Industry Week articles from April 2005

Industry Week archives from April 2005

Playing the R&D blame game.(research and development investments)(Editorial)
April 1, 2005... THE LIVELY DEBATE ABOUT OUR NATION'S WILLingness to fund research and development--or to invest in the U.S. innovation infrastructure, to use the updated terms--got another shot in the arm just as I was filing my last column, and I can't let it...

Checkup on China.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Re "China Checklist," February 2005, Page 22: Traci Purdum's excellent advice on how to treat Chinese workers applies to any worker anywhere in the world. Treat everyone with respect. Make your employees feel as if they were family members in...

Short and sweet?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Re "Beware The McGillicuddy," Brandt On Leadership, March 2005, Page 64: I thought your article was a pile of Brandt. Jim McGillicuddy, product manager Krauss Maffei Process Technology Inc. Florence, Ky. I got a kick out of...

Another Brandt rant.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Re "Hooked On Lean?" Brandt On Leadership, February 2005, Page 21: John Brandt is quite right if the intent of his article is to criticize those who see lean as a "fashion accessory." The real reason that "lean" is spreading globally is...

Europeans ponder production moves: strong euro, weak dollar make U.S. attractive.(european manufacturing jobs to be shifted to United States)
April 1, 2005... IN 2004, THE PRESS WAS REplete with stories of U.S. production jobs moving overseas. Will 2005 be the year of production jobs moving into the U.S.? If the dollar continues to trade at about 1.3 euros, where it was at press time, the answer...

Prepared for growth: for ABB Inc. president and CEO Dinesh C. Paliwal, the top priority is to improve operational performance.(3 Quick Questions)(Interview)
April 1, 2005... SINCE JAN. 1, 2004, DINESH C. PALIWAL, A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF Zurich, Switzerland-based ABB Group and chief of its worldwide automation division, has also been president and CEO of ABB Inc., the name given to the $20 billion...

Leaving HOG heaven.(Harley-Davidson Inc.'s Jeffrey L. Bleustein retires)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... APRIL 30 MARKS JEFFREY L BLEUSTEIN'S LAST day as chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson Inc., Milwaukee. Bleustein, named INDUSTRY WEEK'S Technology Leader of the Year in 2002 ("Fueled By Innovation," December 2002, Page 52), will...

A geographically tailored approach: U.S. multinationals will increasingly look to local market practices in setting stock option award sizes for international executives, survey says.(Executive Pay)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... COST-CONTAINMENT MEAsures are driving change into the ways U.S. multi-nationals compensate their non-U.S. executives, a recent survey says. The common practice of granting U.S. levels of stock options to international executives is giving way...

Transforming telecommunications.(Digital Crossroads: American Telecommunications Policy in the Inter Age)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
April 1, 2005... AT 670 PAGES, "DIGITAL CROSSROADS: American Telecommunications Policy in the Internet Age" (2005, The MIT Press) is not a book for business executives looking for a light read. However, as authors Jonathan E. Neuchterlein and Philip J. Weiser...

Mideast FFAs launched: U.S. begins talks with UAE and Oman.(free trade agreement)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... THE U.S. HAS BEGUN NEGOtiations for two additional bilateral free-trade agreements (FTAs), even as talks in the Doha Round of global trade negotiations and toward the creation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas remain conspicuously...

Manufacturing survey gets under way: IW/MPI 2005 census of manufacturers seeks participation from plants nationwide.(Benchmarking)
April 1, 2005... THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO participate in the largest survey of U.S. manufacturing practices and performances--and to receive in return a free custom benchmark report comparing your facility to thousands of other plants nationwide. It's time again,...

Listen to the warehouse: voice-directed work spreads in warehouses.(Vocollect Inc. to develop software to manage warehouses through voice commands)
April 1, 2005... Voice-directed systems can simplify the work environment by ending the traditional reliance on such things as manual entry, hand-held equipment and papers to misread. IF YOUR WAREHOUSE ORDER pickers could work unencumbered by hand-held...

Toward smarter processes.(Emerson Process Management's Smart Machinery Health Management helps in diagnosing process failures)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Asset management may still lag automation in the process industries, but important progress is evident. One sign: the predictive maintenance feature for rotating equipment added to Emerson Process Management's PlantWeb architecture. The need...

If I were a guru: all day long I'd talk and talk and talk.
April 1, 2005... Well, first I'd have to dye my hair silver, even though I'd still be youthful in appearance (face lift optional). Then I'd need to wear a black turtleneck under a houndstooth check jacket, just to let audiences know that even though they might...

Powerful opportunities: as global manufacturing faces confliction energy challenges--an outdated 20th century power grid feeding 21st century manufacturing automation--new answers are being found. The winners are innovating with power management, renewable resources distributed power generation.(recognizing the value of energy in manufacturing)
April 1, 2005... OPPORTUNITY PROBABLY ISN'T KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR right now, but it might be lurking behind your walls. Energy--the invisible force that is the lifeblood of any manufacturing operation need not be thought of as just a cost of doing...

Stars of the show: an unshakeable confidence in the quality of their products--and a little bit of ego--have some head honchos hawking their own wares. lending their faces lends credibility, just as long as they keep their noses clean.(chief executive officers in advertisements)
April 1, 2005... DAVID ORECK IS IT. So are Jay Bush, James Dyson, Ron Popeil and Martha Stewart. They are the faces of their empires. Whether it's vacuums, beans or towels, their faces are synonymous with the products they represent. And in an era peppered with...

But wait! There's more! TV takes it to a new level.(analysing the trends in product demonstrations and infomercials)
April 1, 2005... HARKENING BACK TO PRODUCT DEMONSTRATORS THAT barked their pitches at fairs across the country, infomercials are the modern day platform for such pros as Ron Popeil, Susan Powter and Billy Mays. According to Wikipedia, an online...

Wal-Mart's big gamble: the retail giant promises low prices to its customers, always. But as it mandates RFID use in the supply chain, the payoff for manufacturers isn't always as certain.(Supply Chain)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... 1-2 Punch >> One thing about supply-chain management: It's never dull. Five years ago, most suppliers hadn't heard of RFID and thought of Mexico as the low-cost-labor nation that was forcing prices down everywhere. Well, hello China. > Today,...

Supplier scenarios: the experiences of three Wal-Mart suppliers--Jack Link's, HP and Pacific Bicycle--illustrate how manufacturers, sometimes in very different ways--are working with Wal-Mart's RFID mandate.
April 1, 2005... Jack Link's Beef Jerky MINONG, WIS.-BASED JACK LINK'S WAS ONE of 37 companies that volunteered to meet Wal-Mart's January 2005 directive. "We knew it was coming sooner or later, and we had been looking for some time for help in automatic...

China: under construction: as manufacturers expand operations in China, many face challenges in the basic building of supply chains. These three companies used novel approaches to find reliable suppliers, develop dedicated distribution networks and partner for growth.(Supply Chain)
April 1, 2005... WHEN IBM ANNOUNCED PLANS TO SELL ITS personal computing business to Beijing-based manufacturer Lenovo last December, the business world let out a collective gasp. The move not only marked Big Blue's exit from an industry it had help found, but...

E-commerce early bird: one of the first industries to adopt electronic commerce tools, chemicals continue to refine their uses.(Chemicals)
April 1, 2005... AT THE HEIGHT OF THE DOT.COM BUBBLE, it seemed every type of manufactured goods eventually would be sold on an Internet exchange--with public, real-time competition driving down prices and con connecting suppliers on one side of the world with...

Improving your product launch success.(usage response management for product life cycle management)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... It's no secret that in today's rapidly evolving marketplace, product innovation--and the ability to get new products to market rapidly and efficiently--can make the difference between success and failure. Yet the challenges involved in...

Manufacturers nibbling on PLM: companies are opting for an a la carte approach to product-lifecycle-management solutions.(product lifecycle management)
April 1, 2005... BETTER GET USED TO IT. Not only has product lifecycle management--PLM for short--been around a while, it's not likely to go away anytime soon. Manufacturers are slowly waking up to the fact that PLM is fast becoming a necessity. Large...

Borden responds to consumer trends: chemical manufacturer building formaldehyde and resin plant for engineered-wood products in Brazil.(Borden Chemical Inc.)
April 1, 2005... CONSUMERS WANT MORE ready-to-assemble furniture and other finished-wood products, and Columbus, Ohio-based Borden Chemical Inc. is meeting the demand. The $1.4 billion company announced in late February that its Brazilian subsidiary,...

Labor-chain management: managing the workforce with supply-chain strategies yields big benefits.
April 1, 2005... SOMETIMES TAKING AN IDEA out of one context and putting it in another results in a change in thinking so revolutionary, so successful and yet so blindingly obvious that onlookers are left muttering, "Why didn't I think of that?" It doesn't...

Finance--on balance: done selectively outsourcing finance functions can benefit governance and compliance.(survey of senior executives)
April 1, 2005... NOT SURPRISINGLY, given the personal attention they must pay to corporate governance and financial compliance issues as a result of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the U.S. and similar regulations elsewhere in the world, senior executives remain...

Pendaflex.(Gary J. Brooks appointed as president)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... > Pendaflex, a Melville, N.Y., maker of organizational products, announced that James L. Lynch has stepped down as president of the company and has been replaced by Gary J. Brooks, who will assume the position of president, Pendaflex, and...

i2 Technologies Inc.(Michael E. McGrath appointed as president and chief executive)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... > On Feb. 28, Dallas-based i2 Technologies Inc., a provider of demand-driven supply-chain solutions, named Michael E. McGrath president and CEO. McGrath replaces Sanjiv Sidhu, who remains chairman of the board. In July 2004 the company...

Aras Corp.(Michael Turcotte appointed as vice president)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... > Aras Corp., Lawrence, Mass., a provider of PLM solutions for manufacturers, has appointed Michael Turcotte as vice president/product management. Turcotte will lead the continued development of the Aras business ready solutions and oversee the...

Schering-Plough Corp.(People)(Christopher Kelly and James F. McLeod appointed)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... > Schering-Plough Corp., Kenilworth, N.J., has appointed Christopher Kelly vice president/global information technology, global supply chain/global quality operations. He will be based in Kenilworth and will report to Karl Salnoske, vice...

Events.(Update)
April 1, 2005... May 17-19 IndustryWeek's Best Plants Airport Marriott Nashville www.iwbescplants.com May 17-19 American Iron and Steel Institute, Steel Manufacturers Association Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. www.steel.org May 24 ...

Jobs and the 'twin deficits': Luddites need not apply in the U.S.: inexpensive goods using old technology will continue to be produced offshore, and I say we are better off because of that.(On The Economy)
April 1, 2005... THE U.S. TRADE DEFICIT FOR GOODS ROSE TO $666 billion last year, up from $547 billion in 2003 and $483 billion in 2002. The goods trade deficit increased to an annual rate of $737 billion in the final quarter of 2004 and is headed for $800...

Safety and compliance make good business sense: like you, we're living it.
April 1, 2005... When you hear the term "safety and regulatory compliance," your first reaction probably involves grim thoughts about self-imposed additional costs, complexity and time-to-market delays. And you may feel these go against efforts to transform...

'Zone control' boosts uptime, profits.(plant safety)
April 1, 2005... Emergency stop and safety interlock systems typically shut down entire plant production lines and processes. While worker safety is paramount, a concept called "zone control" can safely slow or shut down parts of the production line or process...

Five trends affect industry's bottom line.(usage of radio frequency identification devices in the manufacturing sectors)
April 1, 2005... Regulations and standards promulgated by government bodies, industry groups and even major customers, combined with major business shifts, significantly impact the manufacturing sector--and your company's profitability. Manufacturing...

OEM boosts system safety and sales.(Yamato Scientific Company Ltd. partners with Rockwell Automation to develop a remote monitoring system)(original equipment manufacturer)
April 1, 2005... A safer and technically superior solution for monitoring the analysis of highly toxic dioxins translated into higher sales for Yamato Scientific, a Tokyo based manufacturer of laboratory and testing facilities. The monitoring system, based on...

Risk assessment provides fast ROI.(safety planning; return on investment)(Interview)
April 1, 2005... Employee safety is a priority for every manufacturing executive. Proactively conducting on-site risk assessments can help uncover safety hazards and improve safeguarding before accidents occur This increases operator safety and minimizes costs...

Design can increase asset utilization.(automotive safety solutions)
April 1, 2005... Manufacturers are changing the way they think about safety systems. They want to increase their Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) with solutions that maximize uptime and offer greater flexibility over traditional hard-wired solutions. A new...