Advertisement

« January 2007 | Main | March 2007 »

February 28, 2007

Toyota's Battle of Perception and Backlash

Toyota is winning share from U.S. automakers and is winning on the profit sheet. Part of this can be chalked up to the Japanese automaker's remarkable job over the years of selling itself as an American company. Now it is bracing for possible political and consumer backlash caused by its rapid U.S. growth.

Read more... | Comments (12) | TrackBack

February 27, 2007

Follow the Leader

Let's face it: leadership, that ever-elusive quality, can be hard. Yet leadership and competitiveness are interrelated. Leadership can breed innovation, and innovation is the driving force of today's competitiveness.

Read more... | Comments (26) | TrackBack

Show Some Love ... But Not Too Much

The disconnect between a supervisor and team members can be a recipe for disaster. Small differences become bitter disputes and fester into grudges. What is less clear is how the "jerk employee" and the "idiot supervisor" can accomplish a good working relationship while staying effective with the task at hand.

Read more... | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Slaying 6 Myths of Leadership

A leader does not have to be larger than life. Nor is a project manager necessarily the project leader. Here we tear down these and other misconceptions about leadership, including: that only managers are leaders, that a leader cannot be made, that it is about control, and, of course, the old "Complete Leader" myth.

Read more... | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Workers: Rate your boss!

Here you can give praise to a manager, supervisor or chief executive who, to you, represents great leadership. Or you can rant about a crummy boss you reported to in the past, report to now* or are loathe to even imagine reporting to in the future. Leave your comments in the section below.

*We don't recommend including too many details (e.g., names).

Read more... | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Managers: Rate your team!

Is there someone on your team who goes above and beyond to motivate other team members? Has the team you manage done something particularly noteworthy within your organization? Here you can provide a brief performance review of your team. Or simply rant* about a lazy or bullying worker you supervise. Leave your comments in the section below.

*Again, we do not recommend including too many details (e.g., names of lousy workers).

Read more... | Comments (2) | TrackBack

To Empower or Not to Empower

The lives of managers and their workers are getting more complex in today's business environment. Empowering supervisors who give employees room to think and to behave independently are often perceived as more effective than those who traditionally bark out specific orders. Here the two management styles face off.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Modern Corporate Leadership: A Dinosaur's View

Jerome Alexander, author of the book 160 Degrees of Deviation: The Case for the Corporate Cynic, tells IMT readers that accepting responsibility speaks volumes about character — an individual's and an organization's. Yet today responsibility and character no longer seem important, he writes.

Read more... | Comments (10) | TrackBack

The Ol' Ball and Chain vs. the Mud Volcano

A mud volcano in Indonesia has spewed the equivalent of a million barrels of mud a day for nine months, leaving more than 10,000 people displaced and scores of factories shut down. As attempts to alleviate the problem have so far failed, the government's new plan will take balls of concrete — steel chains of it, in fact.

Read more... | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Grumpy is Good

Bad moods may not be so bad after all. A new study claims that grumpy workers are the most creative; that those cranky moments can be used to identify potential problems and think of ways to improve things. However, like yin and yang, both positive and negative moods are necessary for optimal productivity.

Read more... | Comments (4) | TrackBack

On-the-Job Stress Tips

Stress at work is normal, even healthy. When the stress becomes too great, however, or when it goes unmanaged for too long, it can be harmful to both productivity and health, negatively affecting not only the individual, but also business. Here are some usable tips to stymie career-related stress.

Read more... | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Recommended Reading

"The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" is a compelling fable with a deceptively simple yet powerful message for those who strive to be exceptional team leaders. Patrick Lencioni's narrative tale serves as an unremitting reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight. Suggestions and exercises are included after the story to help bring about change.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 23, 2007

Light Friday: The Colonel and the Pope, Filet-O-Fish and the Flock, Coffee is a Lifesaver ...

... NASA and Ear Hair, Island of Women, Google Mars, Project Excelsior and the Coolest Parachute Jump You May EVER See!

Read more... | Comments (4) | TrackBack

February 22, 2007

Outsourcing Still Strong In Buyer's Market

The negative impact that offshore outsourcing has on national and local job markets is a debate that will perpetually rage on. Yet there seems to be a growing belief that, after all is said and done, outsourcing doesn't save much money due to breakdowns and snafus generated by third-party providers. Either way, and despite all of its controversy, new research says outsourcing is still a hot commodity because it's a buyer's market.

Read more... | Comments (6) | TrackBack

February 21, 2007

Manufacturing Slip-ups Provide Food for Thought

Peanut butter, rib-meat and chocolate — whoa! Major American food manufacturers ConAgra, Tyson and Hershey are dealing with significant supply chain slip-ups right now, and while their efforts to turn things around sound ambitious, only time will tell if they will actually work.

Read more... | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 20, 2007

Divorce and Fanning the Auto Rumor Mill

The issue for DaimlerChrysler now seems to be how it will spin off its ailing U.S. subsidiary, whose billions in losses pose a threat to the company's German core business. Last week DaimlerChrysler announced it was cutting 13,000 jobs in the U.S. Even worse, company management may be heading to divorce court. And speculation about potential partners, or even a buyer, has the auto industry rumor mill abuzz.

Read more... | Comments (6) | TrackBack

February 16, 2007

Light Friday: Sanitary Speed Record, Chinese Space Potato, Leadership in Engineering ...

... RIP Microsoft's Clippy, Germs on Your Desktop, Helix Nebula & the Eye of Sauron, and MORE.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 15, 2007

The President's Review of the U.S. Economy

The White House this week released its annual "Economic Report of the President." Much of the report explores the role of productivity and productivity-related issues in the expansion of the United States economy. Here we offer an overview of the key points.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 14, 2007

Happy Valentine's Day. You're Fired!

Sooooo, today is Valentine's Day. What is supposed to be a rather unassuming holiday full of roses, Hallmark sap and edible underwear will instead be a rather chilly one this year for thousands of U.S. workers now forced to pound the pavement in search of new jobs.

Read more... | Comments (4) | TrackBack

February 13, 2007

How to Get Top-Shop Equipment Efficiency

By making cycle times as short as possible, a shop floor can deliver jobs faster and handle more work without having to invest in new equipment to do it. To do so, however, companies must pay close attention to the state of their equipment — which directly affects production, downtime, slow cycles and defects.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Fast Tips for High-Speed Machining

Demands for ever-shorter lead and production times, lower costs and improved quality make high-speed machining as important in today's machine shops as it was a decade ago. Yet even now, machinists continue to face challenges due to the many factors involved in high-speed machining operations.

Read more... | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Work Near Machines? Don't Hold your Breath

Potential costs of indoor air problems are too high to ignore. Poor indoor air quality can harm productivity, disrupt business processes, impair human health and lead to costly litigation. As such, IAQ has become a big issue for building operators, HVAC engineers and technicians, industrial hygienists and, of course, the workers inside.

Read more... | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Burning Question

How do we prepare tomorrow's workforce for the factory floor?

Read more... | Comments (12) | TrackBack

6 Common Quick Die Change Challenges

Flexibility and change have become critical components for success in manufacturing. The concept of quick die change is basic: minimize the time from the last good hit on one die to the first good hit on the next one. The following are six common tool-changing challenges for stampers, and some tips to solve such pains.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What You Should Know About Data on the Floor

Shop floor data today is being integrated into all facets of the enterprise, from equipment maintenance to quality assurance to improved decision making. And tomorrow's productivity gains may come from driving plant/enterprise information down to the manufacturing floor, where operators can use it to make on-the-fly decisions.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Engineers: '122 U.S. Levees at Risk of Failing'

Ever since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in August 2005, levee failure has been all the rage, with blame directed every which way. Yet, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this month, 122 levees from Maryland to California remain at risk of failing. With National Engineers Week beginning in just days, perhaps we should listen to them.

Read more... | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Automation that Will Make a Difference in 2007

After several years of stagnation, the industrial automation market is growing again. During the coming year, several new products and technologies will begin to emerge. Here are industry analyst and technology futurist Jim Pinto's top picks for automation technologies that will make a difference in 2007, courtesy of Automation.com.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Benefits for the New Workforce

The purported talent shortage, together with a tightening labor market, is forcing organizations to adapt to the changing demographics of the workforce. They are being held more accountable. They are using rewards and recognition. In some cases, they are even offering to buy homes for their employees. Find out just what benefits you might be lucky enough to reap in 2007.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Recommended Reading

From basic to advanced machining, "Machine Shop Trade Secrets" covers the range of topics of most concern to the home shop machinist and the trade machinist. Filled with practical tips, both conventional and CNC, James Harvey's comprehensive collection of hints and shortcuts aim to get the job done quickly and easily. Included is a chapter on help for engineers from a machinist's perspective.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 12, 2007

Avoiding Supply Chain Slip-ups During M&A

A recent report shows that approximately 30 percent to 50 percent of the savings generated in a merger or acquisition can come from supply chain synergies. It stands to reason, then, that one of the first areas looked at during M&A activity should be the supply chain. That isn't happening.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 9, 2007

Light Friday: Engineering the Grand Canyon's Edge, 1867 Nanomachine Now Reality, Making Marbles ...

... Bad Gift Ideas for Valentine's Day, Top 10 Refinery Sources of Carcinogenic Air Emissions, and MORE!

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 8, 2007

Effective Recalls and the Perilous Easy-Bake Oven

Earlier this week, we reported "a few product recall zingers" that revealed their ugly faces over the past week or so. As a follow-up, here we bring more product recall news — this time of the iconic toy the Easy-Bake Oven — and ways by which manufacturers can conduct an effective and comprehensive product safety recall.

Read more... | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 7, 2007

Engineers Develop Robotic Microhand

Early this winter, two engineers announced they had developed a tiny pneumatic hand with the ability to grasp objects smaller than a millimeter across. As it runs on gas pressure rather than electricity, it can be used in both wet and dry environments, making it safe for biological environments — good news for surgeons who hope to use the tiny tool in minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 6, 2007

Is 20-in-10 Enough?

President George W. Bush last month outlined energy proposals that emphasized the importance of energy independence and energy security. He highlighted a new proposal to cut U.S. gasoline usage by "20 percent in 10 years," to be accomplished primarily by mandating higher proportions of alternative fuels and increasing the fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks.

Read more... | Comments (22) | TrackBack

February 5, 2007

Product Recalls: Why So Many?

America. Home of the brave? Check. Land of the free? Check. Sometimes-maker of shoddy, hazardous products? Check. While this statement might anger a few IMT readers, let's get some serious debate going on this blog as to why product recalls have become so commonplace. Who's to blame? What can be done to improve the safety and satisfaction process?

Read more... | Comments (15) | TrackBack

February 2, 2007

Light Friday: Punxsutawney Phil & Global Warming, Engineers Wanted to Build Rocket Ship, Manufacturing Racing Wheels ...

... NASA Still Stumped, Stonehenge Village, Spider-bots, Ghostbusters Ecto-1 for Sale and MORE!

Read more... | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 1, 2007

U.S. Manufacturing: Up, Down, All Around

Employment is up, new orders are down, inventories are flailing, and imports/exports are all over the place. Just as manufacturing lost momentum in the second half of 2006, it is starting 2007 in a less-than-robust fashion, according to the Institute for Supply Management's latest numbers. Here comes the math.

Read more... | Comments (4) | TrackBack