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« July 2008 | Main | September 2008 »
August 29, 2008
Light Friday: Workplace Pilfering, Ear Hair Science and More...
In observance of Labor Day, we'll be shuttering IMT on Monday and will return on Tuesday. Until then, we wish all of you a very happy, very productive and very safe holiday weekend. Cheers.
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August 28, 2008
Looking Overseas to Gain Domestic Competitive Advantage
How can companies remain lean and also free up innovation resources to better compete globally and meet the needs, for instance, of the rising middle class overseas?
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August 27, 2008
Tough Road Ahead for Automakers and Suppliers
Automakers and their suppliers should work together to strengthen their place in the market, a new study says.
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August 26, 2008
The Steel Situation: Production, Prices and Shipments
Here we look at what's been happening with steel — from production and prices to shipments and inventories — so far in 2008, through last month, and how it compares with this time last year.
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August 25, 2008
Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: Russia, Georgia and Western Markets...
...Commodities Surge, Oil Giants Producing Less, British Economy Stalls and South African Output Falls.
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August 22, 2008
Light Friday: The Worst Car Names and a Manufacturer's New Approach to Newborns...
...High-Tech Toilets, Food with Lasers and MORE.
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August 21, 2008
Manufacturers Seeing More Bang for Buck with Green Operations
The corporate mindset around environmental initiatives is changing, and the need to invest in innovative products and new technologies is growing, a new report has revealed.
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August 20, 2008
China Set to Take Top Manufacturing Spot
U.S.-based manufacturers will account for 16.9 percent of global value-added factory output for the whole of 2008, with China close behind with 15 percent. By 2009, however, the positions will be reversed with China occupying the top position in global manufacturing for the first time for nearly 170 years, according to a new report.
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August 19, 2008
Has Engineering Education Failed?
Here we look at the concerns regarding the number and quality of engineering students heading into the workforce, from the perspective of the student, the professor and even the IMT reader.
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New Attention on a WWII Training Method
Although the Training Within Industry method was mostly abandoned in North America after World War II, it is currently gaining newfound attention among proponents of lean.
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Professional Development Key to Job Satisfaction
Insufficient training practices and goals often lead to inefficient work environments. Employers feel their employees lack skills while employees become de-motivated and frustrated in their jobs.
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Why Mentoring Matters
Recognizing the personal and organizational benefits associated with the knowledge shared between mentors and mentees, more organizations might consider fostering mentoring relationships.
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Managing Future Leaders
As leaders exit the workforce, companies can prepare for a more secure future through strategic onboarding programs and succession planning of skilled workers.
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Strengthening the Weakest Link
No matter the industry, underachievers are detrimental to team success. Managers must address lags in productivity as soon as they happen to ensure all parts of the team are effective.
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Are Goods Ideas Bad for Business?
Innovation and creative thinking are highly valued in many work environments, but concentration is still king. In fact, some researchers suggest that "breakthroughs" can actually hinder the problem-solving process.
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Attracting Talent Among Top Procurement Challenges
Attracting and retaining talent in the procurement space is among the top concerns for companies already dealing with today's complex pricing pressures, a new report concludes.
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Recommended Reading
In Crucibles of Leadership, Robert J. Thomas discusses the approach of such organizations as Toyota, GE, Boeing and MIT - as well as the Hells Angels and the Boston Celtics - to address how leaders learn to grow through often unplanned "crucible" events that challenge their identity.
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August 18, 2008
Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: Toy Safety Bill Signed into Law
Plus, Orders and Shipments of Conveyor Equipment are Up, Economic Slowdown May be Spreading, European Manufacturing Optimism Wanes, 21 Cities to Measure and Disclose CO2 Emissions, and MORE.
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August 15, 2008
Light Friday: Back-to-School Penny Pinching. . .
. . .Plus a DIY Batman Tumbler and a Giant Mechanical Spider (You read that right).
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August 14, 2008
Additive Fabrication Has Become a $1.1 Billion Market
The market for additive fabrication, also known as rapid manufacturing, surpassed the $1 billion mark last year — a first for this industry — according to a recent report.
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August 13, 2008
Cleantech Investment Climbs to Highest Quarter on Record
Clean technology is coming of age today, with investors and corporations setting long-term cleantech investment strategies. In the second quarter of this year, venture capital investments in U.S. cleantech companies grew to the highest total investment on record.
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August 12, 2008
Tax-Cheating Businesses Owe Billions
Many U.S. businesses may have cheated paying federal payroll taxes for more than a year, according to a GAO report that says the IRS has failed to pursue repeat offenders.
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August 11, 2008
Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: Jobless Claims Rise, Productivity Slows and Interest Rate Held Steady...
...$35B Tanker Contract Bidding Starts Anew, Ford Meets Job-Cutting Goal, Toyota Profits Tumble, German Factory Orders Fall and MORE.
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August 8, 2008
Light Friday: The 2008 Solar Eclipse and a Big Freakin' Particle Accelerator...
...Plus, Past Rapid Climate Cooling, a Day Worth Celebrating and MORE.
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August 7, 2008
Beverage Makers Quick to Respond to Shifting Consumer Tastes
While negative news abounds when it comes to America's decline in manufacturing prowess, it sure is refreshing to hear that beverage makers continue to respond quickly to shifting consumer tastes while reaping rewards along the way.
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August 6, 2008
Growth of Employers' Health Care Costs to Level Off
The cost for work-sponsored health plans is expected to increase 9.9 percent this year and 9.6 percent in 2009, according to recent data from the PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute.
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August 5, 2008
Is Your Workplace Making You Sick?
Despite a recent noticeable shift toward promoting healthy workplaces, there remain plenty of opportunities for your job to make you sick. Everyday workplace activities can pose unseen risks to your health.
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How to Recognize and Treat Heat Exhaustion
Summer may summon thoughts of barbecues and vacations, but safety and health concerns must not be ignored. IMT contributor Ilya Leybovich discusses some ways to identify common heat-related hazards and prevent future heat injuries.
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Energy Costs Where it Really Hurts
As if health care prices weren't high enough, today's historically high oil prices and rising inflation are having a sizable impact on medical manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and, of course, patients.
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How Safe is "Made in China?"
After last year's major product recalls, many of which led back to supply chains in China and Chinese exports, a new national study evaluates the country's medical industry and speaks to safety concerns, which IMT contributor Brian Lane addresses.
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2010 to Bring Major Changes for Medical Device Makers
If your company manufactures medical devices, particularly for the European market, a new medical-device directive could change your business dramatically 16 months from now.
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Biomedical Engineering: Better, Stronger, Faster
The spate of superhero movies this summer has some of us wondering just how close we are to achieving super-human status. We may be closer than you think, writes IMT contributor Susannah Nevison.
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Top Excuses for Missing Work
Nearly one-third of workers in a recent survey said they have called in sick when they weren't actually sick. The excuses some employees give for playing hooky are pretty darn colorful.
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Biz Outlook: The Health of the Economy
The worsening economy and its impact on businesses nationwide isn't looking much better through the year. As such, increasingly more firms are decidedly pessimistic in their outlook.
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Recommended Reading
The Mayo Clinic earns over $6 billion a year and has become one of America's most successful hospitals. In Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic, the authors reveal the secrets to running not only a successful hospital, but a successful business.
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August 4, 2008
Weekly Industry Crib Sheet: President Signs on the Dotted Line for Housing...
... More Bad News for Automakers, U.S. and Eurozone Manufacturing Update, Higher Job Losses Coincide with Higher Productivity and MORE.
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August 1, 2008
Light Friday: A Rise-and-Shine-to-Bacon Alarm...
...Understanding Pain and Ancient Wit. Plus: This isn't how a jet pack is supposed to look, is it?
