Articles
Gulf Seafood Update: An Industry Regains Its Sea Legs
March 21, 2013 1:48 pm | by Lindsey Jahn, Associate Editor, Food Manufacturing | CommentsWhen the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in April 2010, 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, bringing the area’s seafood industry to a halt. Nearly three years later, Gulf seafood players stand united with plans to make the industry stronger than ever.
Q&A: Counterfeits In Military And Aerospace Applications
March 20, 2013 4:11 pm | by Manufacturing.net Staff | CommentsThe driving force behind this trend is simply illegal financial gain. Unfortunately, it is neither new nor uncommon. In fact, the items most commonly counterfeited are not necessarily electronics. Recently there was an uncovering of counterfeit (and substandard) nuts and bolts sold to the military for widespread use across the armed forces.
Q&A: Preventing Recalls In A Fast-Paced Industry
March 20, 2013 2:20 pm | by Lindsey Jahn, Associate Editor, Food Manufacturing | CommentsThe FDA recently proposed new rules as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). As the food regulatory landscape continues to change quickly, it is more important than ever for food facilities to employ the latest technology to prevent product recalls before they occur.
Safety First: A Digital Supplement On Manufacturing Safety
March 20, 2013 11:18 am | CommentsManufacturing.net has teamed up with sister publications Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation, Food Manufacturing and Manufacturing Business Technology to develop a comprehensive digital supplement that covers the latest developments in manufacturing safety.
Exploring Energy Q&A: The Solar Advantage
March 20, 2013 8:32 am | CommentsThe ability to switch over to solar and reduce the cost of electricity at that plant would have given me a competitive advantage and also allowed me to advertise and market that we were a sustainable energy company. This sustainability message was important because a lot of my customers had sustainability objectives that they wanted to achieve.
100 Percent Lean Beans
March 19, 2013 11:47 am | by Anna Wells, Executive Editor, Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation | CommentsThe Starbucks Carson Valley Roasting Plant & Distribution Center crew will tell you everything you need to know about how roasting and brewing methods affect the flavor of coffee in so many ways. And just as the smallest of modifications can dramatically affect the flavor of the cup, Starbucks Carson Valley has learned that – likewise – small steps towards continuous improvement can yield returns.
Q&A: On Equity (And Unions) At Nissan’s Miss. Plant
March 19, 2013 9:43 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | CommentsThe relationship between Nissan management and the Canton plant's employees haven’t always been smooth — recently, some workers have sought out union membership, and in the meantime, have formed into a group called the Mississippi Alliance for Fairness at Nissan (MAFFAN).
U.S. Teens Fear Risk-Taking; STEM Careers Demand It
March 18, 2013 2:10 pm | by Kelton Global | CommentsWhile 95 percent of teens agree that risk-taking is required for innovation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics — or STEM — careers, 46 percent say they are afraid to fail or uncomfortable taking risks to solve problems, according to an ASQ survey conducted by Kelton Global.
Q&A: The Evolution Of PLM
March 18, 2013 11:31 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | CommentsAs PLM has helped companies control and manage their product-related data over the lifecycle of their products, I think companies have realized that the data has value beyond engineering. Therefore the implementations of PLM have become larger, a little more complex and require the engagement of multiple functions.
The Apocalyptic Threat Of Undead Projects
March 17, 2013 8:50 pm | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsAre there any of us who haven’t been assigned to the “undead” project? You know, those projects that seem to go on forever without ever possessing the priority or proper resources to get finally to launch, or the ones that are constantly re-directed or re-defined such that we never make meaningful progress.
Redundancy In Manufacturing Control Systems
March 15, 2013 12:16 pm | by Greg Lynch | CommentsDepending on the type of interruption and the severity of the consequences, some manufacturing systems require PLC redundancy to keep people and equipment safe. Instrumentation and manufacturing engineers need to balance the cost of redundant PLCs with the consequences of an outage.
Unleashing Engineering Creativity
March 14, 2013 10:32 pm | by Joseph H. Berk | CommentsWhen faced with creative challenges, many engineers rely on brainstorming as their primary creativity tool. Developed in the 1950s by Alex Osborn (who used it as a tool for developing advertising campaigns), brainstorming is a good approach. But it’s not the only or best approach.
Support For A Diverse Product Line And Global Customer Base
March 14, 2013 2:02 pm | by Epicor | CommentsTo support its diverse product line and global customer base, Companion Systems looked to Epicor to streamline manufacturing operations, including the product configuration and unit of measure conversion process. The company recently deployed Epicor’s next-generation enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solution.
The European Gamble
March 13, 2013 6:25 pm | by Mike Rainone, Co-Founder, PCDworks | CommentsIf you have read any of my columns over the past few years, you’ve probably noticed my interest and drive to understand what European governments are doing to encourage new product development and innovation, and examine the parallels between corporate thinking on innovation between U.S. and European businesses.
Improving Performance And Power With Sensor Hubs
March 13, 2013 1:22 pm | by Bryon Moyer, Convergence Promotions LLC | CommentsFrom one or two sensors with dedicated functions, mobile platforms have proliferated the number of sensors dramatically and opened up the sensor data to enterprising developers who have dreamed up new things to do. The architects probably never envisioned these applications when they incorporated the sensors.
Launching A Counterattack On Rising Commodity Costs
March 13, 2013 1:05 pm | by Thomas Bornemann, Global Consumer Products Practice Leader, Procurian | CommentsIn the current commodity bull market, consumer products companies face increasing margin pressure. Consumers are demanding value — increasing competition from private label and restricting manufacturers’ ability to pass along rising raw materials costs.
How To Choose A Manufacturing System
March 11, 2013 9:53 am | by Jean Huy, senior director of product marketing for ERP, Sage North America | CommentsSage has distilled what we’ve learned from our many successful customers and have structured it to deliver a useful tool to help you decide whether or not you are ready to adopt a new manufacturing system. Use the following questions to determine just how ready your company is to adopt a new manufacturing system.
Brewing Company Taps Into Automation
March 10, 2013 9:12 pm | by Intelligrated | CommentsIn 2006, the company determined that they had outgrown their existing facility and infrastructure and began planning a new three-story building adjacent to the original building. The new, 150-barrel brewhouse would increase production while retaining the company’s legacy of quality, taste and craftsmanship.
Integrating LEAN Process Improvement
March 10, 2013 9:07 pm | by Stephen J. Benefield, enVista | CommentsStrong executive commitment is of upmost importance when implementing any continuous improvement process such as LEAN or Six Sigma. It is important to ensure executive commitment by aligning and reporting results using current corporate measures and strategic initiatives.
Energy Drinks: Considering The Legal Risks (Part II)
March 8, 2013 1:22 pm | by Michael Gruver and Glenn Pogust, Kaye Scholer LLP | CommentsAn energy drink maker should consider several questions, in consultation with legal counsel, to assess its potential vulnerability to litigation. These questions will also be useful going forward, in helping to design marketing campaigns and packaging less likely to serve as the basis for consumer litigation.
