Manufacture Smarter Blog

8/19/2022 - BY: THE CENTER
Last week, the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center’s Smart Technology Zone was on the road again. It was a huge hit at the Advanced Manufacturing Expo in Grand Rapids, Mich., where our Industry 4.0 team joined our West Michigan team to talk about all things tech with hundreds of attendees.

8/12/2022 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
On a regular basis, I work with various manufacturers, including platers, stampers, casters and assemblers. I also work with food processors such as bakeries, pickle processors, dog treat manufacturers and companies that produce nutritional supplements. Can you name one thing these distinct companies have in common? Everything they produce is done with PEOPLE. Yes, regardless of what business they are in, they are first and foremost in the people business!

8/5/2022 - BY: THE CENTER’S EXPERTS
The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center’s (The Center) team of experts are dedicated to partnering with our clients to train, consult and find the right solutions to help them succeed. After all, our success is your success. To do so, we are always evaluating ways we can evolve and improve.

7/29/2022 - BY: ANDY NICHOLS
In today’s workplace, we all use some form of connected technology: a desktop computer, tablet and/or smart phone. We cannot conduct business without them. Cyber criminals know this and have learned to exploit connectedness in ways which are both subtle and shocking. It should come as no surprise to anyone that the new mantra is: Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility!

7/22/2022 - BY: JERED TYACK
What if I told you I recently had a conversation with a company who decided it wasn’t worth the cost of implementing Lean in their facility? They believed their employees did not have time for training and the overall investment, including temporary loss of production, was too expensive. This company believed it would cost too much to dedicate 10 minutes of clean-up time at the end of their shift. Sounds crazy, right? However, many companies think this way when they don’t fully understand Lean manufacturing and its benefits.

7/15/2022 - BY: GEORGE SINGOS
During the 19th century Industrial Revolution, a group of craftsmen known as the Luddites protested change in the manufacturing industry. As machines were being introduced to the textile industry, the Luddites took to destroy it. Today, the term is used as a way of saying someone is against technology.

7/8/2022 - BY: MIKE BEELS
When running a successful business, it is important to continuously work on process improvements. This is where Lean manufacturing can help. At the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (The Center), we offer free Waste Walks to gather information about the work process, the work areas and any instances of observed waste.

7/1/2022 Wishing you a happy Fourth of July weekend! 

6/24/2022 - BY: ROBERT SCIPIONE
Effective programs to train people in the skill sets needed to successfully adopt and maintain Industry 4.0 technologies are few and far between. We are currently experiencing a huge labor shortage and skills gap across several industries, including manufacturing. Automation is a great solution that can help bridge that gap and can also create new positions to maintain the equipment.

6/17/2022 - BY: ANDY NICHOLS
In manufacturing, we must measure or test the products we make because there is variation in the results and we don’t want to exceed the specification which would result in additional costs, time lost and possibly customer dissatisfaction.