Industry Week articles from July 2007

Industry Week archives from July 2007

China's day of reckoning is coming soon: some clouds are beginning to form on the horizon of China's growth model.(THE COMPETITIVE EDGE)
July 1, 2007... The Chinese eConomy has grown at an astonishing rate the past 30 years, thanks to an opening to the world, skillful government management and the sound work ethic and entrepreneurial skills of the Chinese people. But the growth model behind...

Vision quest: U.S. manufacturers are in an ideal position to capitalize on globalization-as long as they make products people want to buy.(JUST IN TIME)(Editorial)
July 1, 2007... VISION WITHOUT EXECUTION IS A HALLUCINATION." Albert Einstein probably didn't have supply chain management in mind when he uttered those words, but no matter--they still serve as an apt metaphor for the manufacturing industry's approach to...

Striving for standards: developing standard work processes is a challenge in a global economy.(FACILITIES)
July 1, 2007... I guarantee you for something as fundamental to our business as gasoline blending, there are eight different ways we do that," says Tom Artz, chief information officer of global refining for Chevron Corp. Artz made the comment while speaking...

CEOs go global for talent: companies looking overseas for skilled employees.(FACILITIES)
July 1, 2007... More companies are tapping into overseas talent to deal with a lack of qualified workers in North America, according to a Deloitte & Touche LLP survey. The firm's Technology Fast 500 CEO survey shows 55% of CEOs plan to offshore talent in the...

Port access attracts industry to mobile: Gulf Coast city gains major steel mill.(FACILITIES)(ThyssenKrupp AG)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Bob Dylan once lamented that he was "stuck inside of mobile with the Memphis blues again." For manufacturers, though, rather than being a dead end, mobile is becoming a destination of choice to locate their operations. In may, for instance,...

Manufacturing 2.0: manufactures are looking beyond the hype and Discovering the internal and external business value of the latest set of web-based tools.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2007... These days, the "2.0" label carries enough buzz to power a small city, and has been applied so often and so indiscriminately that, like so many buzzwords before, it has been rendered virtually meaningless. However, underlying this overexposed...

Apple debate wages on.(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2007... Re "Apple Inc.: Strategic Misstep, Or Supreme Confidence?" Leadership Insights From The IW 50 eNewsletter, May 17, 2007. (www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=14206&SectionID=42) Just read your article about Apple Inc.'s...

Correction.(Correction notice)
July 1, 2007... On the U.S. map that ran in the June 2007 article, "Mapping Manufacturing," (Page 39), the labels identifying the states of Delaware and Rhode Island were inadvertently switched. IW regrets the error.

Energy reform rebuttal.(From The Forums)(Deloitte Energy Conference)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... ENERGY REFORM REBUTTAL http://forums.industryweek.com/ showthread.php?t=1143 In a speech to the Deloitte Energy Conference, U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., recently remarked that President Bush's efforts on energy reform are "barely...

The hydrogen economy: lift trucks first? Manufacturers of fuel cell-powered lift trucks are giving the technology a test drive.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)
July 1, 2007... Fuel cell-powered lift trucks will become an earlier sign of the hydrogen economy than automobiles, predicts Battelle researcher Kathya Mahadevan. Contributing factors to that development include performance advantages and hydrogen refueling...

Toyota's fuel cell prototype.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)(Toyota Material Handling U.S.A.'s lift trucks)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Toyota has another hybrid--a fuel cell/battery hybrid from Toyota material Handling U.S.A. First displayed at the 2007 Promat show in Chicago, the prototype hybrid uses a battery to handle the peaks while the fuel cell carries the continuous...

Material handling hits its peak: though new orders are at a record high, the market prognosis is for a slowdown.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)(Material Handling Industry of America data)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... New orders for material handling equipment for the first quarter of 2007 grew 7.9% over 2006 and set a new record high at $7.6 billion, according to the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA). Shipments also set a new record at $6.9...

Boom continues in: automation services.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)(Arc Advisory Group research)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Automation suppliers continue to benefit from strong demand for automation services across the entire spectrum of the plant lifecycle and the scope of nearly all automation products and applications. expect ever-increasing market growth through...

Raw deal: raw materials prices continue to cut into profits, and with little relief in sight, manufacturers are solidifying supplier relationships and turning toward substitute products as solutions.(RAW MATERIALS)(Cover story)
July 1, 2007... SCRAP THIEVES ARE RISKING DEATH BY ELECTROCUTION TO OBTAIN precious metals. Copper miners in Peru went on a five-day strike in April, demanding a greater share of record profits. And in a chemicals-cost report released in May, consumer products...

Risky business pays off: risk/reward thinking is driving today's turnaround successes. Winning requires transitioning from risk takers to risk shapers.(MANAGEMENT)
July 1, 2007... IT'S TIME TO UPDATE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM. For example, in the 1980s conventional wisdom said you could have high quality or low cost, but not both--until Japanese makers of cars and electronics showed otherwise. Now, high quality and low cost...

From ID to IP theft: hackers don't just want your identity--they want your products, too.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)(identity and intellectual property)
July 1, 2007... LIFE ISN'T EASY FOR IT security workers these days, and it's even tougher for those who work in the manufacturing sector. Due to the expense and a lack of regulatory stimulus, Manufacturing companies have tended to lag behind the financial,...

Products 2.0.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2007... As next-generation software and hardware catch up to the needs of the next generation of users, the potential for seamless sharing of information that lies at the heart of the 2.0 ideal seems more and more reachable. Here are three different...

Online poll.
July 1, 2007... How common is it for people in your company to read and respond to e-mail during a business meeting? IndustryWeek.com readers respond: Very Common 28% Somewhat Common 20% Somewhat Uncommon 12% Very Uncommon...

Dukal outsources its logistics nightmare: medical products manufacturer turns to a 3PL to cure supply chain woes.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(third-party logistics provider)
July 1, 2007... DUKAL CORP., A HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.-BASED MEDICAL PRODUCTS MANUFACTURER, had a serious congestion problem--so bad, in fact, that John Grasso, vice president of operations, describes it as a nightmare. "We were over capacity due to significant...

3PLs flourish as manufacturers stick to what they do best: manufacturers are learning sometimes it's better to let somebody else do the work.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(third-party logistics providers)
July 1, 2007... The idea behind third-party logistics providers (3PLs) is as basic as wanting to have somebody else do the work for you. Rather than employing and managing a staff of transportation or distribution workers, many manufacturers turn at least a...

Virtual vision: digital prototyping promises increased efficiency, reduced costs.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
July 1, 2007... THE MERCEDES CAR GROUP CLAIMED AN industry first earlier this year when it introduced its 2008 C-Class as "the world's first series-production vehicle" conceived and fully developed as a digital prototype. The technology allowed the car maker...

By the numbers: PLM.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)(product life cycle management survey by Capgemini Pulse)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A Capgemini Pulse survey of 40 attendees at the uGs users conference that took place in April yields the following results: 60 Percentage of respondents who consider flexibility to be the most important feature of a product lifecycle...

One-tank trips: some fuel-cell-powered cars can last 300 miles between fuelings.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)(research by the team of Birmingham and Oxford universities and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... UK scientists reported in late May a breakthrough in hydrogen storage technology that could eventually make mass marketing of fuel-cell-powered cars a reality. The team, consisting of researchers from the universities of Birmingham and...

Nano-growth.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)(Cientifica ltd. research on nanotechnology)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Research from UK consulting firm Cientifica ltd. indicates that the market for nanotechnology-enabled products will reach $1.5 trillion in 2015, if you don't count semiconductors and electronics, two industries the firm says should be treated...

Quotable quote.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)(E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. innovations)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... "DuPont's approach to innovation focuses on making our work market-relevant, creating unique technologies and them commercializing them." --Thomas Connelly, DuPont's executive vice president and chief innovation officer

Limber up for extreme executive sports: a degree from Harvard is worthless if you can't compete in these games.(BRANDT ON LEADERSHIP)
July 1, 2007... Is your career in shape? If not, it's time to start training for the Executive Olympics - a series of events that will test your readiness to be a warrior on the road and a player on mahogany row. Here's a sampler of what you'll face in this...

By the numbers: purchasing salaries.(PURCHASING)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... $247,685 chief of purchasing/supply management/sourcing $185,343 vice president, purchasing/ supply management/ sourcing $124,948 director, purchasing/supply management/sourcing $87,676 manager, purchasing/supply management/sourcing...

Purchasing partners: treating suppliers with respect can mean a healthier bottom line and better quality.(PURCHASING)(Making Suppliers Greater Strategic Stakeholders Within Purchasing Organizations)
July 1, 2007... When Eberhard Scheuing thinks of a vendor, he thinks of someone working at a hot dog cart in New York. "You walk up to the vendor, ask for a hot dog, pay for it and walk away," says Scheuing, professor emeritus at St. John's University....

Avoid paper pirates.(PURCHASING)(Better Business Bureau tips)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Businesses lose millions of dollars annually to con artists through a host of different tricks and scams, according to the Better Business Bureau. One scam targets the purchase of office goods, such photocopying paper, copying supplies and...

Purchasing: how hard could it be?(PURCHASING)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... "The biggest problem for the purchasing professional is that everyone thinks they can do your job. People think they are an expert purchaser because they buy their own clothes and food."

Forecast: what's in demand?(PURCHASING)
July 1, 2007... The Freedonia Group Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm, offers demand projections on numerous direct and indirect materials. reports are available for purchase via the company's Web site: www.freedoniagroup.com. ...