Manufacture Smarter Blog

11/2/2012 - THE CENTER
The U.S. economy relies heavily on the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing firms fund most of our domestic corporate Research & Development, and the resulting innovations and growth in productivity improve our standard of living. Manufacturing boosts exports and the industry plays an important part in national defense. 

10/26/2012 - THE CENTER
It’s the nature or nurture question for business. How much does the environment shape the workforce? OSHA regulations and workforce safety issues aside, are there things that a company can do to improve employee performance and product output? This goes beyond cleanliness, which we would file under workforce safety.

10/22/2012 - THE CENTER
In an era of global competition, smaller manufacturers face challenges above and beyond the challenges that larger, more established companies face. By definition, small manufacturers are companies making less than $10 million in revenue annually. Based on numbers from the latest Michigan County Business Patterns, roughly 92.28% of Michigan’s SMMs or 11,423 of Michigan’s 12,378 manufacturing establishments meet this criterion.

10/12/2012 - THE CENTER
Kermit may have had it right when he sang “it’s not easy being green,” but it may be profitable. More and more companies are finding that what used to promise only incremental change can now improve margins by 10% to 15% and in a lot less time. The environmental payoff is immediate, but for companies struggling to stay afloat, it can’t just be about recycling and reducing waste.

10/5/2012 - THE CENTER
National Manufacturing Day is Friday, October 5, 2012.  The day was designed to expand the knowledge about and improve the general perception of manufacturing careers and emphasize manufacturing’s value to the U.S. economy.

9/27/2012 - THE CENTER
Offshoring, or sending a portion of a company’s business overseas, became a common business practice during the economic recession when our nation was struggling to stay afloat. Since 2002, about 3.5 million manufacturing jobs have been lost across the nation.

9/12/2012 - THE CENTER
Hoshin Planning is a management methodology which aims to create strategic goals and insight for an organization. The main idea of Hoshin Planning is that the collective thinking power of all employees makes an organization the best in its field.

8/27/2012 - THE CENTER
During the economic downturn, many manufacturers sought to reduce production costs, eliminate waste and increase lead times. While these initiatives are important, it’s also critical for Michigan’s small and medium sized manufacturers to identify new market opportunities and grow sales.

8/20/2012 - THE CENTER
Michigan’s manufacturing sector has bounced back beyond expectations. While presented with numerous challenges during the economic downturn, our state’s resilient manufacturers used innovation to overcome difficulties and lead the way to recovery.