Sheila Kennedy examines how remote and predictive maintenance gets a boost via “smart contract” technology. The increasingly digitalized industrial space is a prime candidate for deployment of blockchain technology. Operations and maintenance organizations depend on efficient and... Continue Reading
Machine-learning algorithms used by remotely connected computers. Autonomous robots with vast libraries of data at their metallic fingertips. “Smart factories” where sensors detect and repair problems before managers are even aware. These are not science-fiction tropes; they’re... Continue Reading
In today’s fast-paced and highly-competitive economy, it is not good enough to compare your company simply against last year’s metrics. It may look great that your energy costs are down 5%, but what if your competition is down 10%? It may look great that your labor costs are down 4%,... Continue Reading
Enterprise resource planning can help organize inventory, prepare for customer demand, and improve productivity. From better inventory management and productivity, to improving quality and lead times, companies with manufacturing operations are constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency.... Continue Reading
Effective leaders establish and regulate the sense of urgency in their companies. Peak-performance cultures maintain a sense of urgency. Urgency is a feeling people experience. Urgency is when your people believe not only that something specific needs to be accomplished, but also that that... Continue Reading
Your organization may not be started on its Lean journey, but that doesn't mean you can't be. Here are six key steps you can take: When signing copies of my book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean, I would often write "Lean is both an organizational journey and a personal one; Lean begins with you!"... Continue Reading
When you set goals, there’s commonly two types: quantitative and qualitative. By setting both types of goals for your organization, you can achieve a balance of results driven by people focusing on the behaviors that matter. Quantitative Goals and Driver Metrics When you set quantitative... Continue Reading
Dear MTI Members, The most powerful resource we have as members, is our connection to one another. We are truly stronger together than separate. Social media has helped bring us together on a real-time basis, but there is nothing more powerful than the perspective you gain during MTI’s... Continue Reading
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that manufacturers added 25,000 workers in December, extending the strong hiring gains in the sector seen throughout much of 2017. Manufacturing employment rose by 16,333 per month on average in 2017—quite a turnaround from the loss of 16,000 workers... Continue Reading
Every day you wake up as a heat treater, you are faced with the challenging task of working through the monumental task of heat treat specifications. Specifications are a much needed set of documents, within the quality process, to insure good products are delivered, but it doesn’t make the... Continue Reading
The road to manufacturing success today runs through the mountain of data that tools are generating in metal cutting applications, and most importantly communicating and reacting to in real-time on the shop floor. Keys to collecting data include: sensor technology, that is built into tools and... Continue Reading
Simpler, more integrated bots on the way Industrial robots are poised for change. They will become more integrated, easy to use, and widely deployed, especially in China, which is emerging as a center of robotics innovation. Large fulfillment operations run by the likes of Alibaba and Amazon... Continue Reading
