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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Obsolete Industries Won’t Drive Economic Growth
February 11, 2013 8:00 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor, Electronic Component News | CommentsNew technologies and industries inevitably outpace older ones. When analog became obsolete, digital took over. LCD TVs gradually buried CRTs. And those who cling to obsolescence (beyond what the market dictates, that is — see the untimely incandescent ban) are left behind.
Check The Simple Things First
February 8, 2013 8:00 am | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsWhether it’s equipment maintenance and repair, troubleshooting a process, or fixing business cultural problems, before you gear up for a complete overhaul, check on the simple fundamentals first. Often times the easily overlooked issue is the root cause.
How To Bring Manufacturing Back: A Lesson From Germany
February 5, 2013 8:00 am | by Jeremy W. Crane | CommentsIf we were to change our education system, as well as put a higher value to those who serve the economy outside of cubicles and office space, we would see corporations bring their manufacturing back to the United States. They would create the jobs that so many are searching for. The price for manufacturing will drop domestically, which will in turn bring manufacturing jobs back home.
How Has Manufacturing Fared In The Second Half?
February 1, 2013 8:00 am | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | CommentsAnyone who watched the Super Bowl last year likely caught a glimpse of Clint Eastwood proclaiming that it was “halftime in America.” The country had been knocked down: The housing bubble had burst and top U.S. automakers – employing thousands of American workers – had sought a government bailout.
Small Manufacturers Are Not Little Versions Of Major Manufacturers
January 31, 2013 3:39 pm | by Mike Collins, Author, Saving American Manufacturing | CommentsHave you ever wondered why manufacturing process improvement programs are introduced with great fanfare, but eventually fade away? A good example is Six Sigma, which is the answer to process variation. It was originally developed by Motorola and then General Electric (GE) and Honeywell adopted it for all of their divisions. Now, GE and Honeywell have backed away from Six Sigma, as have hundreds of other manufacturers.
2013: The Year Of Soft Gains And Big Ideas
January 31, 2013 2:38 pm | by Anna Wells, Executive Editor, IMPO | CommentsIf MAPI is right and manufacturing has a quiet year, I'd suggest you think about "pulling a Baldor." Examine everything within reach and think about how you can do it better. Some of the initiatives at Baldor based around safety, quality, production flow, and machinery investments resulted in big gains.
Industrial Real Estate Continues To Strengthen Despite Slow Economic Growth
January 30, 2013 8:05 am | by Jim Morris, Industrial Services Lead, Americas, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. | CommentsDespite a struggling general economy, national industrial real estate fundamentals continued to strengthen, posting declining vacancies and modest rent growth in most markets. Of the 74 industrial markets tracked by Cushman & Wakefield and its Alliance Partners, just 10 recorded year-over-year vacancy increases at the end of the third quarter.
Engineers And Analysts Are Paid To Think
January 29, 2013 8:00 am | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsIt’s easier to do what we are told than to think about what we are doing. Every decision is a risk. Our business environments and standardized practices steeped in policy encourage us to keep our heads down and charge ahead. But, real problem solvers use their intellect.
Bendable Phones Are Bunk
January 28, 2013 8:00 am | by Chris Fox, Associate Editor, PD&D | CommentsThe age has come! Phones are now bendable and flexible while containing every nuance of your life. A recent AP story even said, “By showing off a phone with a flexible screen, Samsung is hinting at a day when we might fold up our large phone or tablet screens as if they were maps.” It’s the next revolution in electronics! Who hasn’t been chomping at the bit for this tech?
Managing The Seasons Of Performance
January 23, 2013 8:00 am | by Paul Glover, Founder, The Glover Group | CommentsWhen most leaders create annual plans, they typically do not take into consideration the different rhythms that occur in each season. And by not doing that, they can miss out on opportunities to build on natural behaviors that occur throughout the year that can impact performance.
Is Labor Productivity The No. 1 Factor For Global Competiveness?
January 22, 2013 8:00 am | by Simon Macpherson, Senior Director Operations, Kronos EMEA | CommentsIt’s been my long-held belief that no matter what we automate in manufacturing, or how flexible and effective a supply chain we develop, it’s how we manage the people in the business that will make the difference between good and world class. When it comes to managing the workforce, very few industries are under more pressure than manufacturing.
How Business Networks Can Create A Win-Win for Buyers & Suppliers
January 18, 2013 8:08 am | by Siddharth Taparia, Senior Director of Portfolio and Strategic Marketing, SAP | CommentsA Business Network contains a suite of network connected and analytic applications and an ecosystem of buyers and suppliers that can use these applications for initiating sourcing relationships, buying products and services and identifying additional opportunities for increasing revenue or saving costs.
Purchase Mobile Computers Wisely
January 16, 2013 8:00 am | by Jerker Hellström, CEO, Handheld Group | CommentsHigher productivity, increased labor costs and a strong trends towards true mobility in the work place are all factors that have put the spotlight firmly on ‘total costs of ownership’ for computers and devices. Organizations will have to start spending more on durable and reliable mobile computers rather than looking for bargains, if they want to avoid losing valuable productive time.
Savvy Entrepreneurs Play By Different Rules In Uncertain Times
January 15, 2013 8:00 am | by Donna Every | CommentsAs we pass the five-year anniversary of the start of the economic recession in December 2007, many observers focus on what was lost:8 million jobs; 146,000 employer businesses; 17.5 percent average individual earnings. But the businesses that survived the Great Recession and are thriving today didn’t focus on losses then – and they aren’t now, says Donna Every, a financial expert who has published three non-fiction business books.
Address Problems “Below The Radar”
January 14, 2013 8:00 am | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsJust as we learn to look for the “hidden factory" or unofficial process steps when we seek to improve a production process, we should look for business-level problems that hide from our usual view. Have you ever had a leader give you advice to not cause trouble and to, instead, try to keep your activities “below the radar?”
