Manufacture Smarter Blog

3/14/2014 - THE CENTER
In addition to being a harbinger of spring . . . something that is desperately desired by virtually every Michigan resident this year . . . . March brings us wonderful local and internationally recognized holidays. 

3/7/2014 - THE CENTER
There is a common, yet erroneous, belief among many domestic business owners that only large businesses have the ability to sell to a global market. Many companies, believing that only large US manufacturing exporting companies can be competitive in the international market, don’t explore the opportunity.

2/28/2014 - THE CENTER
Business pains, much like pain from injuries, are not unusual. However, the cause and the cure to those pains can vary greatly. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to problems.

2/21/2014 - THE CENTER
Manufacturing jobs in the United States have changed dramatically over the past decade, requiring employees with higher, more technologically advanced skills. An unfortunate side-effect is that these improvements in the manufacturing world have led to a shortage of qualified employees throughout the country.

2/14/2014 - THE CENTER
If you did a Google search for Operational Excellence (OE), results would include over 10 million website hits, not including images and book reviews. Sometimes referred to as ‘world-class manufacturing’, the concept has been around for decades, and relates to well-run organizations of every type. And it’s no stranger to manufacturing.

2/7/2014 - THE CENTER
There was an interesting article in Bloomberg Businessweek on Tuesday, this week called, “International Paper Recruits Women in War for U.S. Talent.” In the article, International Paper CEO, John Faraci, discussed an important company goal. He wants his payroll to more closely reflect the U.S. population, specifically when it comes to gender.

1/31/2014 - THE CENTER
Unless you’ve been without power for the last 24 hours, and with this polar vortex that’s entirely possible, you know that President Obama delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday night. And, if you’ve read the transcript or watched it live, you know that there were multiple references to Michigan, including the highlight of Andra Rush’s Detroit Manufacturing Systems story of putting people back to work and of newly appointed GM CEO, Mary Barra, breaking the glass ceiling.

1/24/2014 - THE CENTER
The wheels of progress and change often move slowly, and never more so than in a bureaucracy. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) representing a major shift in food safety, probably the biggest in the last 70 years, was signed into law early in 2011. Today, in early 2014, many aspects of the FSMA are still being discussed by the Food and Drug Administration and Congress.

1/17/2014 - THE CENTER
In today’s technology-based economy, having a strong online presence is very important. Think of it from a practicality standpoint– you’re online all the time. Whether you’re in front of your computer or gazing at your smartphone, the Internet is always at your fingertips. Fun experiment – count how many times you Google something every day!

1/3/2014 - THE CENTER
Our industry is gaining some great momentum, providing new opportunities for businesses to develop and grow. The Institute for Supply Management’s monthly PMI index is widely regarded as the key economic indictor for growth in our field and the last reading for 2013 was 57%. Readings over 50% indicate industry expansion, so this was a great reading.