Manufacturing
-
How Do You Make Data-Driven Decisions for Manufacturing?
- October 28, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Manufacturing, Measurement
No CommentsThere’s a big push in a lot of different industries, especially in marketing, that they have become solely data-driven. They look at all their past performances and make decisions about new initiatives based on what their old efforts did. They either throw more resources at a flagging campaign (or product) or drop something that just
-
How Can Manufacturers Achieve Zero Waste? Does It Even Make Sense?
- September 23, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Innovation, Manufacturing
Have you heard about manufacturers that have achieved Zero Waste? That means they have absolutely zero garbage leaving their plants. For instance, the Subaru plant in Lafayette, Indiana is certified Zero Waste. They recycle everything they can, and they reuse many of their packing materials by sending them back to their Japanese suppliers for refills.
-
The Problems With Outsourcing Manufacturing
- August 26, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Leadership, Manufacturing
I’ve never been a fan of outsourcing manufacturing, especially to overseas providers, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, you can very quickly lose control of the quality of your product. Your supplier can make several thousand units but slip on the specs even a little. Something’s a little off, or they used a
-
How Does Digital Manufacturing Help You Become Agile?
- August 19, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Manufacturing
If you’ve ever made pancakes on a Saturday morning, you probably know the first one is always the throwaway, the mistake, the burnt offering to the breakfast gods. It’s the one you either throw in the garbage, or sneak eat while everyone else is still getting ready. You burned it or undercooked it, or something
-
Five Improvements Digital Manufacturing Can Make For Your Manufacturing Company
- July 29, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Digital Transformation, Manufacturing
Digital media has done a lot for the sales and marketing world. We can quickly and easily create photos and videos, personalize them for people, and even automate that process. Software has done some amazing things to not only allow marketers to reach their customers but to create amazing content to reach them with. The
-
The Value of Smart Manufacturing in 2020
- July 15, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Digital Transformation, Manufacturing
The pandemic has created unprecedented changes in the American economy for the last several months. Some companies have shut down and furloughed their employees, while other companies that manufacture food, PPE, or medical supplies are seeing skyrocketing demands for their products, and they’re fighting to keep up with the increase in orders. Other companies are
-
What are the Downsides of a Digital Workplace?
- July 8, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Digital Transformation, Manufacturing
There are a lot of people who are worried about the implications of an automated and digital workplace in a manufacturing setting, but the truth is there are no real downsides. If anything, a digital workplace solves an awful lot of practical problems. The funny thing is that having a totally people-powered operation is a
-
3D Printing Can Solve Oil Production’s Supply Chain Crisis
- June 24, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Manufacturing
As manufacturers have had to shut down this spring because of the pandemic, oil companies are in a supply chain crisis as a result because their spare parts aren’t going to be coming any time soon. Manufacturers and even suppliers were closed down, which meant that parts couldn’t be shipped, maintenance was delayed, and that
-
The Viability of 3D Printing Companies All Converging on One Cause
- April 18, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Digital Transformation, Manufacturing
One of the most interesting industrial developments during this COVID-19 pandemic is how several different companies have begun 3D printing ventilator masks, valves, and face shields. We first started hearing about companies stepping up and helping with the pandemic fight when Italian company Innova began printing replacement valves for ventilators after the ventilator manufacturer said
-
My Four Non-Negotiables: #2 – Housekeeping
- March 18, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Management, Manufacturing, Safety
Over the years, I have developed a management philosophy I call the Four Non-Negotiables. For the next few weeks, I’ll share what each of them are and what they mean. This week is about Non-Negotiable #2, Housekeeping Housekeeping in any organization, not just a factory, should be everybody’s responsibility and not just the maintenance staff.