In wake of the recession and last year's natural disasters, Maumee, Ohio-based Dana Holding Corp. is making a concerted effort to manage risk within its supply chain and build constructive relationships with its suppliers....More
The feel-good story of the auto industry's comeback could take a dark turn if the OEMs don't take a hard look at their suppliers' abilities to ramp up in lockstep with demand.
That was the message from two speakers at the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich., where analysts projected that U.S. vehicle sales will exceed 14 million units this year -- up from 13 million in 2011 -- and will hit 16 million units by mid-decade....More
Recently, the U.S. presidential race has gotten tied up in the debate about outsourcing and offshoring of manufacturing jobs. But despite the political rhetoric, the right way to think of offshoring and international trade is as a form of technology....More
Manufacturing organizations have never faced so much complexity in their operations before. In response to global opportunities, these organizations continue to open new sales and distribution offices in various countries across the globe, set up joint ventures, relocate manufacturing to cost optimal regions and acquire other companies. Their supply chains also continue to become more loosely coupled and complex....More
BravoSolution's Paul Martyn explains how breaking free from China's monopoly can herald a new age of innovation and industry in the United States....More
Many organizations have adopted sales and operations planning (S&OP) as a way to promote visibility within the enterprise and to foster collaboration among business functions. In fact, according to data from APQCs Open Standards Benchmarking in supply chain planning, 82 percent of participating organizations have a formal S&OP program.
With so many organizations using S&OP, what does the average S&OP program look like? Can organizations take steps to improve their supply chain planning?...More
When evaluating distributors, manufacturers should look for companies that can offer specialized in-house capabilities that will add value to the overall product offering, observes Bill Moore, senior vice president with SKF, a manufacturer of bearings. Examples could include machinery that performs custom functions, such as a cutting machine for made-to-order lengths of hose or chain....More
Manufacturing products in the United States or China or Timbuktu isn't the issue. Making fact-based decisions about what's right for your company and your global customers is what matters most today....More
Capable of generating up to 5,000kW, the locomotives will be coupled together and tasked with pulling loads of up to 850 tons up slopes with a 10.4% gradient which makes them 50% more powerful than those currently in use....More
However, with perennial leaders Toyota and Honda slipping, the 12th-annual study sees all of the major automotive OEMs 'converging toward mediocrity.'...More
The former Airbus chief executive also was named to the parent company's 11-member board, seven of whom were absent from the annual shareholders' meeting....More
In industry I've witnessed a dramatic shift in how business leaders view supply chain management and growing importance placed on the supplier management function. The role of managing the supply base has become so much more than simply sourcing a part and placing orders. In a highly outsourced and globalized world, managing suppliers often means managing a significant portion of a company's overall business. To better elaborate the point I refer to the changing role of supplier management as a shift from buyer to business manager....More
Dialogue introducing new forecasting study on what the economy might look like in 2025 with a manufacturing resurgence. Video from the Aspen Institute....More
Manufacturing makes America strong. It makes families and communities strong. It provides national security. It gives us energy security. And for the 12 million men and women who work in manufacturing, it gives us pride....More
Christopher Barnatt of ExplainingComputers.com demonstrates how Big Data is transforming the business and industrial worlds and enabling new technologies and new breakthroughs that will help manufacturers work more efficiently than ever before....More
Beyond an initial novelty, 3D Printing could have a game-changing impact on consumer culture, copyright and patent law, and even the very concept of scarcity on which our economy is based....More
Christopher Barnatt of ExplainingTheFuture.com illustrates the inner workings of additive manufacturing machines and provides some real-life examples of how 3-D printing technology could dramatically change the manufacturing and retail industries as we know them today....More
Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab break down the engineering and design challenges they faced during the Curiosity rover's complicated landing near the Martian equator on Aug. 5, 2012....More
