Lean, the production system pioneered at Toyota, has fallen victim to a galaxy of misconceptions, say two of its expert minds. But when done right, it can generate wins for managers and companies. Ask what the term “Lean management” means, and you might see the blood drain from... Continue Reading
Victory: Confirmation of Ex-Im Nominees a Major Bipartisan Win for Manufacturers. Manufacturers secured a victory four years in the making this week when the Senate voted to confirm three nominees to the Export-Import Bank. The Senate confirmed Kimberly Reed to serve as Ex-Im Bank president and... Continue Reading
What’s the true cost of high turnover? How do you stop the exodus of great talent? What if you can’t? Just a few of the questions that keep coming up with almost every senior leader I speak with. It’s tricky. You can’t control the choices, and there are more choices than... Continue Reading
Tread carefully before you start, with these six questions. Lots of manufacturing companies want to grow but don't know how or where. If they had infinite resources, they could stumble around and probably find new customers and markets eventually. But they don't, so they should carefully decide... Continue Reading
The field of industrial waste management has evolved tremendously over the past few years. Manufacturing facilities especially are one of the top contenders for waste generation. Hence, the way they handle their waste is important. Many organizations are adopting innovative ways of managing the... Continue Reading
Focus on risk reduction outcomes, rather than just completing tasks, to ensure real results. Many companies believe that as long as employees follow established procedures, the organization will achieve safe operations and, therefore, business success. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.... Continue Reading
The Metal Treating Institute recently hosted its annual Spring Meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at the beautiful Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort. MTI had over 160 members from 20+ states, Canada, and Mexico in attendance. CLICK HERE to view a photo gallery of highlights. One of the... Continue Reading
Humans are sentient beings who think and make cognitive decisions. These attributes, among many others, coexist with the innate human desire to learn and grow. Thus, it is fair to say the majority of us in or entering the workforce would prefer a career that leverages our minds as opposed to one... Continue Reading
A core set of critical functionalities loosely coupled with best-of-breed third-party SaaS delivers better insights and performance. At a Glance Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems help many companies manage functions ranging from supply chain to human resources and finance, but over... Continue Reading
Despite a multitude of challenges—slowing global growth, the partial government shutdown, trade policy uncertainties, a strong U.S. dollar—the U.S. economy showed its resilience in the first quarter, growing a solid 3.2% at the annual rate. This was the strongest first quarter of... Continue Reading
The distributed ledger technology is being tapped to foster trust and build transparency into extended supply chains and to facilitate mass customization. Blockchain, primarily associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, is increasingly hitting the radar screens of manufacturers as a mechanism... Continue Reading
Companies like Desktop Metal aim to go beyond airplane parts and medical implants. It’s been five or so years since 3D printing was at peak hype. Since then, the technology has edged its way into a new class of materials and started to break into more applications. Today, 3D printers are... Continue Reading
