Manufacture Smarter Blog

3/15/2021 - BY: CHARLIE WESTRA
Each week, our Proud to Manufacture in Michigan team chooses a Featured Manufacturer of the Week from more than 1,000 member companies. Our latest winner is Spring Dynamics, Inc.!

3/12/2021 - BY: ANDY NICHOLS
For many businesses and key members of Sales & Marketing staff, the use of digital media is both the present and future of B2B commerce. Whether we like it or not, recent events have put much more emphasis on supplier searches being conducted online. In addition to enhancing company websites, businesses can boost their digital presence by making a bold impression on the social media platform LinkedIn, where more and more procurement sourcing is happening. 

3/10/2021 - THE CENTER
How often does your facility throw away more material than was used to create a part? Has your business designed, developed and built a new product, only to discover the design is faulty after investing much time and money into its production? Have repairs been neglected on a part on a machine due to a lack of replacement for it? In each of these cases, the problem can be solved with Additive Manufacturing.

3/5/2021 - BY: MICHAEL MCGRAY
Typically, the first type of technology that comes to mind when referencing Industry 4.0 or advanced manufacturing is Robotics & Automation. And while a growing number of facilities continue to adopt automation into operations, many hesitant manufacturers still wonder, How can automation help my production?

3/3/2021 - THE CENTER
During employee training, businesses are commonly challenged by the demand placed on resources. Often, this leads to shortcuts in training, which negatively impacts productivity, quality and safety. Due to inconsistent training, variation arises in how each worker performs a task, which can lead to unanticipated results and no clear understanding of the root cause. To solve these training-related issues, and those unforeseen, Augmented & Virtual Reality can help.

2/26/2021 - BY: PETE SCHMIDT
When I ask manufacturers about their biggest challenges, nearly all mention the lack of available skilled workers. With so many companies looking to hire, this added competition only further compounds the challenge. In our most recent Smart Solutions Series webinar, we explored how Lean manufacturing principles can be applied to an organization to maximize productivity – effectively filling these critical gaps in production using existing resources and talent.

2/24/2021 - THE CENTER
In this increasingly competitive business landscape, manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve processes to boost their bottom line. One proven way to accomplish this is through the use of robotics and automation in production.

2/19/2021 - BY: PAULA MONTGOMERY
When developing new products and innovations, a diverse range of expertise and knowledge is required to be successful. With the right technical experts, business experts, user design experts and manufacturing experts working toward the same goal, the possibilities are limitless.

2/17/2021 - THE CENTER
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been discussing how Industry 4.0 practices and technologies like Big Data, Internet of Things and System Integration can help organizations to better gather and analyze operational data to drive improvements. Cloud computing takes data management to the next level, making it quicker and more collaborative than previously possible.

2/12/2021 - BY: PETE SCHMIDT
​During the past challenging year, one recurring theme that many companies have discussed with me – whether they have 10 employees or 200 – is that they are all struggling to find people to fill open positions within their organization. What if there were a way to reduce the number of new hires needed?