Industry Week articles from February 2006

Industry Week archives from February 2006

The manufacturer's agenda.(Featured Blogs)
February 1, 2006... Join Pat Panchak, IndustryWeek editor-in-chief, and debate public policy issues that impact manufacturers. You'll discuss trade, tax, and labor policies, as well as environmental and other government regulations. Come to share, test and...

Economic outlook.
February 1, 2006... The big picture on the economy--by Michael Evans. Get his opinions on where it's going and why--and let him know what you think!

Financial market outlook.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Michael Evans covers exactly what is going on in the stock market and more importantly, explains why. Get the latest on financial market movements here!

OnLine poll.
February 1, 2006... By how much do you expect your company's revenues to rise on 2006? IndustryWeek.com readers respond.: 1% to 5% 20% 6% to 10% 31% 11% to 15% 13% More than 15% 19% We'll be...

Continuous improvement in the executive suite: you can no longer plan for change. Change must be part of your plan.(manufacturing industries)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... MANUFACTURING EXECUTIVES AND PUBLIC policy leaders are among the smartest people in the world, but they're not immune to human nature's powerful resistance to change. One could argue that, for many, there's an inverse relationship: the more...

Ethical choices or conscience calmers?(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... Re "Times Call For Tough Ethical Choices," Page 22, Dec. 16, 2005. As I work for a manufacturing company still just getting into the Asia supply model, I see three points that can affect your prognostication. 1. China is the current hot...

In search of New outlets: fallout from GM and Ford's restructurings is hitting Tier 1 and lower-tier suppliers hard. The solution? Diversity.(General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co.)
February 1, 2006... WHEN BIG GUNS SUCH as General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. reorganize, restructure, close plants or plan to close plants based on the reality of their market share in North America, it affects suppliers--from Tier 1 down. Tier 1...

Sending the right message: investors are a tough crowd, and Lubrizol Corp. takes comprehensive measures to keep them well informed.(Charles P. Cooley discusses)(Interview)
February 1, 2006... SPECIALTY CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER LUBRIZOL CORP., WICKLIFFE, OHIO, LONG HAS MADE it a practice to establish strong communications with the investment community, o routine the publicly held company stepped up in 2004 with the $1.84 billion...

Consistent performer.(Performance Without Compromise: How Emerson Consistently Achieves Winning Results)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... There undoubtedly are lessons to be learned from a manufacturer that produced 43 consecutive years of increased earnings per share. Charles F. Knight, chairman emeritus and former CEO of St. Louis-based Emerson, which accomplished that feat,...

Latin American CEOs differ on concerns: but they rank profit growth and strategy at top.(chief executive officers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... CEOs AT COMPANIES IN Mexico and South America share many of the same worries, but they differ on their levels of concern on a few key issues. The sixth-annual CEO survey conducted by The Conference Board, New York, reveals that Mexican and...

2006 applications available.
February 1, 2006... IS YOUR NORTH AMERICAN-BASED MANUFACTURING PLANT ON THE LEADING edge of efforts to increase competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction, and create stimulating and rewarding work environments? Do your manufacturing performance metrics lead...

Captain McNerney.(W. James McNerney joined Boeing Co.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... CHICAGO-BASED BOEING Co. IS FLYING HIGH. The aerospace giant booked 1,002 net orders for commercial aircraft in 2005, a record total for a single year. Three of Boeing's commercial airplane programs--the 737, the 777 and the 787...

Private opportunity in public regulation: with an eye toward the future, some closely held firms voluntarily adopt SOX principles.(Sarbanes-Oxley Act )
February 1, 2006... PUBLIC COMPANIES MAY find the provisions imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act burdensome, but some forward-looking private companies are voluntarily adopting SOX principles. So say the results of PricewaterhouseCoopers' recent...

Success of JT open grows: two-year anniversary brings together collaborators--manufacturers, vendors and academia--to accelerate collaboration in product development.
February 1, 2006... COLLABORATION--THE CUSTOMER need for it--inspired the formation of Piano, Texas-based UGS Corp. from more than a dozen best-of-breed design solution providers. Then collaboration became the corporate mission via product lifecycle management...

Does anybody really know what time it is? The corporate world has its own theory on relativity, and Albert Einstein has nothing to do with it.
February 1, 2006... AFTER CENTURIES OF STUDY AND DEBATE, SCIENTISTS recently have concluded that our understanding of the laws of physics remains primitive, and that time itself may be more malleable than we ever thought. To which I say: For this we waited...

Playing the hand that's dealt: a discouraging and unpredictable economy will challenge manufacturers to come up with winning strategies, including lean that's mean.
February 1, 2006... LEAN. AGILE. AGGRESSIVE. ENLIGHTENED. COMMITTED. COMMUNICATIVE. U.S. manufacturing executives and their companies will have to be all these things--and more--if they're to make the best of 2006. While the big-picture economic numbers are...

Reaching for ROI on RFID: compliance continues to drive most RFID implementations. But Ford, International Paper and Gillette have found ways to cut costs and improve agencies.(radio-frequency identification, Ford Motor Co.)
February 1, 2006... THE "SLAP-AND-SHIP" MODEL that most manufacturers use to comply with military and retailer-driven RFID (radio-frequency identification) mandates isn't producing the type of investment returns that would warrant voluntary use of the technology....

Learning from Toyota--again.(Toyota Motor Corp., production processes)(Cover story)
February 1, 2006... WHILE U.S. MANUFACTURERS IN MANY SECTORS HAVE USED PRACTICES FROM THE TOYOTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM (TPS) TO BOOST PERFORMANCE SUBSTANTIALLY SINCE THE MID-'80S, THEY HAVE USED IT IMPROPERLY, EXPERTS SAY. INSTEAD OF EMBRACING TPS AS AN OVERARCHING...

Solution-chain manufacturing[SM] helps companies achieve strategic and financial goals.(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Today's global economy demands that manufacturers be more competitive than ever, especially mid-cap manufacturers who struggle to grow, thrive and even survive. "Over the last decade, U.S. manufacturers have recognized the need for continuous...

Smaller companies step in: think opportunity in transition--from a China gold rush by large multinational companies to a means of survival and growth by small- and medium-sized enterprises.
February 1, 2006... THE EASIEST WAY TO "sell" the need for a China strategy is to pose the prospect of close competitors suddenly enjoying 30% to 40% reductions in labor costs from China sourcing. Almost as easy to document is evidence that 1.3 billion consumers...

The new criteria for manufacturing success.(response management, supply chain management)
February 1, 2006... Not too long ago, all you heard about was vertical integration. Manufacturers would strive to integrate all aspects of their supply chain to gain complete control over their operations and performance. Boy, have times changed. Now the mantra is...

Download the free analyst white paper: "surviving and thriving in the global market".(response management, business logistics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... True market leaders see change as a constant, and build a core competency in effectively responding to change into their value chain and technology enablers. This paper explores supply chain practices, making the case for a higher level...

Managing the management map.(EXPANDING IN CHINA)(ASIMCO Technologies)
February 1, 2006... ASK JACK PERKOWSKI WHY SO MANY FOREIGN-OWNED plants in China are concentrated along he coast, and he'll agree with the analysts who describe it as logistical phenomena. However, don't assume that this has anything to do with the product,...

Favoring face time: as products become more complex and service more important, transportation customers might become less impressed by technology.(Anthro Corp., Technical Transportation Inc., contract)
February 1, 2006... IT'S EASY TO SLIDE DOWN THE slippery slope of IT overuse and automation. In the area of Transportation Management Software (TMS) and logistics providers, vendors have emphasized visibility, cost reduction, speed and market access. However, as...

Mountains spring opportunity: N.J.-based company to open a third polymerized toner plant in Japan.(Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc.)
February 1, 2006... JAPAN MAY NOT BE THE first Asian country most manufacturers select for new production facilities, but for Ramsey, N.J.-based Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc., it's the ideal location to build a polymerized toner plant. The...

Heightened visibility: spend analysis opens the door to successful sourcing strategies.(PROCUREMENT)
February 1, 2006... PLANNING TO UNDERTAKE a strategic sourcing initiative? Thinking about reducing the size of an unwieldy supply base you're certain is too fragmented to be beneficial? With cost reduction a primary tool in many U.S. manufacturers' efforts to...

Schering-Plough Corp.(Michael D. Boyd appointed)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Schering-Plough Corp., Kenilworth, N.J., announced that Michael D. Boyd has been appointed vice president, public affairs, international. In this role, Boyd will be responsible for leading and managing international external public affairs...

H&N Packaging.(Jerry Decker appointed)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... H&N Packaging, Colmar, Pa., has appointed Jerry Decker as president. Previously, he managed plant operations at sister company Multifilm Packaging. Both companies are owned by Constantia Packaging, a producer of flexible packaging films and...

Kinaxis Inc.(Richard G. Monkman appointed)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Manufacturing software provider Kinaxis Inc., formerly Webplan, has appointed Richard G. Monkman to the position of CFO and vice president of corporate services. Monkman has more than 25 years of finance and operations experience, the majority...

One Stop Systems.(Bill Carpenter appointed)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... One Stop Systems, a provider of industrial-grade computing systems, recently announced that Bill Carpenter has been elected to the company's board of directors. Carpenter served as CEO for Teal Electronics, a San Diego-based company, for 13...

National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).(ASSOCIATIONS)(Stephen Gold joined)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced that it has named Stephen Gold as senior vice president of industry programs. Gold previously served as vice president and executive director for the Council of Manufacturing...

Cash flow is king: manufacturers pay little attention to long-term interest rates when deciding to invest.(SPENDING)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... WHEN IT COMES TO committing money to plants equipment and making other kinds of business investments in the U.S., what drives manufacturing executives' decisions? The answer, first and foremost, is cash flow, say senior financial executives...

Gentle Ben? The Fed's incoming chairman confronts a choice: suffer now or later?(ON THE ECONOMY)(management of Ben Bernanke from United States. Federal Reserve Board)
February 1, 2006... AS BEN S. BERNANKE TAKES OVER AS chairman at the Federal Reserve System, the influential federal funds rate is in the middle of what most economists would consider the "neutral zone." However, as he succeeds Alan Greenspan, Bernanke confronts...