Industry Week articles from January 2003

Industry Week archives from January 2003

The honor system. (Editor's Page).(Editorial)
January 1, 2003... PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH IS PLACING A BIG BET ON MANUFACturers, and I hope we don't disappoint him. Fresh from an historic mid-term election--the first since 1934 in which the President's party did not lose seats in the House--he's spending some...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2003... Who's Greedier, CEOs or Dockworkers? Your observations on undervalued operational skills are interesting and certainly on target ["Of CEOs And Dockworkers," November 2002, Page 7]. I heard [former] U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill...

Disappointingly slow growth: U.S., Europe and Japan will be 2003 laggards. (Global Economy).
January 1, 2003... LIKE A SPORTS TEAM REBUILDING AFTER several heady seasons, the world's major economies--including the U.S. economy, the world's largest--are likely to disappoint rather than inspire in 2003. Indeed, the economic sport of forecast lowering...

Henry Ford, Lean Visionary. (Bookshelf).("Henry Ford's Lean Vision: Enduring Principles from the First Ford Motor Plant")(Book Review)
January 1, 2003... For anyone who believes lean manufacturing is a Japanese invention, author William A. Levinson aims to set you straight in "Henry Ford's Lean Vision: Enduring Principles from the First Ford Motor Plant (2002, Productivity Press). In numerous...

Does your factory measure up? (Best Plants).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Jill Tusko INDUSTRYWEEK is accepting nominations until March 7 for the 2003 Best Plants competition. To nominate one of your company's facilities, complete the nomination form located at www.lndustry week.com/iwinprint/bestplanfs. The 10...

Autonomic Computing: the next e-business step; IBM: 'it's time to design and build computing systems capable of running themselves, adjusting to varying circumstances and preparing their resources to efficiently handle workloads'. (Emerging Technologies).
January 1, 2003... IBM's ALAN GANEK (ABOVE) WANTS TO evolve computing infrastructures to be as self-regulating as the human body's autonomic nervous system. "There is a business necessity to reduce the complexity and expense of managing IT infrastructures," says...

E-waste reuse. (Emerging Technologies).(recycling electronics)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Will our e-future be jeopardized by e-waste? A study under way at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, is seeking a solution. Researchers are planning "reverse production" systems that will collect e-trash, disassemble the discarded...

Restoring investor faith. (Executive Word).(Interview)
January 1, 2003... Archie W. Dunham Chairman of the Board ConocoPhillips, Houston Born: 1938 Education: Holds a bachelor's degree in geological engineering and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Oklahoma. In 1999 the...

Competing beyond quality: your customers demand speed, solutions, research and more. Are you up for it? (Brandt on Leadership).
January 1, 2003... ONE OF THE STRIKING THINGS about most companies is how little employees (or managers, for that matter) understand the concept of customer value. In most instances, they believe that customer value resides in something they did to a product or...

Best-laid plans: diverse manufacturers are migrating to demand-planning and demand-management applications, but best practices must underpin software deployment. (Information Technology).
January 1, 2003... IN CONSUMER-PACKAGED GOODS markets, demand-management savvy means the difference between bloated stockpiles and the appropriate amount of product moving succinctly to retailer shelves and into consumer hands; or, worse, missing inventory and...

UTC'S master of principle. (Leadership).(United Technologies Corp.)
January 1, 2003... CHIEF EXECUTIVE GEORGE DAVID INDUSTRY WEEK'S CEO OF THE YEAR, THRIVES ON COMPETITION, WINNING AND THE RULE OF REASON. GEORGE DAVID, CHAIRMAN AND CEO of Hartford, Conn.-based United Technologies Corp. (UTC) and IW's 2002 CEO of the Year,...

Out of the shadow: as the complexity and demands of global manufacturing increase, so do demands on COOs. (Leadership).
January 1, 2003... FLUID. THAT'S THE ONE-WORD DESCRIPtion of today's COO. It has to be in today's complex business world of global operations and flat management structures. The division of labor between the chief operating officer (or chief operations officer)...

Business value of extended enterprise collaboration: an executive roundtable discussion sponsored by EDS and hosted by IndustryWeek. (Special Advertising Section).
January 1, 2003... Maintaining efficient communication and smooth workflow is a major challenge in extended enterprises. Operations may be dispersed among numerous geographically distributed facilities, supply chains, strategic partners, business allies and...

Preparing for the worst: turbulent times call for manufacturers to assess their risks when it comes to potential terrorist attacks. (Finance).
January 1, 2003... A YEAR-AND-A-HALF AGO, THE thought of stand-alone terrorism coverage was a fleeting one. Most companies were content with their general policies. Although said policies didn't flat-out state that acts of terrorism were covered, they didn't...

Strength in numbers: employer-led coalitions attack rising health-care costs with the powers of negotiation, education. (Best Practices).
January 1, 2003... REDUCING INVENTORY. BOOSTING PRODUCTIVITY. Cutting injury-related lost work time. None of these is easy, but managers at world-class manufacturing plants say they all produce long-term benefits that are worth the efforts. How does reducing...

United Plastics picks China's 'Silicon Valley': Illinois manufacturer is producing parts in the Suzhou high-tech area. (Locations).
January 1, 2003... PLANT: Production of plastic parts began in October 2002 at the first China-based injection molding plant of United Plastics Group Inc., (UPG) Westmont, Ill. Situated in Suzhou, China's "Silicon Valley" near Shanghai, the 24,000-square-foot...

U.S. is number. (Financial & Economic Trends).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP AND ECOnomic prowess make the U.S. the world's most competitive country, according to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2002 "Global Competitiveness Report." The U.S. ranked No. 1 on both the growth competitiveness index,...

Third contraction. (Financial & Economic Trends).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... As the overall U.S. economy expanded for the 13th consecutive month in November 2002, the manufacturing sector recorded its third consecutive contraction. The index of manufacturing activity complied by the Tempe, Ariz.-based Institute for...

Maytag Corp. (People).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Craig I. Ibsen recently re-joined Maytag Corp. as vice president and general manager of the Maytag Specialty Group, a newly established group that will provide additional emphasis on the luxury segment of residential kitchen appliances. Ibsen,...

Sony Disc Manufacturing. (People).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Cliff Boyd has been named director of manufacturing, Sony Disc Manufacturing, Springfield, Ore. In his new role, Boyd is responsible for ensuring efficient operation in all manufacturing departments, including the mastering, replication,...

Metals Service Center. (Associations).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI) and the National Association of Aluminum Distributors (NAAD) have voted in favor of a merger, according to The Aluminum Association. Robert Weidner, president of MSCI, said in a statement that the...

Aluminum Association. (Associations).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Aluminum Association elected three representatives of producer member companies to its board of directors: Dean Blakeney, general manager, Corns Aluminum Rolled Products, USA Inc.; Mark Russell, CEO, Indalex Aluminum Solutions; and Pierre...

Events.
January 1, 2003... Feb. 18-20: The Ergonomics Conference McKimmon Center at NC State University Raleigh, N.C. www.TheErgonomicsCenter.com March 3-6: National Manufacturing Week McCormick Place Chicago www.nam.org ...

The Bush tax cuts you won't see: blame it on the other 'D' word; deficit. (Evans on the Economy).
January 1, 2003... Evans, Michael K. SOME PUNDITS BELIEVE THAT JUST because the Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress, major tax legislation benefiting higher-income individuals, investors and corporations will be passed. Don't...

Developing countries to boost purchases: China will lead the way. (Agricultural Equipment).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... CHINESE FARMERS, SOME OF whom still are using animal power to tend crops, will lead the world in new agricultural equipment purchases through 2006. So say researchers at The Freedonia Group Inc., Cleveland. In the report "World Agricultural...