Manufacturing

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  • Brazilian Company To Expand Plant In Ala.

    jhans
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:27 pm
    Fras-Le, one of the world's largest manufacturers of brake pads, will invest $11 million to create 100 jobs in the Prattville area. Topics:  Financial Expansion News Global Manufacturing Automotive

  • Private Sector Unions Saw Growth In 2011

    jhans
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:25 pm
    Sam Hananel, Associated PressThe number of unionized workers at private companies increased by 110,000 in 2011, but organized labor saw major declines in the public sector. Topics:  Financial Government Labor Relations

  • Ex-Exec Charged For Faulty Breast Implants

    jhans
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:21 pm
    A judge placed Jean-Claude Mas, the founder and former chief of Poly Implant Prothese, under investigation for "involuntary injury." Topics:  In The Courts Global Manufacturing Safety Medical Pharmaceuticals/Biotech

  • How To Identify And Update Dinosaur Processes

    jhans
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm
    Jennie Clinton, MBCP, MBCIDisaster recovery and business continuity plans are based on evolving technologies and, like the dinosaurs, some aspects of these plans will become extinct. Topics:  Facilities and Operations Manufacturing Technology

  • Most Oshkosh Directors Keep Seats; 1 Race Is Close

    jhans
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:13 pm
    The truck maker appears to have fended off efforts from Carl Icahn to have a portion of the company's board replaced. Topics:  Financial
 
 
 
 
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    GlobalSpec - Engineering News - Manufacturing

  • Global Electronics Legislation: What You Need to Know Now

    27 Jan 2012 | 12:41 am
    Gary Nevison, Head of Legislation and Compliance, and Ken Manchen, Corporate Director EHS - Americas, Newark/element14With the sheer number of regulations that limit harmful substances in electronics, it's more challenging than ever to assure compliance. Topics:  Global Manufacturing Government Electrical and Electronics

  • Learning The Apple Way

    27 Jan 2012 | 12:41 am
    Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.netTablet ownership is at an all-time-high - thanks to Apple - and now the company wants to make our education iPad based. Where does it end? Topics:  Financial Government Design and Development Electrical and Electronics

  • Dow Approaches Highest Level Since 2008 Crisis

    27 Jan 2012 | 12:41 am
    Daniel Wagner, AP Business WriterA series of strong earnings reports from the likes of Apple and Caterpillar, plus good manufacturing data, pushed the Dow close to 13,000. Topics:  Financial Government

  • Briggs & Stratton Shutting Plants, To Cut 767 Jobs

    27 Jan 2012 | 12:41 am
    The engine maker will close a Tenn. plant and shift the work to Georgia as it adjusts to long-term changes in the outdoor equipment market. Topics:  Financial Expansion News Facilities and Operations Heavy Machinery

  • Outsourcing Education For The Well-Trained Employee

    27 Jan 2012 | 12:41 am
    Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPOAs American manufacturers look to regain momentum in today's economy, a main concern will be talent. A business that isn't learning today is falling behind tomorrow. Topics:  Expansion News In The Courts Current Issues
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    All

  • Brazilian Company To Expand Plant In Ala.

    jhans
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:27 pm
    Fras-Le, one of the world's largest manufacturers of brake pads, will invest $11 million to create 100 jobs in the Prattville area. Topics:  Financial Expansion News Global Manufacturing Automotive

  • Private Sector Unions Saw Growth In 2011

    jhans
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:25 pm
    Sam Hananel, Associated PressThe number of unionized workers at private companies increased by 110,000 in 2011, but organized labor saw major declines in the public sector. Topics:  Financial Government Labor Relations

  • Ex-Exec Charged For Faulty Breast Implants

    jhans
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:21 pm
    A judge placed Jean-Claude Mas, the founder and former chief of Poly Implant Prothese, under investigation for "involuntary injury." Topics:  In The Courts Global Manufacturing Safety Medical Pharmaceuticals/Biotech

  • How To Identify And Update Dinosaur Processes

    jhans
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm
    Jennie Clinton, MBCP, MBCIDisaster recovery and business continuity plans are based on evolving technologies and, like the dinosaurs, some aspects of these plans will become extinct. Topics:  Facilities and Operations Manufacturing Technology

  • Most Oshkosh Directors Keep Seats; 1 Race Is Close

    jhans
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:13 pm
    The truck maker appears to have fended off efforts from Carl Icahn to have a portion of the company's board replaced. Topics:  Financial
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    Green Manufacturing

  • Green Pot? Not!

    3 Jan 2012 | 9:42 pm
    Choice Items for the New YearI've hit the pause button on the "Tools of the Trade" postings for the moment and, on the occasion of New Year, have included here a few items that seem a propos to green manufacturing - broadly interpreted- under the headlines 'green or not'? I know it sounds a bit like a Dr. Seuss book title - but read on!The first one is thanks to Ralph Resnick and Corey Kovalcik of NCDMM.  It is a reference to a posting in the New York Times on the carbon footprint and environmental footprint of pot growing! I think they assumed that since I am at Berkeley with all those…

  • Tools of the trade, Part 4

    26 Dec 2011 | 1:39 pm
    Building the green manufacturing pipelineIt has been a busy month of December so I am a bit behind in this posting. The good news is some of my activities helped me to frame this and the next few discussions!In a post on October 14, 2009 I discussed the concept of "ubiquitously green" as we were getting into the green manufacturing subject in greater detail. I cited Miriam Webster (aka "the dictionary") for a definition of ubiquitous as "existing or being everywhere at the same time;  constantly encountered; widespread" and they give the example "a ubiquitous fashion." The adverb…

  • Tools of the trade, Part 3

    28 Nov 2011 | 12:41 am
    Maps and directionsWe continue our discussion of the the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Sustainable Manufacturing Toolkit and related items. In case you've missed the past two posting you can find details on the toolkit in and on line Start-up Guide.Last time we looked at the seven defined steps from priority setting to performance indicators and normalization factors - factors that relate the level of performance to the individual product (piece, weight, volume) or to sales volume, etc. These factors could be based on production quantities in number, sales…

  • Tools of the trade, Part 2

    14 Nov 2011 | 2:00 am
    Still turning!In the last posting we began digging into the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Sustainable Manufacturing Toolkit. The toolkit can help companies the their business approach to be more viable, socially responsible and get the most out of greening opportunities and features a set of 18 key performance indicators (KPI) to measure and improve the environmental performance of manufacturing facilities.You can find details on line: a Start-up Guide and a Web Portal with additional technical guidance, data tools and useful links.The discussion in the toolkit…

  • Tools of the trade, Part 1

    30 Oct 2011 | 11:38 am
    Turning the supertankerAs any good engineer knows (and carpenter, surgeon, chef, etc. I imagine) you are only as effective at your task as the tools you have. And your own skill of course.Over the past two years we have discussed various approaches to greening manufacturing, the metrics you need to use, the tools that can help act on the results of the metric data and some examples. I attended the first annual CaFFEETForum last week in San Francisco. CaFFEET is an acronym for California France Forum on Energy Efficiency Technologies and the focus of the meeting was achieving low-CO2…
 
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    WordPress.com News

  • Chrome Users: Try the WordPress.com Extension

    Christopher Finke
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:54 pm
    Want to receive WordPress.com notifications instantly, even when you’re not on WordPress.com? Add the new WordPress.com extension for Chrome and as soon as you get a new follower or a new like on one of your posts, a notification will appear in your browser: Simply click the icon to view your latest WordPress.com notifications: Start following new blogs without visiting WordPress.com The Chrome extension also makes it easy to follow sites from your WordPress.com account by displaying a Follow button whenever you’re browsing a site that has an RSS feed. Clicking the Follow button…

  • Your Stats Have a New Home

    Andy Skelton
    26 Jan 2012 | 10:46 am
    Are you addicted to checking your site stats? You are not alone. The stats dashboard has always been one of the most popular admin screens. It’s gratifying to know that people are visiting your place online. With the WordPress.com front page evolving into a one-stop shop for posting, exploring, following and reading blogs, it seemed natural to put your blog stats there, too.  Stats are becoming more and more about interacting with your readers and other bloggers. You’ll still see your summary stats and chart on your main dashboard, and the full stats page in your dashboard will…

  • Reblogging is Back!

    Erica Johnson
    22 Jan 2012 | 1:27 pm
    As we mentioned last week, you can like and reblog posts directly from your reader, which displays a stream of all the updates published on all the blogs you follow from your WordPress.com account. We’ve also brought the reblog button back to the toolbar that appears at the top of the screen when you’re logged into WordPress.com. Note that you’ll only see the like and reblog options while you’re looking at individual posts. For example, you’ll see this on the left side of your toolbar while viewing http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/read-blogs: And your…

  • New Theme: Newsy

    Philip Arthur Moore
    20 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm
    It’s been an extra big week in the news ’round these parts, so much so that the launch announcement of our latest premium theme seems like an extra extra good way to headline our Friday. Newsy is a versatile business and news-friendly theme that offers up to ten different layouts, four footer columns, custom link and accent colors, and a custom site header. Brand and content-focused editorial teams will love publishing with this theme. Newsy: Home Page Designed by Themify, Newsy comes with an impressive set of Theme Options that afford you a great deal of flexibility with how you…

  • Read All Your Favorite Blogs in One Place

    Erica Johnson
    19 Jan 2012 | 6:04 pm
    If you feel like it’s a chore to keep up with all your favorite blogs, you can now read posts from all the blogs you follow (even the ones that aren’t on WordPress.com!) in one convenient place on the WordPress.com home page: Your reader displays all the posts across all the blogs you follow in the order they were published, with the most recent content appearing at the top. You’ll see an excerpt of the introduction to each post, the first image in the post, and thumbnails of any other images that the post contains. You can even like and reblog WordPress.com content directly…
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    Shopfloor

  • The Domino Effect of EPA Regulations

    Jeff Ostermayer
    27 Jan 2012 | 3:35 pm
    As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to move forward with its overreaching agenda the impact is beginning to be felt across the country. This week we’ve seen new reports in the news of jobs that will be lost as the result of facilities that will be forced to close because of new EPA regulations. These closing’s just don’t impact those who work at the plant, they impact the entire town. A report from Williamsport, Maryland Herald-Mail yesterday tells the story of the impact the closing of the R. Paul Smith Power station will have on the entire community. Williamsport…

  • Ex-Im Reauthorization Would be a Jobs Bill

    Jeff Ostermayer
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:30 pm
    One of the big success stories in the trade world for 2011, other than passage of the FTAs, was success of the Export-Import Bank’s Global Access for Small Business program. Last year the Ex-Im Bank approved $6 billion in small business financing through this helpful new program which is supported by the National Association of Manufacturers. It’s a little known fact that more than 85 percent of all the Bank’s transactions directly benefit small business exporters. As you can see export financing is paramount to the ability of manufacturers to export and in turn grow jobs and invest. We…

  • Real GDP Rose 2.8 Percent in the Fourth Quarter

    Chad Moutray
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:27 am
    The Bureau of Economic Analysis announced that real gross domestic product (GDP) rose 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter. This was mostly in line with forecasts of 3 percent for the quarter. For 2011, real GDP increased 1.7 percent, down from the 3 percent growth rate of 2010. This quarter’s growth was led by strong increases in fixed investment (including residential), with healthy gains in consumption, inventories and exports. Specifically, consumers contributed 1.45 percentage points (or roughly half) to GDP, with 1.07 percent from durable goods consumption and another 0.27 percent from…

  • Caterpillar C.E.O Offers Blueprint for Manufacturing Success on Fox News

    Matthew Lavoie
    26 Jan 2012 | 4:25 pm
    Caterpillar C.E.O. Doug Oberhelman appeared on Fox News’ “Your World with Neil Cavuto” to talk about how to best advance manufacturing in the U.S. On the heels of President Obama’s State of the Union address during which he focused on the importance of manufacturing, it is powerful to hear directly from a manufacturer who strives every day to compete in the global marketplace. At the conclusion of his appearance with Cavuto, Oberhelman summarized on what is needed for a true manufacturing renaissance: “We need stimulus around manufacturing, we need tax reform, and we need education…

  • What’s the Prize?

    Joe Trauger
    26 Jan 2012 | 3:38 pm
    The Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, Mark Pearce, made comments to reporters this week outlining several issues he would like to address in the coming year through rule making now that he has been bestowed three new members by recess appointment. Among the issues he would like to push via regulatory fiat are: -          Requiring employers to furnish unions their employees’ personal email and phone numbers -          Further compressing the time for representation elections -          Expanding the use of electronic filings Pearce goes on to share…
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    Lean Blog

  • “The speed and flexibility is breathtaking” – But in a good way?

    Mark Graban
    27 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am
    There has been a lot of buzz over last Sunday’s New York Times article “How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work.” It’s good to see issues of manufacturing competitiveness talked about in the media and among my Facebook friends who usually aren’t talking about factories. So why aren’t iPhones assembled here in the U.S.? Apple used to build Macs in California. I used to work for Dell when they built PCs in Texas. Now,  Apple products are made by Foxconn in China and the Dell factory in Texas is now closed. My iMac, my Kindle Fire, and my iPhone – all made…

  • Your Thoughts on Recent Articles about Apple, Foxconn, and China?

    Mark Graban
    26 Jan 2012 | 9:49 am
    This week, I’ve been reading and listening to a lot of articles about working conditions at the Foxconn facilities in China. These stories are primarily focused on Apple, but nearly any computer, gadget, or mobile device is made there, ranging from iPhones to Android tablets to my Kindle Fire. I have a longer blog post teed up that I might post tomorrow – a combination of some analysis with a bit of emotion, which I’m trying to temper. The items that I’ve read (and you might want to read or listen too) include: How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work (NY Times) In China,…

  • Podcast #136 – Paul Akers, His New Book “2 Second Lean”

    Mark Graban
    26 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am
    Please upgrade your browser MP3 File (run time 21:18) Our guest for episode #136 is Paul Akers,  President of FastCap and author of the book “2 Second Lean: How to Grow People and Build a Fun Lean Culture.” Here, we are talking about the new book and how small improvements that save 2 seconds in your daily work can contribute to an engaging and fun “Lean Culture.” You can also view a video recording of the discussion here on YouTube. Paul was previously a guest on episode #122, talking about LeanAmerica.org, so please check that out too. For a link to this episode,…

  • Guest Post: Is your management system the constraint in Kaizen?

    Mark Graban
    25 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am
    Mark’s note: Today’s guest post by Bart Sellers is a timely contribution to follow up to yesterday’s post about the ThedaCare Business Performance System and the journal article about that great work. Bart has been a frequent commenter here on the blog and I’ve enjoyed working with him through the Society for Health Systems (come join both of us at the upcoming SHS conference where we are both presenting on Kaizen). Organizations that are trying to engage staff members in Kaizen (continuous improvement) efforts often ask questions about how many ideas they should be…

  • ThedaCare’s “Business Performance System” – and a 10% Target

    Mark Graban
    24 Jan 2012 | 4:00 am
    One of the most powerful thoughts in the book On the Mend: Revolutionizing Healthcare to Save Lives and Transform the Industry (by John Toussaint MD and Roger Gerard PhD) is the quote; “the ultimate arrogance is to change the way people work without changing the way we manage them.” While ThedaCare started their journey with a series of weeklong “Rapid Improvement Events,” they learned that leaders at all levels had to adapt and change their ways, from top to bottom, for a Lean culture to take root for the sake of their patients, staff members, and organization.
 
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    Evolving Excellence

  • Uh - But What About the Product?

    Kevin Meyer
    26 Jan 2012 | 1:28 am
    By Kevin Meyer That old retail icon, JC Penney, is undergoing a transformation thanks to Apple.  Apple?  Yep - JCP's new CEO is one of the guys responsible for creating the Apple Store.  Anyone that has been in one knows it is a bit of a different experience.  Where else can you pick up a $2000 piece of equipment at the back of the store and walk all the way out without a receipt - because it was emailed to you - with no one batting an eye?  Where else can you sit for a couple hours playing with the equipment with no one trying to give you the hard sell?  Apple believes that if you help…

  • Tumbling Down the Slippery Slope

    Bill Waddell
    23 Jan 2012 | 8:14 am
    by BILL WADDELL The task of the die hard Toyota defenders just got tougher. The company just sold out sixty plus years of being able to assure job security at a level no one else could. To save one tenth of one percent of their global payroll they sent the message to all 317,000 of their employees that their long-standing pledge to keep them on the job no matter how tough things got was no longer part of the culture. Toyota has announced the layoff of 350 employees at their Altona Australia plant. For this paltry savings they sold out a vital part of their culture. The hand of Fujio Cho is at…

  • Why Mitt is the Anti-Lean

    Bill Waddell
    23 Jan 2012 | 12:01 am
    by BILL WADDELL My disdain for Mitt Romney was made clear a few months ago - I was bashing Mitt before Mitt-bashing was cool. I am compelled to do it again if for no reason other than the fact that his supporters have the unmitigated gall to sneer at anyone who opposes him as anti-capitalism. There is no one on the planet more committed to capitalism and free enterprise than me, unless it is the legions of lean proponents who follow Evolving Excellence. Creating value for shareholders by creating the maximum value for customers, and fully engaging the rest of the stakeholders - employees,…

  • Advice for Women

    Bill Waddell
    18 Jan 2012 | 10:23 pm
    by BILL WADDELL Gender discrimination comes in a lot of forms, and with all of the hundreds of companies I have visited and the thousands I have researched I expect I have seen them all. There is the overt 1950's neanderthal style like the manufacturing guy who explained to me just a few months ago that set up reduction was not practical in his plant. His reasoning: most of the machine operators were women and set ups were men's work - too physical, dirty and mechanically difficult for the female body and mind to handle. That kind is easy to spot and arises from sheer stupidity, and is pretty…

  • Milliken, the Anti-Kodak

    Kevin Meyer
    15 Jan 2012 | 11:28 pm
    By Kevin Meyer The last couple weeks have brought the story of yet another icon of business, Kodak, collapsing and filing for bankruptcy.  Yes, failure a key component of capitalism, and when you try to skew things so they feel better you get some crazy outcomes... like $250,000 Chevy Volts. But failure doesn't have to happen.  And that's the story we also read about last week - the story of a successful textile company, no less - and in the United States.  Milliken. Milliken & Co. of Spartanburg, S.C., arguably should have been crushed by global competition, just like Kodak. Its roots…
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    Manufacturing Transformation Blog

  • Extracting Value with Global Trace and Genealogy

    John Fishell
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am
    A new cost of doing business is coming due for global manufacturers, and it’s coming faster than many enterprises are ready to deal with. It’s the cost of global trace and genealogy (T&G), which means the ability to trace the complete history of every part, assembly and process throughout the supply chain and out the door to the customer. I’m hearing this subject brought up more and more frequently from our customers, across every industry. In automotive, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers want global product traceability so they can better see into their supply chains. When the…

  • Lean Success, Part 2: It’s not Lean if You Can’t Measure It

    Jordan Berkley
    18 Jan 2012 | 12:50 pm
    I came across a startling statistic recently, from a survey of manufacturing executives. Fully 14% said they did not know how much their Lean initiatives had saved. Think about that for a moment. Manufacturers have invested significant amounts of time, resources and cash in Lean initiatives, yet one in seven can’t say how much they’ve saved – or even if they’ve saved. (The study was by AlixPartners and is available here.) This brings me to Part 2 in my series of blogs on Lean manufacturing success. In my last post, I proposed that Lean success depends on three factors:…

  • From the Detroit Auto Show: What’s Next for the Industry in 2012?

    Fred Thomas
    11 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pm
    It’s a new year, and once again thousands of journalists, industry pros and curious consumers have been descending on Detroit for the North American International Auto Show, to see what’s coming next in the automotive world. This show has been an annual fixture of the industry for more than a century. It’s a good sign that the industry, and this region in particular, are healthy enough that the show continues to attract so much excitement and attention. But if you look more closely, you can see seismic changes underway in the industry. I’m not talking about the latest…

  • Myth or Reality: Does EMI + BI = OI?

    Tadeusz Dyduch
    4 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pm
    Operational Intelligence (OI) is a relatively new term that describes the capture and analysis of manufacturing operations data. Some would suggest Operational Intelligence (OI) is simply derived from two applications: Business Intelligence (BI), to support the high-level decision-making that spans beyond manufacturing data sources, and Enterprise Manufacturing Intelligence (EMI), to provide the real-time floor-level data for the factory people. The question I would like to discuss is: “Is this a myth or a reality?” On the surface, this statement appears to make sense. After all, EMI…

  • The Dilemma of Too Much Success with a New Product Introduction

    Chris Brecher
    15 Dec 2011 | 12:00 pm
    Last month I wrote about the possibility of having a runaway product launch that totally exceeded your expectations. One of the examples I referenced was the recently launched Apple iPhone 4S that sold 1 million units on the first day of pre-orders, for a product that was reviewed by the analysts and media as a “ho hum” incremental improvement over the already strong selling predecessor model. In this post, I thought it might be interesting to take a bit of a “deeper dive” into what some sensible steps are that you can take today to better prepare for an unexpected (but much hoped…
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    Invistics » Blog

  • Kingsman’s Equation and Your Plant’s Utilization

    Xing
    26 Jan 2012 | 10:36 am
    Our last blog post provided a general summary of Kingsman’s Equation and how it relates to your manufacturing operation. Today we’re going to delve a little deeper into the equation to prove that when it comes to lowering the Average Queue Time (or Average Wait Time) of your resources, Utilization is King. For every system whether it’s a single machine or an entire factory, the time a resource spends as raw material or work-in-progress can be divided into two parts. -Process Time. This is value-added time it takes per machine or machines to process the resource and churn out…

  • The King of Manufacturing Equations

    Xing
    23 Jan 2012 | 2:15 pm
    In queueing theory, Kingman’s formula states that the mean waiting time is given by:       AQT = Average Queue Time. p = Utilization, expressed as decimal Ca2 + Cs2 = arrival and process coefficient of variations. τ = average process time So what are the practical, manufacturing take-aways? The longer the average process time is, the more important is the queue length. For example a process that takes a minute, with a queue of 5, is much better than a process that takes an hour with a queue of 5 Utilization is king. If utilization is low (~50% or less), arrival variation…

  • Video Demo of Kanban and Pull

    Xing
    13 Jan 2012 | 9:23 am
    The people at Educatevirtually.com posted this video demonstration of Kanban and Pull in action at a made-up Sailboat company in Naples, FL. With the help of some Legos, they demonstrate what it’s like to let customer demand drive production, rather than rely on demand forecasts used in traditional Push systems. What do you think? For more information on Pull and it’s implementation, be sure to check out our Whitepaper Switching to Pull-Based Inventory Optimization in Complex Manufacturing Environments.

  • Manufacturing Trends in 2012

    Xing
    2 Jan 2012 | 10:20 am
    Jeff Moad, executive editor at Manufacturing Executive, wrote a great post about the trends and challenges awaiting manufacturers in 2012. Beyond the basic political, economic outlook, he cited two particular trends that are becoming more and more common throughout the manufacturing world, affecting businesses in a wide variety of industries: Soaring Customer Expectations Lead to Increased Complexity Blame it on the Internet which has taught customers in all industries to expect practically unlimited product variety and near immediate availability. Throw in the need to satisfy the sometimes…

  • Happy Holidays!

    Brandy
    21 Dec 2011 | 6:53 am
    All of us at Invistics wish you a happy holiday season – filled with the blessings of the season. Best wishes for a prosperous and Lean new year! We look forward to connecting with you in 2012!
 
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    TheFabricator.com - Blog

  • Advice for Ken about his welding career

    Vicki Bell
    25 Jan 2012 | 3:28 pm
    Are you among those who "like" The FABRICATOR page on Facebook? If so, you may have seen the January 11 post from Kenny Johnson, who wrote: "Where does everyone see the future of fabrication in the U.S.? Certified welders, or welders with degrees but no certifications? I ask this because I am looking at taking [...]

  • Busy times, busy shops

    Tim Heston
    24 Jan 2012 | 4:29 pm
    I started this year with a spurt of shop visits-- a sorry excuse for my lack of blogging, but there it is. One high-mix, low-volume job shop is beginning the process of reorganizing its machines into cells: a sheet metal cutting machine next to a brake, next to hardware insertion. In a bold move, the [...]

  • Manufacturing deserves special treatment

    Dan Davis
    20 Jan 2012 | 9:45 am
    I apologize for being absent from the blog for most of the past six weeks. I guess I got wrapped up in Republican primary politics coverage. That's a joke. I also was engrossed in "Storage Wars" and "American Hoggers" on A&E. But it's kind of hard to ignore the political proceedings that are taking place [...]

  • Metal stampers' take on unions: Part II

    Vicki Bell
    18 Jan 2012 | 2:03 pm
    Last week's post, Metal stampers' take on unions: Part I, revealed findings from a "Stamping News Brief" (SNB) survey about unions. It also featured comments from survey respondents—both those who believe unions are still necessary and those who don’t. Those who believe unions are to blame for lost jobs in the U.S., and those who [...]

  • Metal stampers' take on unions: Part I

    Vicki Bell
    11 Jan 2012 | 2:31 pm
    Labor unions continue to make news. Today, sfgate.com published the article Twinkie-Maker Hostess Files for Bankruptcy Citing Pensions, which said that the baker's latest bankruptcy filing is being blamed on the weak economy and costs tied to pension- and medical-benefit obligations resulting from union agreements. Also in the news, Oklahoma union workers are testifying against [...]
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    thesmartvan.com

  • Angie’s List vs. Yelp: What Field Service Firms Need to Know

    Derek Korte
    27 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Earlier this week we sized up the value of reviews on Yelp.com, the review site where actual customers (theoreticallyanyway) rate local businesses, and its importance for smaller field service firms. But Yelp is hardly alone in the business of publishing and aggregating customer-written reviews. So we got to thinking even more about what tools and sites field service companies, especially ones with limited advertising resources like many HVAC, plumbing, and other service-related businesses, should be aware of. And for contractors, plumbers and others in the trades, Angie’s List is one of…

  • Get Paid to Work on Nintendos: SmartVan’s Job of the Week

    The SmartVan
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Who says all those hours you spent playing Super Mario Brothers growing up were a waste? (Besides your mom, I mean.) Well, in this week’s installment of the SmartVan Job of the Week feature, we’re highlighting, among others, a position where you can put all those lost hours to work: field service supervisor for Nintendo of America, Inc. Imagine that — a job working with Mario, Zelda, and, um, the more recent characters, too. As always, this opportunity was hand-picked from our very own SmartVan Job Board, which is constantly updated with new field service gigs from around the…

  • Smart, Efficient Appliances Take Center Stage at HVAC Expo

    Darren Weiss
    25 Jan 2012 | 11:46 am
    Two thousand companies, representing 30 countries, and 50,000 visitors descended on the International Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Expo (AHR) in Chicago this week to hawk, ogle, and pitch their wares. The AHR Expo is billed as the largest and most comprehensive HVAC&R event in the world. Attendees — contractors, engineers, facility managers, OEMs, and just about anyone in the HVAC&R industries — come for educational sessions, workshops, seminars, and product demos. What the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is for tech nerds, the AHR is for HVAC pros. Today is…

  • The Real Value of a Good Yelp Review

    Ian Stewart
    24 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Last week my cell phone broke – or, rather, I stepped on it. The screen was cracked and the phone wouldn’t power up. Being of a decidedly old-school nature, I decided to get it repaired, rather than just buy a new one. A day later, the electronic repair shop emailed me to say the phone was ready. I’d been told it would cost $25 to “diagnose,” plus $50 to repair a shorted circuit and $80 to replace the cracked screen. Too steep for me. My old-fashionedness goes only so far. But when I went to collect the phone, the shopkeeper handed it back, and it powered right up. He’d gone ahead…

  • How Field Service Techs Can Ensure, or Ruin, Brand Loyalty

    Ian Stewart
    23 Jan 2012 | 8:10 am
    A few days before Christmas — the height of the gift delivery season — a pretty mind-blowing (and, OK, funny) video hit the Web. In it, a FedEx deliveryman is seen hurling a new computer monitor over the would-be recipient’s front fence, landing with a thud. Then he casually walks back to his truck, as though it was the most natural thing in the world to do. So far, that video has been seen almost 8.5 million times. A Google search for “FedEx” also turns up that video — it’s the fourth-highest entry! Let that be a lesson about the dangers of less-than-stellar…
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