Articles
IP Networks Support Modern Energy-Saving Techniques
September 13, 2011 8:35 am | CommentsThe challenge for the plant manager is to cost-effectively employ new technology while finding ways to improve the efficiency of legacy systems already in place. by Adam VanOort, Founder and President, DataNab In today's world, food manufacturing facilities are faced with the task of improving energy efficiency to control costs.
610K Manufacturing Jobs Have Been Lost in the Midwest
September 13, 2011 8:11 am | CommentsSince the recession begun in 2007, the Midwest has lost 610,000 jobs in manufacturing—nearly a third (31 percent) of all manufacturing jobs lost during the recession nationally. A new report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce ( http://cew.
Struggling To Align Business Goals With Business Solution Capabilities
September 12, 2011 11:33 am | by Vivien Chan, Regional Marketing Lead, Tectura ASEAN | CommentsDiscrete manufacturers need to make operations and supply chains that enable customer satisfaction as lean and cost-effective as possible, as well as find ways to complement the focus on complexity reduction with an improved ability to manage operational efficiency. “Reduce cost (45%), improve overall customer experience (36%), improve customer response time (27%), manage growth expectations (28%) and inter-operability issues across multiple operating locations (19%)” were the Top Business Driver in the Manufacturing Industry.
Supply Chain Management System Yields Big Savings
September 12, 2011 11:31 am | CommentsOver the past fifteen years, a Chicago-based manufacturer of custom plastic machined parts has developed a proven supply chain management system that produces maximum savings for customers. Traditionally, buyers send requests for quote to three vendors each time a requirement for low volume components presents itself.
Just Juice
September 9, 2011 8:41 am | by Anna Wells, Executive Editor, Manufacturing Business Technology | CommentsThe Great Recession was more unpleasantness than this country has seen in a long time, but we swallowed it like it was liquefied kale and learned a valuable lesson: We can emerge from something like this and be better… even if it hurts a little going down. I’m a vegetarian, which is not to say my diet is always healthy.
Product Prototyping: Mitigating Risk in NPD Projects
September 9, 2011 8:39 am | by Neil Stolovitsky, Senior Solution Specialist, Genius Inside | CommentsAdopting a formal new product development process during pre-production prototyping will allow for a more streamlined execution of the assessment of a working prototype and will provide an organization with the necessary foundation to successfully produce, market, and distribute their new product.
Don't Drink The Water
September 8, 2011 10:12 am | by David Mantey, Editor, Product Design & Development | CommentsWhen Halliburton CEO Dave Lesar addressed public concerns regarding hydraulic fracturing by calling in a fellow executive to drink a new fracking fluid with ingredients commonly found in the food industry, a rare PR win for Halliburton quickly became another setback when the king had his right-hand man taste the beverage before he quenched his thirst.
Manufacturer Finds $270K And 5K Extra Machine Hours
September 8, 2011 9:47 am | CommentsOne compounder and molder of thermoset composite products found a quarter of a million dollars in savings thanks to the implementation of a new manufacturing ERP solution. Mar-Bal, Inc. is a one-source solution provider of thermoset composite products. From design and formulation to compounding, molding, and finishing, Mar-Bal is a privately-held manufacturing company with 350 employees producing state-of-the-art products across four facilities in North America.
What Businesses Need To Know About Expanding Internationally
September 6, 2011 10:23 am | by Rob Ciccone, Vice President, American Express OPEN | CommentsThe international market is a territory rich with possibilities for those willing to take on the challenge. And the chances are, there are potentially profitable customers waiting for many small businesses. The typical entrepreneur always has his or her eyes open, scrutinizing every situation for ideas and watching for subtle shifts in the market that might spell opportunity.
North American Manufacturing: Reshoring Requires Developing Skilled Workers
September 6, 2011 10:21 am | by Glenn Marshall, Director-at-Large, Association for Manufacturing Excellence and Benchmarking Champion, Newport News Shipbuilding | CommentsThe Roadmap to Education Reform for Manufacturing, a report released earlier this year by The Manufacturing Institute, provides six principles for education reform in the industry. For the past two years, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) has been leading the Rebirth of Manufacturing Jobs initiative, designed to produce more jobs and opportunities for businesses through collaboration with federal, state, and local government agencies, North American manufacturers and educational facilities.
Overcoming Skepticism About SaaS ERP
September 6, 2011 4:59 am | CommentsRanga Bodla works in industry marketing for NetSuite, a leading integrated web-based business software suite, including business accounting software, ERP software, CRM software, and e-commerce. He recently discussed SaaS ERP with Manufacturing Business Technology in this brief interview. Ranga Bodla, NetSuite MBT: What are some of the biggest misperceptions you see when it comes to SaaS ERP?’ Bodla: Probably the biggest misperception about SaaS ERP has to do with customization.
Transforming Industrial Robots Into Precision Machine Tools
August 31, 2011 12:09 pm | CommentsThe EU co-funded COMET consortium is creating a revolutionary solution enabling the use of industrial robots for high-end machining. Researchers at Fraunhofer IPA run tests using Nikon Metrology’s K-Series Optical CMM and a KUKA robot. Robots of any brand fitted with the novel COMET plug-and-produce controller unit successfully respond to manufacturing industry needs for cost effective, flexible and reliable manufacturing solutions.
Engineering Design Meets Cloud Technology
August 31, 2011 11:17 am | by Krish Dharma, IBM’s Electronics Industry Leader for the Americas | CommentsThe way for engineering organizations to overcome numerous data issues is to transform siloed environments into shared engineering clouds. Digital convergence has accelerated the breakneck pace of technology development and has put immense pressure on electronics manufacturers to develop new and innovative products even faster.
Taking Product Testing To An Independent Third Party
August 31, 2011 10:57 am | CommentsIn addition to testing data storage system products, global technology and solution provider Dell supplements this with external testing to assure conformance to the industry’s latest standards through membership in a variety of consortiums at an independent, third-party testing laboratory.
How Do Your Benefits Shape Up?
August 30, 2011 9:12 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | CommentsManufacturers need to ensure their companies are considered a viable employer by any potential hire, and one of the easiest ways for a company to do so is to make sure its benefits package at least meets -- if not exceeds -- the industry standard. With the troubled economy, all of manufacturing is worried about its future.
