Leadership
If You’re Not Meaningfully Unique, You’d Better Be Cheap
These are the words of Doug Hall (www.doughall.com), founder of Eureka! Ranch and P&G brand-building wunderkind. It is also the mantra for the U.S. government’s latest initiative to lead manufacturing in this country into the new century. The goal of the new administration’s plan is to help transition discrete manufacturing companies—small and midsized manufacturers (SMMs)—from the “old” economic model (based on commodity and price) to a “new” economic model based on innovation, technology and “green.”
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Post-Processor Pointers
In addition to the development of CAD/CAM software, it is important not to forget the importance of post-processors, which manage numerically controlled machines. Without the right post-processor the best CAD/CAM software is of no use; likewise, the most sophisticated machine will not function optimally without the right post-processor.
Read MoreFive Tips for Capital Equipment Purchases
Cash flow is the foundation of any business, but it plays an especially important role when it comes to capital equipment purchases. By financing such purchases, businesses can realize several benefits, such as more consistent cash flow, preservation of working capital, better management of the company’s bottom line, tax advantages, streamlining of the purchasing process, and preservation of bank lines of credit.
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Byrne Tool & Die: A Culture of Change
This moldmaker takes employee training and development to a new level and relies on the latest in lean initiatives to get the job done quickly, earning them the MoldMaking Technology 2009 Leadtime Leader Award: Small Shop.
Read MoreAdapting Scouting Skills to Your Shop
A common factor among all of us in achieving our goals— whether personal or business—is our past associations.
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Operations Reassessment Yields Customer Diversification, Increased Competitiveness and Improved Capabilities
The recession came early to Michigan shops serving the automotive industry. For Eifel—a company specializing in simultaneous product development and manufacturing with a heavy emphasis on mold manufacturing—it resulted in the acceleration of a strategic plan for growth.
Read MoreHow Success Happens
All too often lately, I sense a feeling of entitlement in some areas of manufacturing. I know how that sounds—U.S. manufacturers rightly believe that they’ve been bludgeoned over the past 20 years or so by government trade policies, along with a shifting perception in our culture that a career in manufacturing is in some way less-than-noble/lucrative/rewarding. But there are some SMMs that I speak with who say things are hopeless. They tell me that their industry and government have abandoned them, and there’s nothing they can do about it.
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Commercial Tool & Die: Innovation And Improvement Are Keys to Success
The company’s two mantras—customer service coupled with continuous improvement—have allowed this mold manufacturer to triumph during trying times while landing them the MoldMaking Technology 2009 Leadtime Leader Award: Large Shop for the second year in a row.
Read MoreHow Stable Are the Processes in Your Plant?
RJG, Inc. (Traverse City, MI) has assembled the Process Stability Dashboard to manage quality for all molds that run in your plant whether they have in-cavity sensors or not.
Read MoreEquipment Expansion Lands Additional Customers
Adding equipment to the shop floor not only accommodates existing customers, but also can serve as an investment in securing work from new customers.
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