Manufacture Smarter Blog

12/22/2017 - THE CENTER
Happy Holidays from the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center!

12/15/2017 - BY: CHUCK WERNER
One advantage of my current role, which I did not get to experience while working full-time in manufacturing, is getting to take part in conferences for the new tools, technologies and techniques being used in the industry. As a result, I have witnessed many presentations from suppliers of Industry 4.0 products and processes, as well as heard from companies that have taken various steps to implement smart factories, Internet of Things, robotics and so on.

12/8/2017 - BY: DAVE NELSON
Years ago in my career, I was the president of a small custom fabricating/molding company. If you had asked me back then about my yearly plans and goals, I would have rattled off reason after reason for why that type of planning doesn’t work for a small company.

12/1/2017 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
Kaizens have been used in the manufacturing world for years. You’ve probably heard “Kaizen” mentioned around your facility a number of times- but what exactly is a Kaizen? And who can it benefit?

11/23/2017 - THE CENTER
Happy Thanksgiving!

11/17/2017 - BY: REBEKAH MCCARTER
Michigan has been active in creating programs and opportunities to introduce young people and unemployed individuals to the vast and evolving opportunities in manufacturing. One such program, the Michigan Advanced Technician Training Program (MAT2), is a partnership between educators and technology leaders that seeks to train workers in the manufacturing and technology industries.

11/10/2017 - BY: ROGER TOMLINSON
Manufacturers couldn’t exist without machinery, and keeping that machinery functioning and up-to-date is essential to productivity and success. While that sounds simple in theory, buying new machinery can be extremely pricey in reality.

11/3/2017 - BY: ANDY NICHOLS
One of the first things that comes to mind when describing Quality Management Systems and “ISO 9000” is documentation, which often includes a Quality Manual. The background to Quality Management Systems started with big procurement organizations such as government agencies and Fortune 500 companies making Quality Systems a contractual requirement.

10/27/2017 - BY: ELLIOT FORSYTH
Clearly, cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and frequent, with a reported 4,000 attacks on small businesses each day. These attacks take many forms, from ransomware to spoofing to phishing, among others, and for most manufacturers, just one cyber-attack could be catastrophic.

10/20/2017 - BY: ROGER TOMLINSON
It can often prove essential to be a proactive problem-solver in business. Even the smallest problem can snowball into an issue that is detrimental to the success of a company. As a result, many manufacturing facilities have found it more and more conducive to adopt a highly proactive approach towards managing their supply chain disruptions.