Industry Week articles from September 2007

Industry Week archives from September 2007

Life Beyond CRM: SaaS grows up: on-demand software expands in function and application across the enterprise.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
September 1, 2007... A DECADE AGO, SaaS didn't even exist. When investing in IT, manufacturers were either shrink-wrapped into expensive out-of-the-box solutions or tethered to custom installs with consultants camped out on site just to keep IT humming along...

Google yourself: enterprise search makes "need-to-know" much easier.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Picture this: the crucial information you need to stimulate your company's next big research breakthrough, or to close on that next big-ticket deal, is wrapped up in an e-mail exchange or stuck in a sales proposal from two months ago, and might...

Failure to launch: too many new product development efforts are stuck on hold.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
September 1, 2007... Time to market can be a critical factor in determining whether a new product introduction succeeds or fails. It tells customers that you're either responsive to their needs or a drag on their efforts to stay ahead of their competition. It says...

Bookshelf: Design For Six Sigma.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
September 1, 2007... Remember Design For Six Sigma (DFSS)? Back in 2002, author Subir Chowdhury described the difference between Six Sigma and DFSS as "the difference between getting a tune-up and getting a brand-new engine." the former focuses on improving...

Develop wearable power system and win $1 million.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
September 1, 2007... The U.S. Department of Defense is looking for a few good inventors to help lessen the load soldiers carry as they head out on a mission. The right solution is worth $1 million. The 'load" is all the batteries soldiers carry to power...

Innovation, inside and out.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
September 1, 2007... "We are investing in internal innovation and we are bringing in external innovation. Together, they will be the engine that drives our future growth."

Hidden costs of offshore sourcing: investigation and quick calculations can save manufacturers money.(PURCHASING)
September 1, 2007... CALCULATING THE COSTS OF OFFSHORE sourcing is a bit like buying a new car. The sticker price says one thing, but start adding on features (or in this case lead times) and you end up paying a lot more than you bargained for. The trouble for...

Suppliers pick up the pace.(PURCHASING)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The delivery performance of suppliers to manufacturing organizations was slower in July, reversing a one-month contraction. ISM's Supplier Deliveries Index registered 52% in July, a 2.3 percentage point increase when compared with June's...

No such thing as a free bribe.(PURCHASING)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... "I find that there is a dual standard between purchasing and the sales functions. Sales sees lunches, etc., as an important part of forming a 'partnering' relationship and this is a good, ethical way of doing business. Purchasing sees the same...

Ball, roller and plain bearings.(Forecast: What's In Demand?)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... U.S. demand for these components is forecast to rise 3.1% per year through 2011 to $10.4 billion. A pickup in nonresidential investment will boost demand for bearings used in both original equipment manufacturing and maintenance/repair/...

Fluoropolymers.(Forecast: What's In Demand?)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... U.S. demand for fluoropolymers (including fluoroelastomers) will rise 5.7% per year through 2011 to $1.9 billion. Gains will be driven by improved market trends in key fluoropolymer applications such as wire and cable, motor vehicles and...

Industrial Valves.(Forecast: What's In Demand?)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... U.S. demand for industrial valves is forecast to rise 3.2% annually through 2011 to more than $16 billion. Valve prices rose substantially between 2001 and 2006 due to rising raw material costs for primary and fabricated metals as well as...

Masters of disaster: learn the four essential strategies to shifting the blame for your screw-ups.(BRANT ON LEADERSHIP)
September 1, 2007... IF YOU'RE IN MANAGEMENT, YOU'RE GOING TO screw up. This is even more likely if you're some highly caffeinated go-getter, trying lots of new ideas; sooner rather than later one of them is going to crash and burn in full view of everyone. Amid...

Online poll.(Survey)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Would a company's negative environment track record influence your purchase of that company's product? IndustryWeek.com readers respond: A great deal--46% To some extent--33% Only very slightly--13% Not at all--8%

When it comes to the economy, population matters: based on demographic trends, Asia's population could grow to become the most productive in the world.(THE COMPETITIVE EDGE)
September 1, 2007... THOMAS MALTHUS WAS ONE OF THE FATHERS OF modern economics. His most notable contribution to the science was linking population growth to overall economic performance. Although Malthus was spectacularly wrong in his analysis--famously predicting...

The chance to fail: what are you doing to continuously improve your staff--and yourself?(JUST IN TIME)
September 1, 2007... A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, WHEN I WAS YOUNG enough in my career that I still thought it was possible to know it all, I met somebody who probably did know as much about magazines as anybody else. Dick Green was what we in the publishing business...

Refinery safety scrutinized: new federal program aims to reduce refinery mishaps.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... FATAL REFINERY EXPLOSIONS in the past several years have prompted the federal government to implement an inspection program to eliminate hazardous-materials-related accidents. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has...

By the numbers: chemical accidents.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)
September 1, 2007... Hazardous chemicals incidents at refineries since 1992: 36 Fatality/ catastrophic incidents related to hazardous chemicals releases 52 Employee deaths related to fatality/ catastrophic incidents 250 Employee injuries related to...

Aerospace industry rides high in Utah.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)
September 1, 2007... Situated at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, Ogden, Utah, is known more for its ski resorts than as a manufacturing base. But Ogden also is located in a state with a thriving aerospace and defense industry and an economic development plan...

Dimming energy usage.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)(electricity savings measures)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The call for manufacturers to reduce Their "carbon footprint" could mean dramatic changes within manufacturing facilities. VFA Inc., a provider of facilities capital planning and asset management, offers electricity--savings measures, that...

Multi-tasking's growing significance: multi-tasking machine tools save time, money and space, and that's just for starters.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)
September 1, 2007... THE EARLY ENTHUSIASM FOR MULTI-TASKING machine tools is finding growing rationale far beyond the obvious attraction of "done on one." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] That versatility factor will continue to draw--after all, who can resist...

Multi-tasking equals lean results: an Oklahoma job shop wanting to get more out of its equipment turns to multi-tasking.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)(Advanced Machining & Fabrication Inc.)
September 1, 2007... Initially, lean thinking--or multi-tasking--was not the priority in Kim Parrish's mind. Parrish, general manager of Advanced Machining & Fabrication Inc., in Owasso, Okla., "simply needed to get more out of our equipment--mostly conventional...

Reaching for a smarter factory: machine tools that not only think, but readily communicate. Those are the ambitious goals of research initiatives that not only promise a smarter factory, but are already delivering smart maintenance.(AUTOMATION)
September 1, 2007... Intelligent" and "smart" are words that machine tool makers increasingly use at product introduction time. These days builders also seem to refer to "smart" features as routinely as their traditional claims of machine tool speed, accuracy and...

Accounting for lean tastes: manufacturers are showing growing support for lean accounting, which proponents say more accurately reflects activities of a lean organization.(LEAN MANUFACTURING)
September 1, 2007... There has been a "quiet revolution" unfolding the past few years among lean manufacturers, centered on the idea that traditional accounting measures don't accurately reflect the true results that lean delivers--to the point that they sometimes...

Down by the Ol' Value stream.(LEAN MANUFACTURING)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Consultant Brian Maskell, president of BMA Inc., recommends value stream costing as a replacement for standard costing, largely because it's a "simpler, more accurate, lean-focused method." For value stream costing to be effective, however,...

Viva Neanderthal.(IW READER FEEDBACK)
September 1, 2007... Re "Neanderthal Inc.," Brandt On Leadership, Page 72, June 2007. I am behind you 150% (That means that there is another half of me, probably a clone, running around out there somewhere that doesn't support you.) Heck, I hope that people in...

Crazy pitches from the clueless.(IW READER FEEDBACK)
September 1, 2007... Re "Clueless Customer Contests," Brandt On Leadership, Page 48, August 2007. I had a lab equipment supplier trying to sell me a piece of equipment that was well over $100k. After I explained clearly why we didn't need the equipment, he...

Could illegals fill skills gap?(From The Forums)(Viewpoint essay)
September 1, 2007... In his Workforce In Progress bloc, Associate Editor- Jonathan Katz asks: "While the debate races on about how to handle the influx of illegal immigrants crossing U.S. borders, is it possible that with the right training noncitizen workers could...

Batten down the hatches: on the brink of destruction, assessing risk at the plant level is key to minimizing damage.(BEST PRACTICES)(Toyota Motor Corp.)
September 1, 2007... Who'll stop the rain--and hail and gale-force winds and flying debris and shifting tectonic plates when disaster strikes and your manufacturing facility is right in the path of destruction? The short answer: No one. After all, we are...

Logistics costs are trending downward: although rail costs are up, trucking costs continue to decline.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)
September 1, 2007... MANUFACTURERS WHO rely on the railroads for relatively inexpensive freight transportation should prepare themselves for an expected increase of 5.4% in rates in 2008, according to the Freight Pulse survey conducted by equity research firm...

How green is your supply chain?(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Will environmental issues force supply chain managers to think the unthinkable? That topic was debated at a recent conference hosted by consulting firm SCALA Logistics Consulting. For instance, John Perry, SCALA's managing director, suggests...

Supply chain's split personality.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Survey)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Manufacturers appear to be saying one thing but doing another when it comes to aligning their supply chain strategy with corporate objectives. At least, that's the conclusion analyst firm Manufacturing Insights, an IDC company, has reached...

You know it's time to outsource your manufacturing technology/engineering needs ...(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... 1. When maintaining internal capabilities is challenged, and limited only to the ability to find and retain personnel with expertise on process, engineering and technology. 2. When internal resources, no matter how good, become limited in...

Corporate shuffle scorecard.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)
September 1, 2007... Corporate Shuffle Scorecard Oracle Corp. paced the technology sector's relentless pursuit of solution vendors by spending close to $4 billion to acquire Hyperion Solutions Corp., a provider of performance management solutions ($3.3...

An era of incredible productivity: Eaton's Sandy Cutler says U.S. manufacturers need to let the world know how well they're really doing.(THOUGHT LEADERS)(Interview)
September 1, 2007... As chairman and CEO of Cleveland-based Eaton Corp., Alexander M. (Sandy) Cutler oversees a $12.4 billion industrial manufacturer subject to the whims of a fickle buying public. Thanks to its diversified product line and an increasingly global...