Industry Week articles from February 2008

Industry Week archives from February 2008

How to combat the credit crunch: manufacturers in search of capital are harvesting the cash that's tied up in their inventories.(CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT)
February 1, 2008... As we move into 2008, the U.S. economy is slowing down and the debate among economists seems to be whether we are going to experience a recession or just a slowdown in growth. The sub-prime crisis and tightening credit markets make it more...

To blog or not to blog: strategic use of blogs can allow manufacturing companies to increase their competitive profile, as well as their awareness of the needs and concerns of their customers.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] According to a recent study from market research firm Synovate, eight out of 10 Americans know what a blog is, almost half have visited blogs, and nearly one in 10 Americans has their own blog, firmly demonstrating...

By the numbers: business challenges.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2008... By The Numbers: Business Challenges what is the top business challenge facing your company in the next five years? 24% attracting/growing customer base 19% revenue growth 16% improving competitiveness 14% improving business...

Socially responsible ERP: get added value from your ERP system by using it for CSR reporting.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2008... According to Jeff Frank, vice president at Lawson Software, manufacturers are increasingly turning to IT to help manage their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. "Organizations have identified a need to integrate and automate their...

10 reasons to adopt RFID: a quick overview of the answer to the question, "what's in RFID for me?".(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hundreds of manufacturers, particularly consumer goods producers and those that sell to the U.S. Government, are already at various stage in their journeys to comply with the RFID mandates put into place by retail...

Continuous improvement--now available weekly.(Tools: eNewsletters)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... * The Continuous Improvement newsletter discusses the practices, opinions, successes and failures that process improvement has spawned. Benchmarking data in each issue--including data and case studies from the IW Best Plants program--give you a...

IW's "Manufacturing Market Forces" Podcast: using ERP for CSR.(New Online)
February 1, 2008... Jeff Frank, vice president at Lawson Software, defines CSR as "Doing well by doing good." He also defines IT as a useful tool for helping companies quan- tify their "green gains" (as well as get some more value from ERP investments), Visit...

"You Write the Caption".(New Online)
February 1, 2008... * Congratulations to klaxor, who has achieved the lofty title of CIVE (Caption IVriter Extraordinaire). You, too, can earn fame (but, alas, no fortune) by joining in the latest "You Write The Caption" contest, featuring gags from cartoonist...

Online poll.
February 1, 2008... In your 2008 budget process, which has been more important? IndustryWeek.com readers respond: Controlling Costs 59% Maximizing Revenue 31%

The United States of manufacturing: proposed amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting the right of people peaceably to assemble, develop, manufacture and distribute products.(JUST IN TIME)
February 1, 2008... With 2008 being an election year, you're going to be hearing a lot about what the various political office-seekers will "do for you" if you'll vote them into office. Depending on the circumstances and the audience, some of them will summon up...

Dow fights energy, raw materials costs: new gasification facility could reduce Dow's greenhouse emissions by 20%.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Like most manufacturers, The Dow Chemical Co. is wrestling with ways to combat rising energy and raw materials prices. In the third quarter of 2007 the Midland, Mich.-based chemical producer reported a $400 million...

Prevent defense.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)(Total preventive maintenance )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Preventive maintenance can either save a plant hours or even days of downtime--or be a big waste of time. Rather than simply following the OEM recommendations for machine maintenance, a more effective way to know how frequently equipment should...

Doctors of sustainability.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)(energy bill for manufacturing industries)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The sweeping energy bill signed into law by President Bush on Dec. 19, 2007, is likely the tip of the iceberg for manufacturers. With more regulatory action imminent, the creation of the Rochester Institute of...

In search of manufacturing excellence.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)(Business performance management)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Is your facility an example of excellence in manufacturing? Do your manufacturing practices drive stellar performances? If so, then the time has come to enter your manufacturing plant in INDUSTRYWEEK's 2008 Best Plants competition. ...

The younger they are, the less satisfied.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)(managing employees and job satisfaction)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Older workers seem to like their jobs a little better than their younger counterparts--at least that's what a recent study suggests. In a survey of 11,244 employees, only 30% of workers ages 21 to 30 say they would strongly recommend their...

Reputation means everything.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)(buildibng company reputation can gain employee confidence)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Employees' opinions of how their companies are viewed publicly can impact their desire to stay at a company or find work elsewhere, according to a report by staffing firm Kenexa Corp. That could be bad news for U.S. companies. Only 27% of U.S....

Multi-tasking raises CAM software issues: maximizing the benefits of multi-tasking starts with a CAM software strategy that can leverage the sophistication of the machine tool.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Start with the understanding that maximizing the benefits of multi-tasking machines requires a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) approach that takes full advantage of the machine tool's capabilities. Keep in...

Optimizing a multi-tasking strategy: how to get one machine to do multiple tasks.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)
February 1, 2008... Emerging in the 1980s, the early multi-tasking machine tools had limited machining center capability on a turning machine. Today, thousands of machines later, mindsets--not machine capability--can be among the limitations to overcome. With...

Manufacturers reach for the payoff from multi-tasking.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While multi-tasking machine tools cost more than conventional equipment and require special training, consider the ROI: "Multi-tasking machining can yield a 400% increase in productivity, whereas in the past four...

The bigger picture from multi-tasking.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... In a multi-tasking position paper, Brian Papke, president of Mazak Corp., describes potential greater than incrementally higher performance. He views the concept of multi-tasking as a unique opportunity for manufacturers to make a much stronger...

Growing the PLM market: strong PLM growth will propel market to exceed $30 billion by 2011.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)(product lifecycle management )
February 1, 2008... In 2006 businesses seeking improved performance grew the overall product lifecycle management (PLM) market 10.7% to reach $20.6 billion for the year, reports CIMdata Inc. Research by the Ann Arbor, Mich., consulting firm forecasts continued...

Fighting the IP wars: the costs of protecting their IP assets, plus the threat of losing market share to overseas black markets, have U.S. manufacturers fighting mad, and they're learning how to protect their turf.(MANUFACTURER'S AGENDA)(Intellectual property)
February 1, 2008... When it comes to intellectual property (IP), everyone in the economy is at risk, especially manufacturers, distributors, government, consumers and even the U.S. workforce. For example, the loss of more than 750,000 jobs is attributed to...

Disruption in the channel.(IW READER: FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2008... * Re: "Strategies for Strategic Sourcing," Page 28, Jan. 2008 Our recent research, a survey of North American industrial distributors indicates that, contrary to what was stated in this article, executives at distributors of industrial...

China's export slump?(From The Forums)
February 1, 2008... http://forums.industryweek.com/ showthread.php?t=1437 > The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China has released a research report warning domestic exporters of the possibility of fewer orders in tandem with a predicted...

SC Johnson finds a 'Greener' way to load trucks: consumer products company reduces greenhouse gases via truckload utilization.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It used to be that adhering to such transportation best practices as cube utilization (see Page 66) was evidence of a company's good supply chain management, and that was pretty much the end of the story. Yesterday's...

10 strategies to drive down your transportation spend.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(methods to improvie business logistivs)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If there's one thing all manufacturers have in common, it's the pressure they're under to drive down the costs to produce and deliver goods. Wilson Rothschild, who heads up supply chain management product marketing...

Top 10 supply chain trends for manufacturers in 2008.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... 1. Large manufacturing firms will move toward a globally integrated business model. 2. IT organizations will accelerate spending on collaborative decision environments and incubate multi-enterprise business networks. 3. Globally...

Cube utilization in 15 words or less.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A measurement of the utilization of the total storage capacity of a vehicle or warehouse. --Kate Vitasek, Supply Chain Visions

Worst practices in forecasting: sometimes the pursuit of "best in class" is a losing proposition.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(methods of business forecast)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The most fundamental worst practice, says Mike Gilliland, product marketing manager at SAS Institute, is to assume things work without bothering to measure them. "This can occur when purported 'best practices' are...

Keep the customer satisfied: a customer-centric business model offers a way to react more quickly to demand volatility.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... "Manufacturing is in the throes of a massive shift from a production-centric to customer-centric business model," observes Randy Littleson, vice president of marketing with Kinaxis Inc., a provider of response management solutions. As he...

Portfolio management: setting priorities: successful product development efforts require companies to wisely select which projects to pursue.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Not all product development ideas are created equal. Some require little financial investment; others require a lot. Some have a short-term payback horizon; the horizon for others is many years away. Some are...

Polymers that shift and shape: Georgia Tech researchers develop smart materials for biomedical applications.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)(Georgia Institute of Technology)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The human body is a harsh environment for implantable materials, what with all the tissue and bodily fluids in which they must reside. Researchers at the Georgia institute of Technology are developing materials to...

Toyota debuts new robot models: practical use for household robots remains a few years away.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Toyota Motor Corp. may be best known for its vaunted production system and reputation for quality, but one day its robots could grace households around the globe. In December, the Japanese manufacturer introduced its latest additions to...

The value of relationships.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)(Monsanto Co. induces employees for team work)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... "At Monsanto, we're finding that our business is driven more and more by the importance of relationships. We announced [in 2007] a new venture, a relationship with BASF, a German company. We're working together on eight research projects that...

Managing the global trade-off: manufacturers are trying to simplify their approach to global trade compliance.(PURCHASING)(manufacturing industries abides to rules on international trade)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The majority of Americans are pretty clueless when it comes to U.S. Customs regulations, but these days manufacturers are having to become virtual experts. Partly, it's because most of them have made doing business...

Tools of the international trade automated systems can make trade compliance easier and more efficient.(PURCHASING)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When it comes to complying with international trade regulations, there are usually more questions than answers. But according to Jim Preuninger, CEO of Management Dynamics Inc., a provider of global trade management...

A query of your peers.(PURCHASING)(information technology services industry provides information via online social networks)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... "Particularly as they reach the final stages of the purchase process, IT decision-makers rely on social media content--generated by their peers in online communities--more than any other source of information." --Mike O'Toole, EVP and...

Market Watch: material demand.(PURCHASING)(rising rates of commodities)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Commodities Up in Price Caustic soda (3) Corn-based Products Corrugated Containers (4) Diesel fuel Fuel surcharges Gasoline (2) Methanol (3) Natural Gas (2) Oil (2) Packaging (2) Plastic...

Cost in translation more effective sourcing efforts could be as simple as getting your procurement and finance departments to speak the same language.(PURCHASING)
February 1, 2008... At least in theory, a manufacturer's finance and procurement departments should be natural allies, sharing many of the same goals and challenges and working in an aligned, coordinated fashion. In a perfect world, maybe. But according to a...

Online network offers best practice research for management.(PURCHASING)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] New ideas keep companies running, but there's also no point in reinventing the wheel. That's why companies are always interested in learning what others are doing to improve efficiency. To help them out, the Hackett...

Walking into walls: learn to overcome these five obstacles to building a reliable supplier network.(PURCHASING)
February 1, 2008... Small and midsized manufacturers are frequently challenged with finding reliable and qualified suppliers within limited networks. "U.S. manufacturers are being challenged in the most intense global competition in history and can only squeeze...

Where does steel go now? With the first wave of consolidation bringing stability, the industry looks to further integration and policy change to remain competitive.(FOCUS ON THE PROCESS INDUSTRIES)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The U.S. Steel industry is off life support and breathing on its own again. Resuscitated by consolidation, restructuring and import relief tariffs, domestic steel enters 2008 with four years of strong growth behind...

Out to launch: critical to a company's continued success, new product introductions continue to stymie manufacturers. Learn how several organizations have improved their chances of success.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HIGH PRIORITY. LESS-THAN-STELLAR EXECUTION. For many manufacturers those two concepts aptly describe their companies' new product development and launch processes. indeed, while often called the "lifeblood" of...