Industry Week articles from September 2008

Industry Week archives from September 2008

A job to die for: what if you were so money that they'd keep paying you even after you're dead?(BRANDT ON LEADERSHIP)(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... You're a leader, a go-getter, and that likely means that you've tried a lot of crazy things to get rich over the years, or to at least pay the bills. You've had jobs, gotten promoted, then found better jobs, etc. Maybe you bought a rental...

Looking ahead to manufacturing's future: growth in U.S. manufacturing will be led by exports, capital investment and growth abroad.(COMPETITIVE EDGE)
September 1, 2008... A few years ago I co-authored a book taking a look at the next 200 years of human history. Despite the dangers of forecasting, it is useful from time to time to look ahead, if only 10 or 20 years. Manufacturing is after all a business that...

Online poll.
September 1, 2008... Which one of the following athletes would make the best manufacturing CEO? IndustryWeek.com readers respond: Roger Federer 8% Tiger Woods 50% Kobe Bryant 2% Tom Brady 32%

You write the caption.
September 1, 2008... >> Congratulations to jharris, 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...

Eye on China: as China rapidly evolves into a more service-oriented economy U.S. manufacturers need to adjust their china strategy to remain competitive.(GLOBALIZATION)(Cover story)
September 1, 2008... IN TODAY'S POLITICALLY CHARGED CLIMATE, few U.S. manufacturers are likely to shed any tears (at least publicly) upon hearing that China's manufacturing industry has hit a rough patch. Nevertheless, with so many U.S. companies currently using...

How to 'China-fy' your manufacturing operations: transplant to China what you do well in manufacturing in the United States.(GLOBALIZATION)
September 1, 2008... Balancing cost competitiveness and process quality/reliability is the greatest challenge facing U.S. companies today as they set up China manufacturing facilities. Over the past 10 years, China's manufacturing landscape has changed...

Manufacturing in the classroom: new programs are popping up to help plug the skills gap.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As Joe Loughrey, president and COO of Tier 1 automotive supplier Cummins Inc. tells it, his company is struggling to find skilled workers in every one of its manufacturing operations in nearly every operations-level...

How to keep an eye on your offshored workforce: U.S. manufacturers need to perform rigorous background checks when staffing overseas.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)(Coda Resources Ltd.)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] China has been described by some experts as the "Wild West" of manufacturing. Among the pundits' criticism of Chinese manufacturing is lax security oversight. When U.S. companies own and operate manufacturing...

Nanotechnology Expands in Rhode Island.(Global Sitings)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In July Aspen Aerogels Inc., a provider of nanotechnology-based products, opened a new $30 million facility in East Providence, R.I., where the company is producing thermal insulation for military applications. The...

VW selects Tennessee for site.(Global Sitings)(Volkswagen Group of America Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Volkswagen Group of America Inc. chose Chattanooga, Tenn., over Alabama and Michigan as the site for its first new North American plant in 20 years. The company will build the facility on a 1,350-acre industrial park adjacent to I-75. Initial...

Canon to build new plant in Japan.(Global Sitings)
September 1, 2008... Japanese electronics giant Canon has plans or its first new domes tic camera production site in 26 years to keep pace with growing competition in the digital camera market, according to Agence France-Presse news service. In a statement the...

A healthy approach to going lean: corporate wellness programs incent employees to manage their health.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)
September 1, 2008... Corporate wellness programs are popping up all over the United States as companies search for ways to lower healthcare costs by encouraging healthy employee behaviors. A survey of 225 major U.S. companies shows the trend continues to catch on....

Lean persuasion.(FACILITIES & OPERATIONS)(Bosch Rexroth Corp. )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Employees are naturally resistant to change. Unless a company is announcing pay increases for all, or more vacation time, no news is usually good news for most workers. That's why when companies first introduce lean into their operations, it's...

What happened to the "auto" in automation? Robot sales on the decline to automakers, but on the rise in other sectors.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The headlines blared: "North American Robot Orders Declined 17% in First Quarter." Bad news? Yes, but the good side is that "non-automotive orders jumped 36%, an encouraging sign," says Jeffrey A. Burnstein,...

A meat-packing robot'.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)(Fanuc Robotics America Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fanuc Robotics America Inc. has developed a robot that meets DAAMS hygiene requirements meat and poultry handling. Intended specifically for food wash-down environments, the five-axis MNA is capable of picking,...

Seeking the lean potential of robots: production managers don't always know exactly what cell operators are dealing with.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Avoid the mistake of buying a robot and just being content with the expectation that lean process results will automatically occur." That's only the first caution from John Burg, president of Ellison Technologies...

Getting lean with armless robots: in warehousing, armless mobile robots combine productivity gains with implementation savings through the elimination of waste.(FACTORY AUTOMATION)
September 1, 2008... Want to experience the role of robots in lean manufacturing up close and personal? Visit the ware houses of retailers Staples Inc. or Zappos.com, where hundreds of armless, mobile robots automate the storage and retrieval processes. The robot...

Machine tools join the internet age: a new communications protocol for machine tools could greatly enhance the productivity of the manufacturing industry.(IMTS 2008 PREVIEW)
September 1, 2008... Visitors to Chicago's upcoming International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS 2008) will have an opportunity to witness an industry-changing exhibit-billed as "the most exciting development since numerical control." The reference is to...

How to get IT Energy Costs under control: virtualization offers an energy-efficient solution to reduce power consumption.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The data center in today's facilities has become a hotbed of power consumption," says Dave Hart, chief technology officer with Presidio Networked Solutions, a provider of advanced IT infrastructure solutions. Six...

Ten principles to optimize the business value of IT: adopting a portfolio management strategy can help your company better align its IT goals.(INFORMATION TECHNOLGOY)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] So your latest IT project was delivered late, or it failed for no discernible reason. Or it could be that the project as derailed due to constantly changing business priorities. The challenge for many, if not all,...

Rosie the riveter revisited.(IW READER FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... * Re: "Welcome Back U.S. Manufacturing," August 2008. I have just read Jonathan Katz's article. I agree with every word that you wrote. You criticized the dismantlement of American production and the transfer of it to Communist China...

American dream, R.I.P.(IW READER FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... * Re: "How to Plug America's Innovation Gap," August 2008 Articles like this blow smoke at the real problem. If we are not producing new technological products in the United States there is no incentive to invent here. Many major companies...

Focus on the customer first.(IW READER FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... * Re: "Continuous Improvement: What's Continuous Improvement Worth?" August 2008 I believe that the focus of Ralph Keller's column is right on target. All decisions in the company should first be focused on the real impact upon the...

Managing by facts.(IW READER FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... * Re: "Viewpoint: Free Trade Foes Take Aim at Wrong Target," www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticlelD=16876 The American people need to hear these facts and understand them before we make a rhetoric-based decision that hurts our...

The business case for diversity: far from being just another feel-good initiative, diversity in the workforce has become a competitive advantage for manufacturers.(MANUFACTURER'S AGENDA)(Company overview)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Having a diverse workforce is a competitive advantage and not merely a human resources initiative, according to Cate Roberts, director of diversity and community affairs at Textron Inc. The conglomerate, which is...

Confidence on the decline: rising costs and a falling dollar are leaving manufacturers in a gloomy mood.(NAM/IW MANUFACTURING INDEX)
September 1, 2008... Confidence among large manufacturers--those with more than 1,000 employees--eroded (for a fourth consecutive quarter) in the second quarter of 2008, according to the NAM/INDUSTRYWEEK Manufacturing Index. This marks the lowest confidence level...

Fuel cell industry gains traction: opportunity grows with increased desire for energy efficiency and awareness of climate change.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Any conversation about finding alternatives to fossil fuels, improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases eventually touches on the potential of fuel cells to answer those challenges. The better...

Low-cost LED lighting advances: breakthrough by Purdue University could help reduce energy consumption.(PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Researchers at Purdue University say they have overcome an obstacle to producing low-cost LED lighting. LED, or light-emitting diode, lighting is touted as more energy efficient than incandescent lighting and...

Dassault Systemes unveils Enovia Life Sciences Accelerator for Engineering Design.(Product Development Solutions)
September 1, 2008... Dassault Systemes unveils Enovia Life Sciences Accelerator for Engineering Design. Developed on Dassault's new V6 platform, the solution manages elements of the device master record with a single, integrated system. The elements include such...

Infor has released Infor PLM Optiva 5.3, a product lifecycle management solution for process manufacturers and retailers with private label products.(Product Development Solutions)
September 1, 2008... Infor has released Infor PLM Optiva 5.3, a product lifecycle management solution for process manufacturers and retailers with private label products. A key enhancement of Optiva 5.3 is the advanced formula editor. It allows manufacturers to...

Invention Machine has launched Goldfire Innovator 4.6.(Product Development Solutions)
September 1, 2008... Invention Machine has launched Goldfire Innovator 4.6. The company's flagship innovation software adds multilingual translation capabilities that tap into Japanese, English, French and German engineering content. Additionally, it returns...

solidThinking 7.6.(Product Development Solutions)
September 1, 2008... New features of the--solidThinking 7.6 computer-aided industrial design solution include a fast, deeply integrated user interface for rendering, as well as an unlimited construction history that allows users to explore any design alternative...

Surfcam Velocity 4 from Surfware will launch at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) this month.(Product Development Solutions)
September 1, 2008... Surfcam Velocity 4 from Surfware will launch at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) this month. It offer: major improvements to three-axis finishing, such as faster processing and reduced length of rapid motions, as well as...

Two versions of PZFlex 2.1 3-D virtual prototyping software have been released by Weidlinger Associates.(Product Development Solutions)
September 1, 2008... Two versions of PZFlex 2.1 3-D virtual prototyping software have been released by Weidlinger Associates. They PZFlex Professional and PZFlex Standard for users who develop and improve ultrasonic and piezoelectric devices for biomedical, naval...

Nanotechnology's commercial impact.(By The Numbers)(Report)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... For all the conversation about nanotechnology over the past 10 years or so, is there any evidence that this enabling technology is gaining a foothold in the production of manufactured goods? The answer is yes, according to the latest report...

Rewarding relationships: Deere & Co.'s supplier recognition program creates effective incentives and stronger partnerships.(PURCHASING)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With material costs and availability a continuing challenge for manufacturers, having a supplier you can count on to come through--even when conditions are at their toughest--can make all the difference in the world....

Who gets the credit? Purchasing cards continue to be misused, but companies are developing better compliance strategies to stay ahead of the problem.(PURCHASING)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Responsible spending is a tall order in today's economy. But according to a report from financial services firm JPMorgan, effective procurement card compliance continues to make that job even more difficult....

Good captains and calm seas: five ways CPOs can prepare for an economic downturn.(PURCHASING)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It might not be called a recession yet, but all the symptoms are still there. During such uncertain economic environments, a company's leadership is often looked to for answers. When it comes to purchasing, that...

U.S. logistics costs hit record high: good supply chain practices are helping keep a rough situation from getting worse.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The cost of logistics in the United States rose by nearly $100 billion in the past year, to $1.4 trillion, a record high for the fourth-consecutive year and the equivalent of 10.1% of the U.S. gross domestic product....

Top 5 supplier quality challenges.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)
September 1, 2008... What are the most serious supplier quality challenges facing the manufacturing industry? Sparta Systems, a provider of enterprise quality and compliance management solutions, posed that question to its customers, primarily in the agricultural,...

IBM opens supply chain innovation center in China.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Computer giant IBM has opened a supply chain innovation center in Beijing, China. The Beijing Supply Chain Innovation Center will collaborate with companies to develop new supply chain solutions, based on IBM's...

Manufacturers are passing the buck on their green supply chains: logistics companies are being asked to foot the bill for their customers' green initiatives.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Manufacturers have increasingly turned to third parties to manage their logistics operations so they can focus on their core competencies--making stuff, rather than shipping and storing stuff. However, a dirty little secret uncovered by...

12 Ways to reduce inventories.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Inventory takes on a lot of different identities within a manufacturing company, depending on who's doing the looking. An accountant sees inventory as an asset, a controller sees it as a liability, a production supervisor considers it a safety...

By the numbers: green logistics.(SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Improving customer relations is the No. 1 reason why companies adopt green logistics and transportation initiatives, according to a recent survey conducted by EyeforTransport. The second most popular reason is to improve public relations, and...

Heroes and villains: with China cast in the role of the arch-villain, the United States needs to start doing something heroic to save manufacturing.(JUST IN TIME)(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... Summer 2008 has been the season of the villain, and no, I'm not referring to Heath Ledger's box office-busting portrayal of the joker. I'm talking about China, which has been cast in the role of the ultimate bad guy, thwarting the good guys in...