Manufacturing Business Technology articles from February 2009

Manufacturing Business Technology archives from February 2009

Cindy Jutras: Collaboration calling: Work together now to set proper expectations.
February 1, 2009... by Cindy Jutras When costs rise in an already-troubled economy, companies naturally look to tighten their belts. Recent Aberdeen research finds the need to reduce costs as being the top pressure driving business strategies. Yet as the...

Sidney Hill, Jr.: It will take more than a financial bailout to recharge the U.S. auto industry.
February 1, 2009... by Sidney Hill, Jr., executive editor On a business trip several years ago, I realized exactly what was ailing American car manufacturers. I was driving from the airport to my hotel in a rental car, and suddenly found myself able to sum up...

Bill Polk: Brains and brawn: Manufacturing has a future in the U.S.
February 1, 2009... by Bill Polk The death knell for manufacturing in the U.S. has been sounded by many people, but the reality is that we can be competitive on the global stage. The question is, what do manufacturers need to do to legitimize this argument?...

Julie Fraser: New-year project: Make global supply chains less risky.
February 1, 2009... by Julie Fraser During this extraordinarily challenging time, risk is top of mind for most operations executives. Two key elements that lead to more effective processes for dealing with uncertainty and risk are scenario planning, and...

Google eyes the enterprise.
February 1, 2009... by Roberto Michel, senior contributing editor Partnerships lay foundation for industry-specific applications ecosystems Ask manufacturing executives what Google does for them, and the answer typically is Internet search. And while some...

Efficient environment: Cadbury uses wireless tablets in *green* data-collection program.
February 1, 2009... by Staff Cadbury , the world's largest confectionery company, has issued tablet computers to its field staff to improve workers' ability to collect and analyze sales data. The company says abandoning its paper-based data collection system...

The intersection of lean and green.
February 1, 2009... by Hope Neal, contributing editor Manufacturers find the payoff in reducing waste-financially and ecologically Once considered to be of interest only to 'tree huggers,' sustainable or green business practices are more widely embraced...

Household name: Lifetime Brands embraces BI solution to view data, perfect pricing.
February 1, 2009... William Atkinson by William Atkinson, contributing editor Most manufacturers seeking to analyze and improve business performance have more than enough relevant data flowing through their enterprise systems. The problem lies in how to...

Chemical suppliers streamline SC data exchange using Integration-as-a-Service platform.
February 1, 2009... by Frank O Smith, senior contributing editor (fosmith@thewritinggroup.com) The chemical industry championed an innovative approach to supply chain management (SCM) in 2000 when 22 global chemical companies pooled resources to create...

New insight: Quality application sets up visual cues for process flow integrity.
February 1, 2009... by Malcolm Wheatley, senior contributing editor (malcolm_wheatley@compuserve.com) When Power-One agreed to be a beta tester for a new quality management application, the results were surprising. 'When we saw our own data in the beta...

Filling the gaps in S&OP.
February 1, 2009... by Karen Dilger, contributing editor Flexible techniques improve balance between sales and operations plans Dealing with constraints is part of the daily routine at Phoenix-based On Semiconductor . Whether it involves creating demand...

Seeing the signs: Hillman Group reaps the value of EDI as a managed service.
February 1, 2009... by Jean Thilmany, contributing editor (thilmanyj@gmail.com) When The Hillman Group started keeping track of all the costs-and the hassles-of maintaining its EDI operations in-house and saw that they outweighed the benefits, it began...

Industry Spotlight: Global Sourcing.(Company overview)
February 1, 2009... by Staff Global sourcing is no longer a fad or short-term trend. It is an integral part of how manufacturers do business, for one simple reason. Companies facing intense competition-like all manufacturers-cannot afford to limit their...

Product development in 3D.
February 1, 2009... Jim Fulcher, contributing editor Integrating PLM and manufacturing solutions speeds time-to-market by building production plans into product design Design for manufacturability-the idea of taking the company's manufacturing...

A digital transformation: 3D virtual prototypes shrink development cycles for complex products.
February 1, 2009... by Malcolm Wheatley, senior contributing editor (malcolm_wheatley@compuserve.com) Grinding machine manufacturer HTC , Söderköping, Sweden, builds products that literally transform the look of floors. Its machines-containing up to...

Robust VPN keeps apparel maker ahead of the fashion curve.
February 1, 2009... by Malcolm Wheatley, senior contributing editor (malcolm_wheatley@compuserve.com) The apparel industry, perhaps more than any other, feels the need for speed when it comes to getting new products to market. 'Speed is a core competency...

Staying the course: Tech-savvy companies maintain ERP investments during economic downturn.
February 1, 2009... by Roberto Michel, senior contributing editor (robertomichel@new.rr.com) While the global economic downturn that began in late 2008 is slowing the overall ERP software market, there are some bright spots for ERP vendors. There is anecdotal...

Survey says access to IT and training is big incentive to switch manufacturing jobs.
February 1, 2009... by Frank O Smith, senior contributing editor (fosmith@thewritinggroup.com) Results of a national survey released this past November confirm how pervasive and important information technology (IT) is with regard to the character and...