Alexandria Industries completed an investment project at its operations in Alexandria, MN, where the company has expanded its manufacturing space, installed a new 7 inch, 26 MN front-loading extrusion press line with advanced automation capabilities, and added a new front office and entry. The new press line allows the company to increase its capacity and extrude harder alloys,...

The pandemic came and may be on its way out soon, but it didn’t change one fundamental thing for Alexandria Industries: The company needs more workers, and needs them badly. So CEO Tom Schabel is trying to navigate Alexandria’s shortage of labor while keeping some other important things in mind, too. “I’m spending every waking moment trying to figure out how to satisfy...

We need no reminder that 2020 was shockingly different from any year we have experienced before. Each of us could probably name several struggles we’ve endured. For those of us in the manufacturing industry, however, this challenging time has generated opportunities to resolve our ongoing worker shortage issue.

The manufacturing supply chain will continue to evolve during and after the coronavirus pandemic. Now is the perfect time for manufacturers to evaluate suppliers to ensure they can meet production needs when COVID-19 has passed. This article is part of a three-part series about checking your supplier's business health. See Part I here: Supplier financial health check, Part 1:...

Five tips to use dimensioning and tolerance in the design stage. In today’s fast-paced manufacturing industry, it can be difficult to set aside time to define tolerances for a new aluminium extruded component design. Pressed for time, OEM design engineers often default to title block tolerances. This might save a little time, but it risks adding unnecessary cost to the part due to...