Industry Week articles from January 2009

Industry Week archives from January 2009

Spreading its winning ways: Baldor's Weaverville, N.C., plant is pushing lean/Six Sigma to its suppliers.(BALDOR ELECTRIC CO./WEAVERVILLE PLANT)(Company overview)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The journey to lean/Six Sigma excellence at Baldor's Weaverville, N.C., facility is spreading beyond its walls. The plant, which manufactures power transmission components, is targeting key suppliers to help them...

Lean medical marvel: Baxter Mexico transforms its production processes from the bottom up.(BAXTER MEXICO)
January 1, 2009... The Baxter Mexico campus radiates with a youthful energy that reflects the steady stream of investments and growth that the multinational $11.3 billion biotech and pharmaceutical company has experienced here outside Cuernavaca, 45 minutes south...

Bridging the divide between Wall Street and Main Street: when it comes to helping U.S. manufacturers, President Obama's first rule should be: do no further harm.(THE COMPETITIVE EDGE)
January 1, 2009... A new team arrives in Washington this month, energized by a solid electoral majority and a mission to solve the worst economic slowdown since World War II. The slump has spread with astonishing speed from Wall Street to Main Street, but the...

Online poll.(OnLine: WWW.INDUSTRYWEEK.COM)
January 1, 2009... DO YOU SUPPORT THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT? IndustryWeek.com readers respond: 19% yes 81% no

On demand.(WEBCASTS: www.industryweek.com/webcasts)
January 1, 2009... What Manufacturers need to know about International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and How Your Company Can Prepare Sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers Highlights from Toyota Talent: Developing People the Toyota Way Sponsored...

You write the caption.(OnLine: WWW.INDUSTRYWEEK.COM)
January 1, 2009... Congratulations to J.C., who has achieved the lofty title of CWE (Caption Writer Extraordinaire). You, too, can earn fame (but, alas, no fortune) by joining in the latest "You Write The Caption" contest, featuring gags from cartoonist Jerry...

Building stability: a skilled workforce at medical-device maker Cordis LLC's Puerto Rico plant attracts new business during challenging times.(CORDIS LLC)(Company overview)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The road to Best Plants recognition isn't always smooth. In fact, for Cordis LLC's San German, Puerto Rico, operations you might say the plant encountered a few potholes along the way. Over the past four years, the...

All about discipline: technology drives DST Output East, while standardized processes keep it humming.(DST OUTPUT EAST LLC)
January 1, 2009... To hear the management team talk about it, DST Output East was a bit of a challenge in 2002. There wasn't simply plenty of low-hanging fruit in terms of improvement opportunities, but "the tree was lying on the ground," they say. The merging of...

More highlights from the 2008 IW Excellence In Action plant tours.(IW 2008 EXCELLENCE IN ACTION)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] October and November saw the second half of IndustryWeek's in Excellence In Action plant tours, conducted in the Northeast and the Southeast. These tours are designed to allow attendees the chance to see operational...

Re-energizing walkthroughs: energy audits can identify low-cost opportunities to reduce waste.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)(Department of Energy)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January, one of his priorities will be the implementation of an energy plan that is expected to include a carbon cap-and-trade program. Such a system would put a...

The 'soft side' of lean.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)
January 1, 2009... The authors of a McKinsey Quarterly article published in November say companies may be losing half their potential savings from lean programs when they overlook the need for leaders who are capable of implementing and driving...

Merger meltdown.(By The Numbers)(mergers and acquisitions )(Report)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The total value of mergers and acquisitions in 2008 is well behind the $88 billion pace set in 2007, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reports in "Assembling Value: Industrial Manufacturing Mergers and Acquisitions Analysis--Third Quarter 2008." PwC...

Lift truck progress: cleaner, greener, smarter: design trends boost lift truck efficiency in terms of productivity, emission control, safety and durability.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)(Toyota Material Handling U.S.A.)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While the continuing transition to electric battery-powered lift trucks may suggest only environmental concern, the trend is really part of a broader search for new levels of performance and productivity. The...

The fuel cell future.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)(Toyota Material Handling U.S.A.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... As the major focus of lift truck makers continues on battery-powered lift trucks, Martin Boyd, national product planning and marketing manager, at Toyota Material Handling USA Inc. (TMHU) says the hot topic of the Industrial Truck Association...

Crown's fuel cell direction.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)(Crown Equipment Corp.)
January 1, 2009... Running or planning a two- or three-shift operation with a large number of lift trucks? "Those are ideal circumstances for considering units powered by fuel cells," says Eric Jensen, manager of research and development, Crown Equipment Corp....

Fifty years of manufacturing innovation.(LEGACY)(Editorial)
January 1, 2009... My half-century of focusing on manufacturing technology and innovation started on Dec. 8, 1958. the journey began with Steel, a Penton metalworking weekly that became IndustryWeek in 1970. What helped motivate Steel's transition to...

Mindful of the surroundings: historic architecture doesn't get in the way of world-class manufacturing at General Cable's Manchester, N.H., operation.(GENERAL CABLE--MANCHESTER PLANT)(General Cable Corp.)(Company overview)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Built in 1909, the old textile mill that now houses General Cable's Manchester, N.H., plant is a typical design for the area. However, with its oak wood floors and load-bearing, floor-to-ceiling columns spaced only a...

Leading with lean: at Greatbatch, continuous improvement never takes a back seat.(GREATBATCH)(Company overview)
January 1, 2009... Unassuming on the outside; a testament to the rewards brought about by lean manufacturing on the inside. That's one way to describe the Alden, N.Y., operations of Greatbatch, located about 15 miles east of Buffalo. Indeed, there's little on the...

The big none: what would the world be like if the U.S. auto industry no longer existed?(JUST IN TIME)(Editorial)
January 1, 2009... I'm always a sucker for Christmas movies, and while channel surfing this past December I came across a scene that made me think I had found another updating of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol": Three penniless waifs were groveling in front...

The four-day week works well.(IW READER: FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... In her letter to the editor (Dec. 2008, page 12), Sherry Gaidry expressed a concern about daycare for employees who work the four-day week. I have worked that schedule for over 20 years at Paragon Industries, and I have never heard an employee...

Corrections.(IW READER: FEEDBACK)(Correction notice)
January 1, 2009... In "Paccar's Hybrids: Building a Heavy-Duty Supply Chain" (Dec. 2008), we misstated the company's size. The correct amount is over 20,000 employees. Also, we should have stated that International Truck and Engine Corp. and Freightliner Trucks...

Hitting the sustainability wall.(IW READER FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... >Re: "Continuous Improvement: Engaging the Hearts and Minds of Your Employees," Dec. 2008, Page 14 Ralph Keller has hit the nail on the head again! Company after company jumps onto the lean bandwagon and then hits the "sustain" wall after...

Employee Free Choice Act.(From The Forums)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... http://forums.industryweek.com/ showthread.php?p=5432#post5432 The United States was founded on the premise of free choice and the freedom to pursue whatever alliances you choose. This spits in the face of that The labor unions will abuse...

'Let Detroit go bankrupt'.(From The Forums)(United Auto Workers )(workers benefits)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... http://forums.industryweek.com/ showthread.php?t=2029 The problem lies with our healthcare system and broken retirement mechanisms. The UAW simply insisted that its members have what all Americans should have: decent healthcare and...

Hungry for change: a 'survivor' mentality permeates the culture and drives improvement for Lockheed Clearwater.(LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP. MS2 TACTICAL SYSTEMS / CLEARWATER)(Company overview)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If you didn't know any better, the antistatic wristbands connecting many workers to their stations at Lockheed Martin's MS2 Tactical Systems-Clearwater Operations might look like an odd way to improve productivity....

Manufacturers brace for a recession in 2009: significant slowing in employment and wages will be leading trends this year.(NAM/IW: MANUFACTURING INDEX)(Survey)
January 1, 2009... When asked if the U.S. economy would go through a recession in 2008, nearly half "(49%) of the manufacturing companies participating in the NAM/IndustryWeek Manufacturing Index for the third quarter of 2008 answered "yes." This is more than the...

In the rotation: Nordson Swainsboro enables continuous improvement through its cross-training program.(NORDSON SWAINSBORO ASSEMBLY FACILITY)(Company overview)
January 1, 2009... At the plant level, continuous improvement efforts have as much to do with culture as they do with processes, particularly when it comes to employee engagement. Nordson Corp.'s Swainsboro, Ga., assembly facility has institutionalized the...

3-D CAD data grows more accessible: for manufacturers, that means less wasted time.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 3-D CAD is widely used in organizations' product design function. In fact 60% of respondents to a recent survey say they use it 81 % to 100% of the time. Not surprisingly, its use is not nearly so prevalent as you...

Myths of innovation: don't let them hinder business growth.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For many manufacturers, innovation is a struggle. That fact has been borne out in numerous studies as well as in the marketplace, where new product introductions regularly fail to meet expectations even as others...

R&D spending.(By The Numbers)(industrial research)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... When it comes to how many dollars are being spent on R&D as a percentage of sales, the numbers vary wildly, according to consulting firm Booz & Co.'s annual review of corporate R&D spending. While the computing and electronics, healthcare and...

Are your prices right? Adjusting pricing strategies could help manufacturers survive the economic crisis.(PURCHASING)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Playing the role of both buyer and seller, manufacturers live on both sides of the transaction. And what is perceived as a good price isn't always clearly defined. Now caught in the middle of a financial meltdown,...

ISM addresses Equal Pay: compensation disparities still prevalent for supply management professionals.(PURCHASING)(Institute for Supply Management)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Enacted in 1963, the Equal Pay Act deemed it illegal to pay men and women different wages for performing the same work under the same conditions. However, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) believes that...

Material demand.(MARKET WATCH)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Commodities Up In Price Caustic Soda (9) Copper (2)* Natural Gas* Commodities Down in Price Aluminum (2) Aluminum-based Products Copper (4)* Diesel Fuel (4) #2 Fuel Oil ...

Cause and effect.(PURCHASING)
January 1, 2009... "Manufacturers often have to endure price increases from suppliers, but buyers need to ask enough questions to understand how things like commodity spikes might influence a supplier's need to raise prices in the future." --Len Prokopets,...

The five stages of RFID: as manufacturers come to accept the inevitability of RFID, they are also discovering some tangible benefits.(TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION)(radio frequency identification)
January 1, 2009... There was a time not so long ago when, in manufacturing circles, the words "radio frequency identification" (or RFID) were synonymous with retail giant Wal-Mart's RFID initiatives. That's no longer the case today, points out Lora Cecere, vice...

The future is bright for solar energy: photovoltaics and other alternative energy solutions offer economic and environmental advantages to manufacturers.(SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Before the presidential election, then-Sen. Barack Obama spoke of creating 5 million new jobs in renewable energy and nearly tripling the percentage of the nation's electricity supplied by renewables by 2025....

Manufacturers are bearish on the economy: freight volumes are expected to decline in 2009.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Survey)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There's sometimes a bright side to an economic recession, and for manufacturers, that small bit of sunshine comes from the limited rate hikes they can expect to see from their transportation providers, at least when...

Big shifts underway in transportation.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)
January 1, 2009... "Shipping goods across the U.S. has always had, and will continue to have, shippers scratching their heads over which mode of transportation is the most efficient and cost effective," says Bruce Tompkins, executive director of the Supply Chain...

10 supply chain initiatives to survive and thrive in this downturn.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... "There are ways supply chain executives at manufacturers, distributors and retailers can survive and a few ways to thrive in this downturn," says Terry Harris with Chicago consulting. he offers the following 10 steps to help you tough it out....

Top 10 supply chain software vendors.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Table)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Top 10 Supply Chain Software Vendors RANK COMPANY APPLICATION MARKET GROWTH REVENUES SHARE RATE (2007 (IN MILLIONS) OVER...

Empowering the workforce: employee engagement leads the way at Thermo Fisher Scientific's Marietta, Ohio, operations.(THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC)(Company overview)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When new employees at the Thermo Fisher Scientific plant in Marietta, Ohio, have work-related questions, they can always consult with a member of the facility's "Tree of Knowledge." The "tree" is actually a bulletin...

Achieving competitive excellence: continuous improvement is UTEC's 'ACE in the hole.'.(UT ELECTRONIC CONTROLS)(United Technologies Corp.)
January 1, 2009... Continuous improvement initiatives typically focus on eliminating waste, driving down costs, reducing inventories and other efficiency improvements. Certainly, UT Electronic Controls, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. and a unit of...

Winning ways: IndustryWeek's 2008 Best Plants winners make excellence an everyday event.(IW 2008: BEST PLANTS WINNERS)(Cover story)
January 1, 2009... These days, while tales of U.s. manufacturing's woes are well documented, less so are its stories of excellence. the 2008 IndustryWeek Best Plants winners provide some of those stories, and they do so in myriad ways. At Greatbatch in...