In this post I will attempt to compile a list of news sources and news gathering strategies for the weighing industry. This is a work in progress, please do not hesitate to leave a comment with additional (good quality) sources and ideas.
Manufacturers and dealers
An obvious starting point are the websites of weighing equipment manufactures. Many have a news page that you can check periodically. This task can be automated with software or services that monitor websites and notify you of changes. Some websites may also still offer RSS news feeds.
While websites of weighing equipment dealers are rarely an original source of industry news, they can be helpful in finding additional manufacturers as dealers usually indicate which brands they sell.
Specialized weighing news websites
A good example (and the only one I am currently aware of) is the Weighing Review Portal, which also publishes the Weighing News newsletter.
Industry associations, regulatory bodies and similar organizations
- CECIP – European Weighing Industry Association
- OIML – Organisation Internationale de Métrologie Légale
- Scale Manufacturers Association (SMA)
- UK Weighing Federation
- WELMEC – European Cooperation in Legal Metrology
Social media
LinkedIn is the most promising candidate: Other than companies and individuals, you’ll also find groups such as Weighing, Automation & Process Control Industry Professionals and Weighing Systems 4.0. One downside of LinkedIn are the motivational quotes and the tons of LinkedIn cringe you may encounter.
Sometimes Facebook and Twitter offer different content from LinkedIn. Depending on the country, other social media platforms may be more popular.
YouTube is also considered a social media platform, but the most popular videos about weighing equipment that you’ll find there are primarily made for entertainment purposes. However, if you’re interested in a specific device or niche category of weighing instruments, it can still be worthwhile to do a search.
Google Alerts
Once you’ve entered a search term (e.g. the name of a weighing equipment manufacturer), this service will alert you by email when it finds new matching results on the internet. In order to keep the quantity and quality of the alerts at a manageable level, I recommend restricting the frequency to once per week (or less) and choosing only the most relevant results.
Trade fairs
Aside from the current pandemic, the biggest challenge with trade shows is that weighing instruments are used in almost every industry and span a wide range from consumer goods over medical devices to industrial solutions. Trade shows that exclusively feature weighing instruments are therefore the exception. If and when the situation returns to normal, I will compile a relevant list.