Manufacture Smarter Blog

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.

12/27/2013 - THE CENTER
Happy Holidays from the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center!

12/20/2013 - THE CENTER
​Can you believe it’s already the end of 2013? It seemed like just yesterday that we were making resolutions for this year. You know them…lose some weight…take up a new hobby… waste less time at work…spend some more time with family and friends...

12/6/2013 - THE CENTER
Every year around this time, you probably see messages from the media and pundits about shopping and buying from local businesses. And that message is correct – it’s important to purchase from local organizations during the holiday season. It’s a great boost to the local economy.

11/28/2013 - THE CENTER
Happy Thanksgiving from the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center!

11/22/2013 - THE CENTER
Traditions are pretty important. They dictate family gatherings, create sports rivalries, inform manufacturing practices, and influence behaviors, likes and dislikes, all sorts of things. Michigan has some pretty fun Thanksgiving traditions and if you are new to the area, aren’t familiar with them or just want a nice refresher, below are some great traditions from the wealth of Michigan history.