As the production of electric vehicles (EV) is predicted to climb in the coming years, so is the growth of industrial welding robots used by EV manufacturers and their component suppliers. In fact, the makers of factory automation equipment have already seen a surge in investment from EV manufacturers, and they don’t predict a slowdown anytime soon.

The looming skilled labor challenges have led manufacturers in nearly every industry to integrate more robotic automation than ever before.

With simplified interfaces, preset programming and automatic adjustments, the Welbee series of welding power sources is easy to use and quick to implement  -- even for novice welders. Don’t waste hours of training only to be faced with rework. Learn how to achieve higher productivity and higher quality right out of the gate.

The cap on Section 179 has gone up again for 2018, and your business may now deduct the full price of qualifying equipment, up to $1,000,000, when that equipment or software is financed from the company's gross income during a tax year. The raise (from $500,000 in 2016) is good news for businesses that were anxiously waiting to see if Congress was going to raise the deduction limit. This deduction can be used as long as the equipment is purchased and put to use between January 1 and December 31 of 2018. Now that you are able to write off the full price, you can get much more for your money and help make the most of your investment dollars.

Working in a welding facility can be one of the hardest jobs on the planet. There's high voltage electricity, serious heat and vaporized metal particulates. How do you keep your workers safe? Here are a few tips to help create a healthy work environment in your production facility.

If you've ever had to hire a new employee, you know how much stress is involved. You advertise for a new or vacant position, sort through the resumes, bring in the best for interviews and then decide. But your stress and expenses have only begun at that point. After you've hired a great prospect, they must be trained and focused on exactly what you need them to do for your company. Only then can you begin to see a return on your investment. We know this time is difficult, so we've developed a guide to help you through the new-hire process:

1. Find out how they dealt with a difficult situation on the job. Did they reach out to use teamwork to overcome the problem? Did they put in extra time to make it happen? Or are they blaming someone else? Behavior patterns tend to come along with new employees, so keep their answer in mind when choosing the right one.
2. Ask them about their best times at work. Many people expect questions about difficult times, but they don't have a pre-fabricated spin on the good times. Did they get excited about a raise? Did they enjoy moving up through the ranks? This question helps you figure out the candidate's priorities and how they'll behave to excel at your company.

Today's busy world makes serious demands on our time. During the same time that we're expected to get everything done, there are more issues that need to be resolved, errands that need to be completed, and events to attend. How do you squeeze it all in and still get any rest and free time? By boosting personal productivity. These five tips will help get you started on the road to more free time fast.

As our technology advances, our industry is rapidly changing. Some welding developments provide a serious advantage while others don't actually work out in the end. But which innovations should you ignore and which ones should you implement? It's a tough decision, but here's our take on the most important recent developments in welding that deserve some attention.

In the news, there are regular reports about businesses that are going under for a wide range of reasons. But what are the common reasons why businesses fail and how do we prevent these issues from showing up and becoming a problem in our own businesses? Here are several reasons why businesses commonly fail.