Manufacture Smarter Blog

11/18/2024 As manufacturers seek solutions to ongoing workforce challenges, veterans are an underutilized talent pool with the potential to quickly adapt skills gained in the military to ever-changing manufacturing environments.

1/29/2024 As we face the impact of technology, increased global competition, and an ongoing labor shortage, our ingenuity and resilience will be crucial to creating an even brighter future. So what should be our priorities to keep Michigan manufacturers leading the charge?

10/27/2023 - BY: CHUCK WERNER
As a consequence of the ongoing strike and negotiations between the UAW and the American Auto Manufacturers, many suppliers to the OEMs (and suppliers to those suppliers) are seeing decreases in demand that could result in the idling of lines or even entire facilities. Driven by the voice of the customer (VOC) and in the best interest of the business, it was necessary to have a plan for how these functions were to be conducted.

9/25/2023 Enhancing employees’ skills can boost recruitment and retention and lead to greater job satisfaction and productivity. The best part? A MichiganWorks! program can help you make it all happen.

5/13/2022 - BY: REBEKAH MCCARTER
Managing your local and national supply chain is now easier with CONNEX™. CONNEX™ Michigan is a cloud-based platform that centralizes the Michigan supply chain network into a searchable scouting database and integrates with the national CONNEX™ Marketplace. 

3/18/2022 - BY: REBEKAH MCCARTER
Are you a manufacturer looking to grow your business? Well, CONNEX™ Michigan may be the perfect solution. CONNEX™ Michigan was launched in January to connect manufacturers together in one searchable database. As the most advanced supply chain and manufacturing networking database tool ever assembled, many Michigan companies are taking advantage of the platform’s benefits.

1/28/2022 - BY: REBEKAH MCCARTER
As we move into year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruptions to the global supply chain continue. In fact, things look like they may get worse before they get better. Resilience is the new buzzword. While everyone is talking about the challenges, very few are proposing solutions.

12/17/2021 - BY: REBEKAH MCCARTER
In recent months, both Deloitte and IndustryWeek published survey data on the pressing issues that are the biggest concern for manufacturers. These surveys, conducted in September and October 2021 respectively, reported remarkably consistent findings.

12/3/2021 - BY: PHILLIP WADSWORTH (WWW.NIST.GOV)
Each year, the MEP National NetworkTM is fortunate to assist manufacturers across the nation that are creating distinct, quality products. And, each year, we like to share some of these small to medium-sized manufacturers and their products with you.

11/19/2021 - BY: JEFF SCHULTZ
Growing up in the era of NASA’s Apollo space program, I was fascinated with space exploration and had my sights set on becoming an astronaut. When the creative side of my brain overtook the analytic side, astronaut as a profession ceased. But my interest in outer space remained.