The Power of the Plant Floor

December 2, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year for me hands down. As I did last week, I get to enjoy many traditions with family and friends without all the pressures that the next holiday typically brings.  More than 30 years ago, I used to play in the annual “Turkey Bowl” football game at the grade school at 10 am. Just show up and play. Now, the kids play and my friends and I just chat on the sidelines and reminisce on our once greatness of catching that great post-pattern pass. When the game is all over we head our separate ways to the true holiday quest of the perfect Turkey dinner and some “real” football games to watch on TV.

I do not know about you but I think there are probably 100 different ways to cook that turkey. Personally, I have become a fan of the deep-fry turkey myself over the past few years or the bourbon marinated one...Read More

Industries: Manufacturing Issues

November 13, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I do not know about you but I do not look forward to this time of year. Don’t get me wrong, it is not the fall or football season or even the upcoming holiday season I dread. It is the annual budgeting season for next year. It is the time of year when we try to predict the future of next year by looking at the past. Though it has been a long time since my college days I do remember one thing from my Logic Class, that there is no such thing as a perfect analogy, it does seem sort of like driving a car by looking in the rear view mirror though. The biggest challenge this year is how can someone predict next year based on what is happening around us.

With revenues coming to a grinding halt or modest growth at best, the focus on bottom line EBITDA and improving efficiencies is the new mantra. Never mind that cash is king. So what does this mean for the manufactur...Read More

September 22, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Recently, China's tainted milk scandal widened as melamine was found in products of a second dairy company, after infant formula contaminated by the chemical was linked to 1,253 cases of infant kidney stones, as well as the death of two babies.  Milk powder produced by 22 Chinese dairy producers was found to contain melamine.  Besides the international milk issues, locally in the U.S. there have been recent recalls related to tomatoes, frozen pizza, chicken breasts and other foods.  The need for more and reliable testing laboratories where you can check these products is a growing concern on a global basis.

Even though there is a difference between food safety and food defense, the larger global issue is how to build better visibility, accountability and reliability in the manufacturing and supply chain processes.  Though the food industry is highly reg...Read More
Industries: IT Solutions