Manufacturing insights
Straight from the Production Floor
Discover in-depth perspectives on key manufacturing topics, from emerging technologies and supply chain optimization to sustainable production methods, quality control innovations, regulatory compliance, and global logistics strategies. Access actionable insights designed to help you innovate, scale, streamline operations, and excel in competitive markets.
Manufacturing Results, Does Anyone Have a Better Bad Idea?
In the corner of this black heart. A full deck of wild cards. Tell me, are you scared to make a bet? Are you in or are you out? With all the sins I’m thinking about. Or do you have a better bad idea? [‘Better Bad Idea’, recorded by Sunny Sweeny, Americana artist, 2017.] Following […]
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Every time we step onto the shop floor, we learn something new—explore insights that drive smarter manufacturing and more seamless builds.
Does This Look Easy to You?
Folks, Eighty-two week lead times for some discrete components, raw material shortages and cost increases, domestic ground freight charges that have doubled in the last six months, a late winter storm in Texas that shutdown the chemical feed stock & polymer industries and “Help Wanted” signs everywhere. We’ve been at this a long time and […]
Three Important New Product Industrialization Guardrails
Folks, Back in the Precambrian era, I was a young engineer working for GE Plastics’ Electromaterials division. Communication has come a long way since then. We sent Telexes and faxes, early versions of email were emerging, our version of Instagram was a projector slide show at Thanksgiving and we met in person all the time. […]
The Design-Reality Disequilibrium
Folks, This month’s newsletter focuses on the importance of defining your entire supply chain when designing and launching a new product. If you want to get off on the right foot and succeed at scaling to volume, it’s critically important to pin down all of the “CTF” (critical to function) components, materials and parts before […]
Different Isn’t Necessarily Better
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” Mark Twain Folks, We see many new product concepts every month. For the past nine months, they’ve been coming in a torrent. This happened before… Following the financial crisis of 2008, new businesses and […]
New Product Development: A Roadmap for Managing Suppliers
Folks, Happy New Year to all! I’m expecting that 2021 will be a better year for all of us. Stepping off on the right foot, my colleagues have taken the keys away from blog car this month and Jason Marietta our Engineering Director in Arizona is penning this installment. I’m sure that you’ll enjoy his […]
A Road Map To Mitigate Your Supply Chain Risk in China
Expanding and Transforming Your Sources of Supply Folks, If you’re an ODM, OEM, manufacturer or distributor who’s purchasing tangible products, you’re in China. We’re in China too. At this point, we all are. Purchasing from suppliers in China was once a bold move, a roll of the dice. Over the past ten years, it has […]