Faster Fulfillment through Automated Goods-to-Person Picking and Storage
Goods-to-person picking and storage systems, when combined with smarter workflows and inventory management sytems, benefit both plants and warehouses with significantly better picking times and accuracy, speeding fulfillment and shipping. This type of automation also improves worker ergonomics and productivity. Throughout the retail, distribution and manufacturing sectors, competitive pressures...
Read More »Manufacturers Use Product Traceability to Ward Off Quality Issues
Just this year, General Motors has made 54 separate recalls, affecting nearly 29 million vehicles worldwide. GM estimates that those recalls, most of which are related to ignition switches, will cost the company $2.5 billion. To minimize the cost and disruption of potential recalls, manufacturers are undertaking extensive efforts in product traceability. Doing a better job with production-line...
Read More »Government Market Midyear Report: A Brighter Outlook
The two-year federal budget pact has stabilized government budgets and given some predictability for both buyers and sellers. Contractors should continue seeing spending growth on products and services by federal and particularly state and local agencies. Government officials are optimistic about their fiscal situations as the second half of 2014 starts, and U.S. manufacturers share that...
Read More »Industry Crib Sheet: Hiring Continues Robust Streak in June
Factory Orders Stumble in May, but Backlogs Aplenty Manufacturing Remains Steady in June, Says ISM Record Exports Tighten Nation's Trade Deficit The U.S. economy produced a strong 288,000 jobs in June while the unemployment rate fell 0.2 points to 6.1 percent, its lowest level since September 2008. The growth paced well ahead of the 215,000 new positions that economists expected for the month,...
Read More »The Light Side: Fourth of July 2014 By the Numbers
App Tells You Best Potty Break Chances During Movies For Sale: Doctor's Notes for Sudden Case of World Cup Fever Mentos Vest Plus Diet Coke Tank Equals Epic Reaction Tomorrow, America celebrates its 238th birthday. As everyone is preparing to enjoy a long weekend of fireworks, parades, backyard barbecues, and general relaxation, the Census Bureau has released its yearly Profile America Facts for...
Read More »Minding Your Business: Contingent Engineers and IP Protection
It's not uncommon for contingent engineers and contractors to play key roles in the invention and development of new products or processes, and that fact is heightened in today's lean staffs and outsourcing environment. Here are ways to ensure your sensitive IP is safe. Engineering managers are sometimes reluctant to bring in contingent engineers or contractors, due to concerns about intellectual...
Read More »AMT Viewpoint: Make Your Voice Heard for American Manufacturing
Now is a good time for manufacturers to get the attention of their congressional representatives, says AMT's Amber Thomas, as Congress' summer recess approaches. Now is the time for manufacturers to educate themselves on the latest pro-manufacturing issues and have effective communications with lawmakers. Manufacturers should pay attention to what's going on in Washington. Just in the last few...
Read More »U.S. Plastics Molding Industry Showing Newshoring-Based Revival
U.S. plastics manufacturing, especially for commodity goods, seemed destined for the same fate of the dinosaurs just a few years ago. However, newshoring has brought fresh production, and injection molders have transformed their businesses and operations to compete again. A small, rapidly growing toy manufacturer in New England is pulling tools from China and is establishing manufacturing for the...
Read More »Editor's Note: More Than Just Reshoring
The repatriation of manufacturing jobs in America is clearly based on clear-headed rather than nationalistic decision-making. Companies note that reshoring is not just about foreign wages anymore; it's about serving and reacting to markets from a closer vantage point. And it's foreign companies doing it, too. July 4 is approaching, so it behooves me to highlight a report noting that America is...
Read More »Next-Gen Financial Analytics Drive Manufacturing Into Profitability
Yet another benefit emerging from the new technology-enabled shop floor is the power to apply financial analytics to manufacturing operations, equipping decision-makers with the visibility they need to improve profitability. This kind of capability can be called financial overall equipment effectiveness (FOEE), according to David McPhail and Dave Edstrom, the respective CEO and CTO of...
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