Supply Chain Brief

We fully believe that an efficient manufacturer and manufacturing base is set to stay competitive and sustain. We keep manufacturers competitive by empowering them with process improvement and technology to better sustain and scale transportation departments without adding additional resources, thus impacting the overall profitability. As we said in our podcast on Friday , the more profitable our manufacturing base, the greater the dollars that circulate into the economy. Robotics in Manufacturing: From the Industrial Age to the Space Age. Yaskawa America Inc. MORE >>

But, manufacturers may be spending a lot more time than they need to, and not getting the results they want. Getting everyone properly involved in development and review, and then translating their decisions onto the actual packaging art as part of the manufacturing process, is a slow and often painful process. Manufacturing Execution Systems are already used by many enterprises in product manufacturing to enable material synchronization, manufacturing efficiency, quality and compliance, in support of accelerating innovation and new product introductions. MORE >>

'A few months ago, I wrote about how Lockheed Martin is investing in a 3D printing initiative as part of a fully digitized manufacturing process, something they call the Digital Tapestry, that will be used to produce critical components for air and spacecraft. Everything in manufacturing needs to be digital, said the article, and I agree. Digital manufacturing isn’t just the future. It has already arrived as a serious force in manufacturing. That’s serious manufacturing equipment. wonder how many manufacturing enterprises are truly ready for this revolution. MORE >>

'A recent article at manufacturing.net presents the seven biggest challenges faced by manufacturers today. With all the technology transformation taking place in manufacturing—big data, global platforms, flexible supply chains—it still comes down to finding talented people. As manufacturers advance Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) strategies, they’re making huge advances in handling and extracting intelligence from data. So much so, that manufacturers who have adopted the new technologies are using it to attract the best and the brightest people. MORE >>

'By reducing waste from operations, implementing Lean manufacturing steps into your business can improve your profitability. Tightening any manufacturing process takes time; it is not going to happen overnight. Without the right materials or resources, a manufacturer cannot make a product, and Lean manufacturing cannot be achieved. Manufacturing facilities can benefit greatly from Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems. Many manufacturers will find key areas in inventory, engineering and quality. MORE >>