Manufacture Smarter Blog

1/30/2015 - THE CENTER
Do you want to create a ripple in 2015? Are you ready to lead your company into the future? Innovation is about change. Innovation is the buzz, but how do I do it? Do I need a product to innovate? Is there an App for that? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, ‘Innovation’ is “The process of translating an idea into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay.”

1/23/2015 - THE CENTER
Agriculture and food production has become a booming industry in Michigan, with no signs of slowing down! Annually, the agriculture industry in Michigan adds $91.4 billion to the state’s economy. Additionally, these industries employ 923,000 of Michigan residents. However, like all industries, there is always room for growth and improvement—and that’s where Lean manufacturing tactics can help.

1/16/2015 - THE CENTER
Project success is the true value of any Six Sigma endeavor. Value, achieved one project at a time, builds success. Six Sigma is more than just problem solving. This means that selecting the right projects becomes critical to success. Knowing that most businesses have limited resources, how should companies set project priorities? 

1/9/2015 - THE CENTER
The New Year has officially rung in, and with it, comes a time for contemplation. For Michigan’s manufacturers, 2015 is an opportunity to start with a blank slate. Yes, it’s time to begin anew. More than that, it’s time to make a comeback. So what do we mean by that?

12/31/2014 - THE CENTER
Manufacturing has been in the news frequently in the last few months and 2014 has seen intense scrutiny and support for the industry. The Manufacturing Innovation blog posted a Retrospective on U.S. Manufacturing today that highlighted key trends for this year. 

12/19/2014 - THE CENTER
SEO is the process of improving your website’s visibility on search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. SEO is very technical and a tricky thing to understand initially. So we’ll try to provide you with a little “SEO 101” to get your feet wet with the topic.

12/12/2014 - THE CENTER
We are hearing about prospects for major changes in material specifications coming down from automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. The shift is primarily due to regulations requiring big gains in vehicle fuel economy. These changes may also impact non-automotive industries as demand for new, stronger and lighter materials increases.  

12/5/2014 - THE CENTER
If you’re the smaller guy in the locker room of U.S. manufacturing, you have nothing to be ashamed about. In fact, you should embrace your size because bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better in the world of manufacturing. Here are five ways that smaller Michigan manufacturers can stay toe to toe with the big guys in town.

11/28/2014 - THE CENTER
In 2010, American Express founded Small Business Saturday to help businesses with their most pressing need - getting more customers. The day encourages people to shop at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The single day has grown into a powerful movement, and more people are taking part than ever before.

11/21/2014 - THE CENTER
Additive manufacturing is becoming a “hot topic”. The manufacturing process was actually developed in the 1980’s, but hasn’t really picked up interest until the last few years or so. Since then, it’s sometimes more commonly referred to as “3D printing.”