Manufacture Smarter Blog

12/1/2016 - THE CENTER
According to a recent report by Deloitte, the United States is expected to take over the number one position as the most competitive manufacturing nation from China by the end of the year—with Germany holding steady at number three. The United States continues to improve its ranking as technological innovation sweeps across the manufacturing landscape and new opportunities continue to arise.

11/24/2016 - THE CENTER
Happy Thanksgiving!

11/18/2016 - THE CENTER
When navigating by map and compass, it is important to be aware of magnetic declination. The magnetic north is not located at the North Pole, so more than likely, your compass is not truly pointing north. You need to adjust your compass reading and account for the difference to find True North.

11/11/2016 - THE CENTER
You are in business for a reason. One of those reasons involves the successful setting and achieving of long-range goals. And, in order to achieve those goals, strategic plans were executed.  From a business standpoint, tactical day-to-day operations, which are short term, need to support the strategic plans of an organization.

11/4/2016 - THE CENTER
If you are interested in optimizing your organization’s capabilities and efficiencies to produce the best quality output possible at the lowest cost, it’s time to adopt Six Sigma methodology. Six Sigma is a measurement-based strategy for process improvement and variation reduction that utilizes DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) as a road map to successful implementation.

10/28/2016 - THE CENTER
For small businesses in today’s global and technologically advanced market, it is crucial to maintain competitiveness and stay aligned with larger organizations.

10/24/2016 - THE CENTER
On Friday, Oct. 21, The Center hosted an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate a quarter century of working with Michigan manufacturers, the opening of their new facility and the unveiling of their new brand.

10/14/2016 - THE CENTER
We all agree on the benefits of embracing a Six Sigma Culture. It is after all a management methodology which allows companies to use data to eliminate defects and reduce variability in any process, manufacturing and business alike.

10/7/2016 - THE CENTER
Manufacturers across the United States are always searching for new ways to enhance the growth and development of their organizations, commonly focusing on the optimization of key areas, such as profitability, productivity and customer satisfaction. The challenge most manufacturers face however, is optimizing these key areas simultaneously.

9/30/2016 - THE CENTER
Standardized work is perhaps one of the most powerful lean tools that will have the most impact on your organization’s daily operational activities ─ yet, it is the least used lean tool of the Lean Manufacturing concept. Why?