Articles
Manufacturing
Factory Robots: Better Safe Than Sorry
In the new gig economy, workers are individual contractors—they are mobile, can work from any place, and save their companies time and resources. A Massachusetts company believes lidar technology could be the key to developing a safer factory robot—and to enabling those robots to take on many of the remaining tasks still completed by human […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Scorecards: A Tool for the Times
Advanced technologies like blockchain and AI have captured widespread interest with the benefits they promise to bring to logistics operations. But, for all the promise these appear to hold, there are proven enhancement-focused tools already available – in particular, scorecards – that supply chain managers should take full advantage right now to ensure optimized performance […]
Read MoreManufacturing Reaches Pre-Recession Levels
The U.S. manufacturing sector will regain all of the output lost since June 2009 by April 2019, indicates a recent report from the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI). A global economic rebound, the passage of U.S. tax reform legislation, and the depreciation of the U.S. dollar are the chief components MAPI identifies as […]
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Simplifying Supply Chain Complexities
Manufacturing has never been more global, productive, profitable, or vulnerable. Despite tremendous advances in breaking down global barriers and adding efficiency to the supply chain, there are still challenges to move products quickly, safely, and seamlessly. To appreciate the complexity of today’s global supply chain, consider Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner passenger jet. Each jet is comprised […]
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E-Commerce: Cultivating a New Logistics Landscape
E-commerce continues to mow down traditional business practices. To adapt, companies serving manufacturing, industrial, and retail customers are seeding their portfolios with new services, and not letting any grass grow under their feet.
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U.S. Manufacturing: Resurgence Sparks Dramatic Change
With one in every six jobs now tied to manufacturing, American-made products are making a profound comeback. Industry 4.0 innovations—3D printing, robotics, big data, and the Industrial Internet of Things—are changing the fortunes of U.S. manufacturing and its workers, with dramatic impact on the domestic supply chain.
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Status Quo? No.
The coming year is destined to be one of some major and minor changes in business operations. Given your role in logistics, you will face a perfect storm of new. Here are some events and trends that will drive change and the need to think flexibly and laterally, and adapt operations accordingly. Domestic trucking capacity […]
Read MoreIndustrial Technology and the Supply Chain: Is 2018 the Year We Turn a Corner?
2017 may be remembered as the year we finally figured it out. After years of spending on the components of industrial technology, professionals in the supply chain and manufacturing disciplines should begin to see the fruits of their investments, as new capabilities and efficiencies begin to surface. 2018 won’t be so much about discovering anything […]
Read MoreManufacturing IT: Investing for the Future
A continuum of change and digital transformation is swirling within the manufacturing industry and global economy. In this fluid environment, it can be tough for manufacturers to nail down IT planning stategies. IDC’s FutureScape: Worldwide Manufacturing 2018 Predictions can help. The study provides manufacturers the following 10 predictions and underlying drivers expected to impact technology […]
Read MoreSupply Chain Commentary: What Does the Share Economy Mean for Manufacturers?
The rise of the share economy – a wave of “non-ownership” spurred by companies like Uber and Airbnb – has been gaining steam for years, and it certainly has a hold on the millennial generation. Things that used to be considered status symbols, such as home ownership and multi-car garages, have gone to the wayside […]
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Manufacturers Take to Technology, Automation
Driven by globalization, intensifying competition, and rising customer demand for more options and higher quality products, a connected plant floor has become a necessity. As a result, manufacturers are adopting the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to enhance visibility and improve quality, with the number of organizations achieving a fully connected factory expected to rise […]
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Supply Chain Commentary: Why Manufacturers Should Adopt an Ecosystem Strategy
Customers have always expected suppliers to quickly respond to their needs, but now they’re more demanding than ever. As the needs of buyers become more unpredictable and complex, and as they begin to demand more frequent product launches and extreme personalization, manufacturers are struggling to keep up, let alone profitably. One of the core challenges […]
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Consumer Behavior: The Missing Link
In today’s highly competitive, omni-channel market, companies are realizing the path to success hinges on their ability to understand consumer behavior. Retailers and manufacturers can unlock significant competitive advantage by leveraging consumer insights to make category decisions and create localized merchandising assortments. Most companies lack the ability to mine and leverage important customer data, and […]
Read MoreU.S. Manufacturers Respond to Regulatory Plans
Manufacturers and wholesale distributors are optimistic about the perceived impact of the Trump administration’s plans for trade deregulation on their businesses, according to new research commissioned by business software provider Exact. Sixty-three percent of respondents anticipate that the plans will be beneficial to their businesses. Fifty percent of manufacturing respondents anticipate that the plans will […]
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5 Ways to Execute a High-Performing Demo Program for Medical Devices – SEKO
Now more than ever, healthcare supply chains are key differentiators for best-in-class manufacturers. Leading companies effectively use their supply chains as a competitive advantage to drive revenue growth and achieve cost containment goals. At the same time, logistics practitioners face a unique and growing set of challenges that directly affect the bottom line. Current pressure […]
Read MoreManufacturing, Logistics Grew Dramatically Over Last Generation
Contrary to public perception, U.S. manufacturing and logistics experienced dramatic growth over the past generation, says a study by the Ball State Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) and Conexus Indiana. U.S. manufacturing production grew 11 percent since the 2000-2003 dot.com bust and ensuing economic turbulence of the 2001 and 2007-2009 recessions, reports Manufacturing […]
Read MoreWhy Onshoring Manufacturing Requires Offshoring IT
Despite a slowing economy, U.S. manufacturers continue to add capacity stateside. According to a 2015 Boston Consulting Group survey, 31 percent of U.S. manufacturing executives said they were most likely to add capacity within the U.S., compared to only 20 percent opting to do so in China. This marks a stark reversal from 2013, when […]
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Bad News, Good News
Why does logistics giant XPO Logistics invest $500 million annually on IT to drive its business? The explosion in e-commerce, according to Brad Jacobs, CEO of XPO. But it’s not only consumers who have been acculturated to supply chain impatience. Purchasing, buyers, and supply managers in industrial sectors also feel the need for speed—and for […]
Read MoreReport: New York Maintains, Improves Most Grades in Manufacturing, Logistics Sectors
New York retained or improved its grades in a report on manufacturing and logistics from Ball State University. The grades that remained the same were manufacturing (D), logistics (C), human capital (C-), benefits costs (D), global position (C), tax climate (F), and diversification (B). The state improved grades in productivity and innovation (C+ to B) […]
Read MoreManufacturing is Returning to the United States
In 2016, leading technology brands collectively announced billions of dollars in investments in US manufacturing, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and supporting reshoring. But manufacturing today is not the same as when it left: Gone are many of the large steel mills, auto plants and computer factories and in their place a greater volume […]
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