Manufacture Smarter Blog

3/29/2013 - THE CENTER
​Family-owned businesses are a hot topic in our offices right now. A conservative estimate of 22,800,000 (or 95% of the 24 million small businesses in the U.S. today) are family-owned and they provide employment for at least 60% of all workforce. According to the Small Business Administration, Family-owned businesses are also responsible for 78% of all new jobs created. That’s a chunk of workforce. And

3/22/2013 - THE CENTER
Both Lean and Six Sigma are powerful tools, but when combined, they have the ability to transform a process and company culture, and catapult your company into a better way of doing business. As Michigan’s manufacturers see a “comeback” in American manufacturing, it’s crucial to implement initiatives that increase efficiencies.

3/15/2013 - THE CENTER
Manufacturing is a key industry in the revitalization of the U.S. economy and job creation. Something we have long said and believed and the Department of Commerce agrees. The United States is the world’s largest manufacturing economy, employing nearly 12 million Americans in 2012.

3/8/2013 - THE CENTER
We’ve been hearing a lot lately about how American manufacturing is making a comeback. Last year was particularly hailed as a “manufacturing renaissance,” as the sector led the way for economic improvement and consistently racked up positive industry stats. Manufacturing has been roaring back… but will it continue on this path?

3/1/2013 - THE CENTER
Most of the time implementing a growth strategy feels like trying to sail upwind.  You try growing in your current market and the gale forces are strong competition – often your salespeople say “The only way we can win more business is to get more aggressive on quoting.”  So you aim instead for new markets.

2/22/2013 - THE CENTER
In his State of the Union Address last week, President Obama exclaimed, “Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing.” Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike all agree: manufacturing growth is critical to our country’s success.

2/15/2013 - THE CENTER
In a recent Family Business Advisor session, the concept of Emotional Intelligence was raised.  Traditionally, a person’s intelligence is measured using an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) Test.  The IQ test is a measure of a person’s general intelligence, but it does nothing to measure a person’s ability to succeed as a leader.  Your Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EIQ) may be a better way to measure how well you will do as a leader.

2/11/2013 - THE CENTER
When you make operational changes to either become more efficient or to grow, it’s just as important that your team understands and embraces the importance of the changes. It’s also critical that employees have buy-in from the beginning of your planned improvements.

1/25/2013 - THE CENTER
Recently our Federal Sponsor, NIST MEP, posted an article called Challenging Times. In it, Ken Voytek shared some data gleaned from clients surveyed across the MEP network. As part of the survey and to help inform MEP new products and services, clients are asked to identify the top 3 challenges their companies face over the next three years.

1/18/2013 - THE CENTER
What is your company’s biggest asset? Is it your most expensive piece of equipment? Is it a mechanism on your production line that helps you become more efficient?  Whether you’re an automobile manufacturer or produce precision screws, dies or pumps, you’re still going to have the same answer to the question: your staff is your company’s biggest asset.