OUTLOOK WORRIES SEND RATES TO HISTORIC LOWS DESPITE FEDERAL RESERVE ACTION Financial markets continued to be rocked by concerns about the coronavirus outbreak and the negative impacts on economic activity and the outlook. Global equity markets have pushed further into contraction... Continue Reading
AS ORGANIZATIONS CONTINUE TO INVEST IN BUILDING OUT IOT ENVIRONMENTS, A FAILURE TO SECURE MOBILE ACCESS COULD PROVE DISASTROUS. While cybersecurity breaches understandably result in data exposure, the extenuating circumstances can prove far more extensive, especially for today’s highly... Continue Reading
DAILY STAND-UP MEETINGS MIGHT BE THE QUICKEST WAY TO WASTE YOUR TIME AS A LEADER. HERE’S WHY A DAILY STAND-UP MEETING DOESN’T WORK AND WHAT TO DO INSTEAD. “Is this daily stand-up meeting over yet?” The meeting is only 8 minutes in and no one has uttered those words... Continue Reading
Below are three innovative ways that organizations are investing in their employees to set themselves up for the next decade, while protecting themselves from the current manufacturing downturn. Staffing shortages, tightening margins, and a widening generational skills gap currently threaten the... Continue Reading
In a time of growing public concern, CEOs should be a voice of reason. Thankfully, facts are on your side. When is a Black Swan really a Lame Duck in disguise? The question seems pertinent following the news reporting on COVID-19, the pathogen associated with the Coronavirus outbreak. For weeks,... Continue Reading
Many generations of older Windows systems are still widely used in industrial Internet of things (IIoT) and industrial control system (ICS) installations. The fact that Windows 7 reached end-of-life last month only broadens the already-vulnerable attack surfaces of IIoT and ICS networks and gives... Continue Reading
Inadequate backup plans and limited supply chains have put the automotive industry in an especially tenuous position for surviving the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, according to two analysts studying the situation. Should the situation extend close to the first day of Spring, the effects of that... Continue Reading
Work-based learning programs, apprenticeships, and daycare options are gaining traction. The growing demand for a skilled manufacturing workforce becomes more apparent as global competition increases and products and processes become more complex. Solving manufacturing problems in this new era of... Continue Reading
Safety leadership is the bedrock of any world-class operation. Safety culture is the shared beliefs, experiences, attitudes, and passions of a group of people. A world-class safety culture in a work environment is a way of life and a belief to send all employees safely back home every... Continue Reading
Continued Progress Globally, but with Risks from Coronavirus The Monthly Toplines Prior to the ongoing novel coronavirus global health outbreak, the Chinese economy was starting to show signs of stabilization. Manufacturing activity expanded for the sixth straight month, despite the... Continue Reading
Blockchain technology will enable both manufacturers and their customers to watch products move through the supply chain. Blockchain is being used today to track products and their ingredients backwards and forwards through every stage of the supply chain. In addition to improving responsiveness... Continue Reading
Finding solutions to close the manufacturing skills gap through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The skilled labor shortage is nothing new. Depending on who you ask, this problem goes back several years or several decades, and it’s getting worse all the time. In 2006 and... Continue Reading
