Articles
The Lead
NI Strengthens FIRST Partnership For Better STEM Education
April 30, 2013 | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Comments
NI believes work with organizations like FIRST has already made inroads in improving STEM education and desire to pursue science- or engineering-based careers. NI itself is already starting to hire FIRST alumni, and Hsu says they’re better prepared for the engineering world than those who didn’t participate in the program.
Will 3D Printing Save The ‘TechBelt’?
September 24, 2012 8:36 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Comments
The “TechBelt” region has been hit hard by the recession, with numerous plant closures and the...
Black & Denim: Aiming To Revive American Textiles
March 11, 2013 10:52 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manfuacturing.net | Comments
Black & Denim, based out of Tampa, Florida, is working...
The ‘mini’ Future Of Education
April 10, 2013 3:55 pm | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Comments
"I think the profession of teaching is an incredibly important one, and by and large, I think...
Driving Manufacturing Success by Backing Up
May 23, 2013 10:36 am | by Michael Krutikov, Senior Global Marketing Manager, SMB Data Protection, at Symantec | CommentsToday’s smaller manufacturers are creating enormous amounts of data — everything from new product designs to top-secret intellectual property, as well as a constant flow of customer and sales information that must be managed and protected every day. To say that this data is vital would be understating the value of its constant use, and any loss of information could be devastating.
Business Agreements: What Did I Just Sign?
May 22, 2013 11:57 am | by Robert A. Stone, CPA, ABV, CFF | CommentsSigning a business or partnership agreement is usually a time for celebration. The alliance has been thoroughly discussed, you understand the value each party contributes, and you’re excited to have a new partner for your manufacturing company. But in the process of creating an exciting new venture, entrepreneurs often fail to examine the specifics of the agreement. The details in a business agreement don’t seem important, until they are.
Combatting Counterfeiting On All Fronts
May 22, 2013 11:30 am | by Martin Berman, Managing Director, Micro-Pak Ltd | CommentsMany manufacturers, retailers and consumers alike might naively believe that counterfeiting is a problem that only companies like Louis Vuitton or Coach suffer from. After all, who could guess that functional packaging material could produce the same response as the latest Alma bag?
CI Tools Aren’t Just For CI Events; They’re For Everyday
May 21, 2013 3:42 pm | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsI write a great deal about the difference between Lean and Six Sigma and Kaizen on the production floor and in the office. As much as many of us are figuring out that the same tools can be used in those very different environments with some translation for context, the training in the tools and methods hasn’t caught up.
The New Food Fight: Defending Against Labeling Litigation
May 21, 2013 3:38 pm | by Andrew J. Scholz, Matthew R. Shindell, and Matthew D. Cabral, Goldberg Segalla LLP | CommentsOnly a very small portion of this litigation actually relates to manufacturing defect claims allegedly resulting in consumer injuries or death, such as with salmonella outbreaks. Rather, the bulk of the litigation is focused on alleged “false advertising” associated with food labeling.
Preparing To Succeed When Your Network Has Been Breached
May 21, 2013 3:34 pm | by Jeff Multz, Director of North America Midmarket Sales, Dell SecureWorks | CommentsAccording to the 2013 Verizon Data Breach report, 22 organizations, mainly in manufacturing and professional services, with only one to 100 employees became a victim to cyber espionage last year. And 23 firms, mainly in manufacturing with 101 to 1,000 employees, also were breached.
Building A Secure Manufacturing Infrastructure
May 20, 2013 1:06 pm | by Grant McDonald, Product Marketing Manager for Symantec SMB & .cloud | CommentsAs we develop more ways to collaborate and share information, criminals are also working on new ways to steal it. Information is the new currency among thieves, and the right individuals will pay top dollar for a competitive advantage, whether through outright theft or by disabling critical systems.
Does Your Storeroom Database Do This?
May 20, 2013 10:36 am | by Mike Dyson and James Rogers, Storeroom Solutions, Inc. | CommentsQuite simply, if you can’t be sure about finding the right parts at the right time, you are putting planned maintenance compliance, if not the performance of the whole plant, at risk. Many maintenance technicians address this risk by keeping their own unofficial and potentially unauthorized stores; the practice is so common that many plants have an “amnesty day” when technicians can safely reveal those “private” stashes of parts.
Fix Your Enterprise Application Performance Issues — Before They Fix You
May 17, 2013 2:07 pm | by Kieran Taylor, Director of Product Marketing, Compuware APM | CommentsDue to the importance of the work and functions they support, fast, reliable enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications are the lifeblood of a well-oiled manufacturing business. However, heightened end-user expectations combined with the increased complexity of modern application delivery environments make it very difficult to ensure strong performance.
The Power And Profitability Of eNewsletters
May 17, 2013 9:29 am | by Curtis M. Alexander | CommentsPound for pound — it’s tough to beat what a good, consistent electronic newsletter (i.e., enewsletter) can do for your business. This isn’t just my experience, either. Recent industry surveys have shown a 20 percent increase in leads that convert to sales and an increased average purchase price by 47 percent.
Don’t Give In To Bird Activity At Your Facility
May 17, 2013 8:08 am | by Patrick T. Copps, MS, B.C.E., Technical Services Manager, Orkin, LLC | CommentsAlthough some birds are beautiful creatures to watch, others are considered pests that can wreak havoc on your property and products. There are three types of birds in particular that you should discuss with your pest management provider: pigeons, sparrows and starlings.
The Ten Commandments Of Industrial Ethernet
May 17, 2013 8:02 am | by Mike Fahrion, Director of Product Management, B&B Electronics | CommentsA Wi-Fi-enabled computer can connect to multiple networks at the same time. Your employees can give a hacker a pathway into your internal network simply by powering up a laptop. Imagine the mess an eco-terrorist could make if he didn’t like the look of your smokestack.
The Hidden Cost Of Summer Heat
May 16, 2013 2:29 pm | by Megan Browning, Big Ass Fans | CommentsUncomfortable working conditions lead to heat-related illnesses and decreased productivity, which negatively affect the bottom line of the business. When working conditions become distracting and debilitating to workers, personal comfort must be addressed to regain lost productivity.
Attracting Talent: A Lesson In Battling Perception
May 16, 2013 1:09 pm | by Maria Ferrante, Vice President, Education & Workforce Development, PMMI | CommentsDespite the common preconceived notion that increasingly automated operations are eliminating opportunities in the manufacturing sector, the widespread adoption of advanced production technologies is actually creating opportunities — and demand — for more skilled professionals. But where do we find them?
Where Has All The Training Gone?
May 15, 2013 11:53 am | by Robert Allen and Kathleen Bellemare, Connecticut Spring & Stamping | CommentsTraining for skilled manufacturing positions has been hit by a perfect storm of budget cuts and the mistaken idea that all young workers should go to college. At Connecticut Spring & Stamping (CSS), the situation had become so desperate that to meet its capacity and continue to grow, the company has had to replace formerly state-funded training with its own programs.
Corporations Kill Eagles
May 14, 2013 3:29 pm | by Mike Rainone, Co-Founder, PCDworks | CommentsIn spite of years of corporate hype over invention and creativity, and the millions spent on seminars, training, and corporate consultants, big corporations have found that they can be neither innovative nor creative. I suspect that a consultant must have told someone that one of the requirements for innovation is to internally foster entrepreneurship.
Engineering Answers: The Bionic Dragonfly
May 14, 2013 3:20 pm | by Melissa Fassbender, Associate Editor, PD&D | CommentsAfter successfully mimicking bird flight with the SmartBird, which is inspired by the herring gull, and can start, fly, and land autonomously – with no additional drive mechanism, the developers at the Bionic Learning Network took on their next big challenge, modeling the dragonfly at a technical level.
Pest Birds And Corrosive Droppings
May 14, 2013 2:04 pm | by Chrissy Hansen, Bird-X Media Correspondent | CommentsPest birds cost individuals and businesses millions of dollars each year in clean-up expenses, repairs, and damaged equipment. Some large industrial facilities spend as much as six figures to combat pest bird problems. Facility managers must understand the important of implementing a preventative bird control program as means of reducing these costs.
Business Agility In The Evolving Workforce
May 14, 2013 1:55 pm | by Bob Dean, Executive Director, Business Transformation, Cisco | CommentsEighty five percent of companies with global supply chains experienced at least one supply chain disruption in the previous 12 months. Risk is inherently unpredictable. Fortunately, the current workforce is undergoing its own transformation to be able to identify and manage risk on a global basis.
Raising The Bar
May 13, 2013 6:14 pm | by Krystal Gabert, Editor, Food Manufacturing | CommentsMcNamara estimates that Hearthside currently has over 100 contracts that govern their business, with 80 to 85 percent of the business devoted to contract manufacturing. When acquiring new businesses, in many cases Hearthside also acquired the clients previously contracted with the facilities being purchased.
