Industry Week articles from February 2004

Industry Week archives from February 2004

New online.(websites)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... VALUE-CHAIN REPORT: Don't overlook the demand side of supply-chain management, writes Web-exclusive columnist Kevin O'Brien. Focusing entirely on the supply side may result in unnecessary capital expenditures. inventory investments or...

Online poll.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... ONLINE POLL What is your personal outlook for your company's performance in 2004? IndustryWeek.com readers respond: Very Optimistic 33% Slightly Optimistic 43% Neutral 10% Slightly Pessimistic 10%...

Let's stop crying over costs: innovation is the answer.(Editor's Page)(Editorial)
February 1, 2004... IT'S BECOME AN UNDISPUTED truth in manufacturing: Low cost, high quality and fast delivery are the measures by which a manufacturer will succeed. Fail on these fundamentals, and your customer will go to a competitor, right? Not so fast. If...

Grumpy companies drag down the planet.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... John R. Brandt's article, "Come On, Get Happy" [December, 2003, Page 25], was the most direct hit on the muddled management styles of today's "leaders" I have ever read. Unhappy companies are ruining our economy and dragging down the planet....

Tail end of the bell curve.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... [Regarding] your suggestion that "C players (the bottom 65%)" are to be "nudged out" ["Talent Scouts," December, 2003, Page 52], I've read Brad Smart's book and have used some of his interviewing techniques for years. I've also known many GE...

Right time, wrong tax cut.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Manufactures will invest in capital equipment when they have product orders to support that investment. [Re: "Deficits Do Matter," December 2003, Page 56.] This is the problem with the latest Bush tax cut. It didn't target the middle class,...

MEP supporters fight for funding: severe cuts to manufacturing extension partnership program threaten small manufacturers, they proclaim.(Manufacturing)
February 1, 2004... UNLESS A MIRACLE OCCURS, IT'S TOO late to reverse drastic cuts to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a public-private partnership that assists small manufacturers in their efforts to increase competitiveness, for fiscal 2004. The...

Slimmed-down services.(ASAP)(Manufacturing Extension Partnership)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... What would a two-thirds cut to the fiscal 2004 budget of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership likely mean for the MEP centers and for small manufacturers? According to estimates provided by Livonia, Mich.-based The Modernization Forum, the...

The art of the acquisition: Airgas Inc. takes advantage of ample opportunities in the marketplace.(3 Quick Questions)(Peter McCausland)(Interview)
February 1, 2004... PETER MCCAUSLAND is the chairman and CEO of Airgas Inc., the largest U.S. distributor and manufacturer of industrial, specialty and medical gases and related supplies. The $1.8 billion company has grown through more than 300 acquisitions over...

Boards increase independence.(Governance)(board of directors)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... How does your company's board of directors stack up to those of your peers? The Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC) says more vocal investors and more stringent stock exchange rules helped spur increased levels of independence among...

New flight plan.(Time Machine)
February 1, 2004... In June 2001, when INDUSTRY WEEK explored the fierce rivalry between the only two manufacturers of large commercial aircraft--Boeing Co. and Airbus S.A.--Boeing's home address was Seattle (although it had already announced plans to relocate its...

CAFTA beneficiaries include IT: but potential U.S. job losses could delay pact's approval.(Trade)(Central America Free Trade Agreement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... ONCE THE PENDING U.S.-CENTRAL America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) takes effect, U.S. exporters of information technology products, agricultural and construction equipment, paper products, chemicals, and medical and scientific equipment will...

Creativity not required.(Leadership)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... CHIEF EXECUTIVES WHO ARE CREATIVE MAY be great to be around, but their creativity doesn't necessarily make them great leaders. Indeed, 45% of 181 senior executives polled by Christian & Timbers, an executive recruitment firm, say the ability to...

Notable/quotable.(influence of price change on the chinese currency)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... "Would a considerably stronger Chinese yuan have beneficial effects? Many of our member companies tell us that a 20% or more price shift would change the competitive situation dramatically. Others say their problems go beyond that." ...

Leadership takes on, well, leading importance.(Management)(leadership development)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... CEOs such as W. James McNerney Jr. at 3M Co., St. Paul. Minn., are stressing leadership development and creating corporate leadership institutes to put their words into practice, Expect to see more such moves in 2004, advises the Herman Group a...

Message disbelieved: one-fifth of employees question their company's truthfulness.(Communication)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... WHILE COMPANIES WORK HARD TO regain the public s trust in the midst of seemingly endless corporate scandals, distrust can be found much closer to home: among their own workers. A Towers Perrin survey suggests that for every message a company...

Helping electronics keep their cool: new thermal-management technology doesn't need cooling fans, say Georgia tech researchers.(Emerging Technologies)
February 1, 2004... LOUDSPEAKERS ARE THE INSPIRATION for a new solution to the cooling challenges that are heating up in the electronics industry. The problem: "New processors are consuming more power, circuit densities are getting higher, and there is pressure to...

Rapid prototyping by machining?(R. T. Palmer prototyping solution)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... What do you need to do rapid prototyping? And can the concept accurately produce the needed part in the right material? A British production machining supplier discovered some surprising answers. Barrie Hall, sales manager of R.T....

It's a matter of matter: see your company in a new light by considering your 'real world' inventory.(Brandt On Leadership)
February 1, 2004... IT'S LONG BEEN CLEAR THAT manufacturing companies need to operate in new ways if they are to thrive--or even survive. Exactly what we're supposed to become, however, is still a matter of confusion. Which leads me to wonder if we're framing...

ASIA: yesterday's fast followers today's global leaders.(Auto report: innovation)(Company Profile)
February 1, 2004... AFTER REVOLUTIONIZING THE AUTO INDUSTRY WITH RADICAL VEHICLE PRODUCTION METHODS, THE JAPANESE--WITH GROWING PARTICIPATION FROM THE REST OF ASIA--ARE NOW ASSAULTING THE WEST'S LEAD IN TECHNOLOGY, STYLING AND MARKETING. WHERE ASIA WAS ONCE RENOWN...

The PLM revolution.(Auto report: information technology)
February 1, 2004... Like most of manufacturing's epochal transitions, the product lifecycle management (PLM) revolution is driven by the auto industry and its evolving need to become more collaborative, adaptive, flexible and responsive. And that's just the...

Rougher ride after NAFTA? For the North American auto industry, said to be NAFTA's big manufacturing winner, the journey through the rest of the Americas could be a bumpier ride.(Auto report: trade)(Free Trade Area of the Americas)
February 1, 2004... BY ONE ESTIMATE, A FREE Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), extending from the Arctic to the southern tip of Argentina, excepting Cuba, could add as many as 2.5 million units to annual sales of new cars and light trucks in the Western Hemisphere...

Balancing act: as China's appetite for cars grows, OEM suppliers are crunching numbers and building networks to satisfy customers and stay profitable.(Auto report: sourcing)(Original Equipment Manufacturer )
February 1, 2004... FORTY-NINE PERCENT. THAT'S HOW MANY MORE passenger cars were sold in China last year over 2002. With annual market growth in the low single digits or shrinking in the developed regions of the world, it's no mystery why automakers have been...

Long-term commitments: practices and performances validate world-class plants.(World-Class Performers)
February 1, 2004... WHAT MAKES A MANUFACTURING FACILITY world-class? The Census of Manufacturers has been seeking to answer that question for years, examining operational metrics and practices that differentiate those that believe they're on the path to...

Does BPM have legs? Time will tell if business process management is just more hype.(E Commentary)
February 1, 2004... IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE TERM "business process management" yet, you will. The only problem is, just what the heck does it mean, and should anyone care? Make no mistake, this is a path many manufacturers have been down before. Who could...

GM taps India for IT and R&D: leading automaker invests $21 million to set up shop in Bangalore.(General Motors Corp.)
February 1, 2004... IN LOCATING ITS FIRST AUTOMOTIVE research laboratory outside of the U.S., General Motors Corp. had several things in mind. The Detroit-based automaker wanted to move the brand closer to the Asia-Pacific region, tap a diverse pool of talent and...

Hone on a range: most corporations don't project specific earnings-per-share.(Earnings Guidance)
February 1, 2004... FEWER CORPORATIONS ARE THINKING about ending earnings guidance than were a year ago. But of the 77% of corporations that do provide earnings guidance only 9% give specific earnings-per-share estimates, indicates a member survey from the Vienna,...

Sino surge expected.(Bottom Line)(opportunities for foreign firms to partner with Chinese companies )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Partnering in China is nothing new. However. the scale at which foreign firms are partnering with Chinese companies is, says Larraine D. Segil, a Los Angeles partner at Vantage Partners, a Boston-based consulting firm, The reasons for increased...

Spreading the good word: Kato Engineering's 'lean office transformation' attacks wasteful procedures off the factory floor.(Best Practices)
February 1, 2004... LIKE SO MANY OTHER MANUFACTURERS in the mid-'90s, Kato Engineering, Mankato, Minn., got the lean bug. The Emerson Electric subsidiary, which has produced large electrical generators since 1945, reduced cycle time for several key products using...

Six Sigma stigma: not all black belts are created equally.(Continuous improvement)
February 1, 2004... YOU'RE WALKING DOWN A DARK alley. Some shadowy types step out of a doorway. Cold stares. Hands stuffed in pockets. You know the scene. Your companion says, "Don't worry, I'm a black belt." You exhale. "A Six Sigma master black belt in fact."...

FKI Logistex Alvey Systems.(People)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... * FKI Logistex Alvey Systems, an FKI Logistex company and integrator of automated material flow solutions, has appointed George Reyher as account manager, Latin America. Reyher will focus his efforts on refining and expanding the company's...

Cooper Industries Ltd.(People)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... * Cooper Industries Ltd., Houston, named Kirk S. Hachigian COO. Hachigian replaces Ralph E. Jackson, who retired last December. Hachigian will oversee all of Cooper's worldwide business operations: Cooper B-Line, Cooper Bussmann, Cooper...

Bristol-Myers Squibb.(People)(Bristol-Myers Squibb South Africa)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... * Bristol-Myers Squibb South Africa has named Peter Moore regional medical director for Middle East/Africa. Also, the company named Hari Padmanabhan regional marketing director for South Africa and English-speaking Africa. Update is...

Hydro Aluminum.(People)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... * Hydro Aluminum North America, Baltimore, has appointed Vern Flowers to the general manager position of its Sidney, Ohio, contract manufacturing plant. Flowers will direct Sidney's advanced fabrication and contract manufacturing services for...

Bosch Rexroth AG.(People)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... * Bosch Rexroth AG has announced a changing of the guard. Winfried Witte will step down as president effective April 30 and be replaced by Manfred Grundke, current executive vice president for sales automation and president of the electric...

Excel.(People)(UK supply chain management company)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... * Supply-chain management provider Excel, a UK company, has named Patrick Moebel CEO for Technology and Global Freight Management/Americas. Moebel most recently served as president and CEO of Schenker USA. Update is compiled by Tonya...

Events.(Update)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 1, 2004... March 17-19: American Pet Products Manufacturers Assoc. Pet Products Trade Show Ernest N. Morial Convention Center New Orleans www.appma.org/register May 18-20: IW/AME Best Plants Conference Sheraton Cleveland Cleveland ...

Enjoy it while it lasts: rising interest rates will reduce the rate of growth in 2005.(Evans On The Economy)(Column)
February 1, 2004... FOR THREE YEARS, THE U.S. economy has been carried by the consumer. In 2004, the U.S. economy will be carried by capital spending and exports. U.S. exports will benefit from the relatively lower U.S. dollar and from more rapid growth around the...