Industry Week articles from May 2007

Industry Week archives from May 2007

Blanchard's head in the sand?(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... Re "Daddy, Why Does Your Company Want to Hurt Everybody?" Just In Time, Page 7, April 2007. Mr. Blanchard takes a somewhat skeptical view of the threat of global warming and frets over the unfairness of blame being assigned to...

Where are all the women manufacturers?(From The Forums)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?t=808 Without trying to sound sexist, it seems to me that even more so than men, women desire a more stable and secure career path, and manufacturing today is not viewed that way. As long as...

Seeing more with machine vision: the performance and sophistication gap between low-cost vision sensors and high-end vision systems is closing.(factory automation)
May 1, 2007... Expect more from machine vision, whether in providing the eyes for robot systems or as high performance ID readers. In robotic applications one example is the seamless integration of vision and robot controls by FANUC Robotics America. The...

Machine vision's compelling drivers.(Juan Rosales report)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Declining prices and increasing returns on investment are accelerating machine vision's growth, reports Juan Rosales, research analyst with Frost & Sullivan. "Machine vision equipment was once considered to be an expensive luxury that could...

The promise of machine emotion.(The Emotion Machine: Commonsense Thinking, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Human Mind)(Brief article)(Book review)
May 1, 2007... The Emotion Machine: Commonsense Thinking, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Human Mind Simon & Schuster, 2006, 387 pages, $26.00 Can machines, even with the help of vision and computer control, efficiently and effectively help...

Foiling fakes: counterfeit products are depriving manufacturers of revenue, harming brand integrity and in some cases, compromising safety. Manufacturers are fighting to keep phony goods out of their supply chains.(SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT)
May 1, 2007... Worse than the financial drain, LaPlaca told lawmakers, is the safety issue. Bendix makes safety and braking systems for commercial vehicles. The risks associated with inferior-quality counterfeit parts range from premature wear all the way to...

An inconvenient reality: are you turning green at the thought of going green? Like it or not more environmental regulations are on the way, and manufacturers who don't jump on the green bandwagon may be left behind.(GREEN MANUFACTURING)
May 1, 2007... FOR EVERY UNSEASONABLY warm day this year, the noose around manufacturers' necks to produce environmentally friendly products gets tighter and tighter. Need evidence? Consider this: In 2004 the business sector shouldered 65% of...

SaaS strategy helps overcome ERP replace/ upgrade paralysis.(software as a service)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Bob Knott, head of engineering technology for industrial controls manufacturer Control Center LLC, recounts how his company overcame ERP "replace or upgrade" paralysis with a robust, multifunction software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution from...

A good kind of compromise: Web-hosted ERP model proves valuable for SMBs.(enterprise resource planning, Small and medium sized businesses)
May 1, 2007... As multiple clipboards give way to multifunction dashbcards, some form of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is becoming an integral part of business plans for manufacturers of every size. Although this trend has been slower to catch...

SaaS: another point of consideration.(software as a service)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Gary Chen, senior analyst at the yankee Group, points out that off-site storage of key financial data is a touchy area for many companies. "The other factor is user comfort with outsourcing that kind of data. With customer relationship...

IT: manufacturers' new best friend.(industrial equipment manufacturers and information technology)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... THE SMOKESTACKS AND blast furnaces that are the guts of industrial products manufacturing have stoked the popular imagination for more than a century. However, in this period of global expansion, infrastructure growth and stretched supply...

By the numbers: SMB ERP.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
May 1, 2007... 14 Percent of small- to medium-sized companies (SMBs) without an enterprise resource planning system. 20 Percent of SMBs whose ERP system is greater than 10 years old. 31 Percent of SMB ERP systems that are between five and 10 years...

Supply chains also work in reverse: manufacturers are discovering profits in the "lost world" of returned products.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... IT HAPPENS EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY day--a product is returned by a customer, for any number of reasons. Maybe the product was defective, or it didn't come as advertised (blue instead of red), or it was the wrong size. Perhaps the consumer just...

By the numbers: best-in-class reverse logistics.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... By The Numbers: Best-in-Class Reverse Logistics 64.3 Percentage of initial value reclaimed from returned products or parts at "best-in-class" companies. 9.0 Overall reverse logistics costs as a percent of sales. 5.7 Percentage of...

At a glance: reverse logistics.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Reverse logistics is the process of moving returned goods from their consumer destination for the purpose of capturing value or proper disposal. It includes processing returned merchandise due to damage, seasonal inventory, restock, salvage,...

When not to go lean: for some manufacturers, running too lean might be wasteful.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... WHILE THE LATEST CONVENTIONAL wisdom in manufacturing is to adopt lean production techniques, sometimes it's better not to run lean, suggests Marshall Fisher, professor of operations and information management at the University of...

Supply chain management priorities.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... ARE YOU A LEADER OR A FOLLOWER WHEN IT COMES TO SETTING YOUR COMPANY'S supply chain agenda? In its annual trends report, consulting firm PRTM identifies the differences between the followers (companies focused on basic functions and internal...

The chips are up.(growth in sales and consumption of semiconductor chips )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... THE TOP 10 HIGH-TECH MANUFACTURERS consumed roughly one-third of all semiconductor chips in 2006, accounting for $84 billion of the semiconductor market, according to analyst firm Gartner Inc. This represents a 9% increase from 2005 when the...

Top 10 consumers of semiconductors.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)
May 1, 2007... 1. Hewlett-Packard 2. Nokia 3. Dell 4. Samsung 5. Sony 6. Motorola 7. Siemens 8. Toshiba 9. LG 10. Apple Source: Gartner Inc.

Nanotechnology commercialization efforts continue: as potential nanotech sales grow, so too does scrutiny.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
May 1, 2007... THE NASCENT nanotechnology industry is facing many of the same c hallenges experienced by any young technology: lots of hope, lots of hype and lots of scrutiny. Even the appropriate definition for nanotechnology remains a matter of some debate....

A failure to communicate: better collaboration among trading partners improves chances for new product launch success.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
May 1, 2007... What if you launched a new product and nobody cared? While this scenario is highly unlikely, few manufacturers are without their own horror stories about a new product launch that failed to generate the expected buzz in the marketplace. ...

Solar advance: researchers create technique for making flexible solar cells.(Delaware's Institute of Energy Conversion )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Imagine newsprint speeding through a printing press. That's how researchers at the university of Delaware's Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC) are describing a new technology they have developed for manufacturing flexible solar cells. This...

A narrow victory: Crown Equipment nabs international design award.(for TSP 6000 stock picker)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The design awards keep coming for Crown Equipment Corp.'s TSP 6000 series turret stockpicker designed for very narrow warehouse aisles. For its combination of design and functionality, Crown's entry received a "best of the best" designation,...

CEO career secrets: big head? Vacant stare? Cheer up--you may already be a major CEO!(BRANDT ON LEADERSHIP)(Editorial)
May 1, 2007... IF YOU'RE LIKE MOST EXECS, YOU'VE THOUGHT TO yourself at one time or another: "You know, I'm sure that I'd make a great CEO of a major corporation. Yet I don't know what I'd actually have to do to get such a job. Is there anyone who can help...

IW manufacturing business challenge.(OnLine)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... This monthly e-newsletter, produced with SAP, explores a specific manufacturing business challenge--and how experts would solve the problem. You'll learn from leading industry analysts and consultants as they tackle many of the same challenges...

In the boardroom.(new product development strategies)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Produced by IndustryWeek Custom Media and PTC, this monthly e-newsletter offers a unique opportunity to learn about the latest product development strategies from leading executives in Europe, Asia and the United States. You'll learn how to...

"You write the caption".(OnLine)
May 1, 2007... "You Write the Caption--Congratulations to Craig, the first IW Forum participant to have 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...

Online poll.(OnLine)
May 1, 2007... Is your company making substantial changes based on global slowdown predictions? IndustryWeek.com readers respond: Yes They are in process. 20% No It's business as usual. 64% Possibly We're evaluating our options. 16%

Special section: women in manufacturing.(New Online)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... IndustryWeek eMedia editor Adrienne Selko explores the changing role of women in the manufacturing space. This section contains interviews with women filling various management roles--from plant supervisor to business owner. This new online...

Exporting offers a global advantage: manufacturers thrive when their production facilities are close to their customers.(THE COMPETITIVE EDGE)
May 1, 2007... ACADEMIC RESEARCH IS BEGINNING TO VALIDATE what corporate CEOs have known for decades: U.S. companies thrive by setting up production facilities close to their customers, either domestic or foreign. Multinational firms account for over 87%of...

How to fix a leaky supply chain.(JUST IN TIME)(Editorial)
May 1, 2007... OUR COVER STORY THIS MONTH LOOKS AT THE dirty little secret of globalization--the likelihood that somebody in another part of the world is getting rich off of your product, and you're not making a single dollar--or yuan--from it. No matter how...

Competing with boundless energy efficiency: although every company is feeling the effects of rising energy costs, some manufacturers have gained competitive advantage by making energy efficiency part of their business strategy. It's a sustainability strategy successfully used by the likes of Johnson Controls, Orion Energy Systems, SKF and Toyota.(FACILITIES MANAGEMENT)
May 1, 2007... REGARDLESS OF INDUSTRY sector, companies are being impacted by energy's growing cost significance. While those rising prices signal the need for greater operating efficiency, management's biggest energy challenge is in recognizing and...

Back to school: Schneider Electric gets results with outside lean training programs.(FACILITIES)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... BEFORE 2004 SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC'S Peru, Ind., operations struggled to implement a successful lean manufacturing program. The electrical equipment manufacturing plant had primarily relied on books and internal training to deploy lean until about...

Lean choices.(industrialists surveyed on best improvement method for employees)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... WHILE DECIDING WHICH continuous improvement programs are appropriate for your employees, here's some food for thought: According to the INDUSTRYWEEK/Manufacturing Performance Institute 2006 Census of Manufacturers, out of 745 respondents, lean...

ATS crosses the border.(FACILITIES)
May 1, 2007... A recent survey from hiring firm Manpower Inc. shows 41% of 4,804 Mexican employers polled had difficulty finding skilled talent. Machine maintenance outsourcing provider Advanced Technology Services Inc. (ATS) is hoping to provide some relief...

Before the flood: with the storm season upon us, manufacturers should prepare for the worst.(FM Global provides disaster planning methods for the industries)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... JUNE 27, 2006, IS A DAY workers at Magee Rieter Automotive Systems in Bloomsburg, Pa., probably would like to forget. That's when severe flooding plagued the Susquehanna River valley where the company is located and much of the Mid-Atlantic...

By the numbers: skilled talent.(industrialists surveyed about trends in recruitment)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... 29 Percent of manufacturers from 26 countries who would have hired more permanent professional staff over a previous six-month period if they could have found candidates with the right skills. 25 Percent of manufacturers who say talent...

Purchasing card fraud: while P-cards streamline order and payment processes, and in doing so save companies a fair amount of money, caution is still necessary.(Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... At the Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Fort Gordon, Ga., an employee equipped with a purchasing card bought a computer game station, computer, digital camera and a surround sound system. The total purchase cost an estimated $100,000. The...

By the numbers: supplier performance monitoring.(PURCHASING)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... 61 Percentage of companies that meet with suppliers on a monthly basis to discuss performance. 29 Percent that meet with suppliers on a quarterly basis to discuss performance. 90 Percent that have assessed financial penalties to...

Market watch: material demand.(commodity prices)(Table)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Commodities Up In Price Aluminum (4) Cobalt and Cobalt Powder Copper Corn Corrugated containers Diesel Fuel, Fuel, Natural Gas (2) Nickel (5) Plastic Resins Stainless Steel (3), Steel Commodities Down In Price No...

Experience counts ... if it's the right kind.(career of chief procurement officers)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... What's the average shelf life for a rookie chief procurement officer? according to CAPS Research, it definitely helps to have some supply experience --but not just supply experience. First-time CPOs with no previous supply experience...

Are you getting what you're paying for?(PURCHASING)(CAPS Research)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... WHEN IT COMES TO THE PEOPLE PAID TO SPEND your money, are you getting your money's worth? According to a recent study, trendlines show that companies are hiring more purchasing employees, paying them higher salaries and spending more to train...