed to figure what everyone else was doing, how everyone...

MxD is mobilizing to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, as the National Center for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing, we are committed to advancing ways to do this securely.

This includes three things:

– Collaborating with government to address critical shortages in medical devices and equipment;

– Leading efforts to strengthen the...