Manufacture Smarter Blog

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.

8/25/2023 - BY: TRICIA ONESIAN
In today’s work environment, we still see people bullying each other through demeaning acts that seek to destroy, damage or obstruct someone’s work performance, work product, tools or materials. To help alleviate this issue, building a strong company culture focused on retaining employees and learning from each other is key. My role as a Business Solutions Manager requires strong customer service skills. These customer service skills (or people skills) can be applied to working with coworkers, clients, upper management and so on.

5/5/2023 - BY: MIKE BEELS
Do you ever notice that some people are better at dealing with their emotions than others? Or maybe you have a coworker who is really good at reading other’s emotions. This is because they have high emotional intelligence.

3/31/2023 - BY: STEVE VAMPLEW
How many conversations do you have in one day? Who do you have these conversations with (at work or in your personal life)? Have you ever had an exceptionally good or very bad conversation with someone? If so, how did you define whether it was good or bad? 

3/17/2023 - BY: JIM GORMAN
My first job after graduating from college was with a Tier-1 automotive interiors company. I still have the lanyard card that was given to me at my orientation with the title “The Cornerstones” which highlighted key values of the organization. These cornerstones mean as much to me today as they did on my first day on the job. I believe them to be the most straightforward and inspiring standards for promoting productive relationships and teamwork, while also providing a framework for addressing issues that will certainly arise when working with a team.

2/3/2023 - BY: BARB SHONIBIN
“Mentor” is often used as a buzzword more often than something that is acted upon. However, mentorship can be a great way to engage employees, new and old, while also benefiting the company. In today’s landscape, engaging and retaining employees has become challenging. New generations entering the workforce have different expectations and mindsets. It is crucial that management teams adapt to the changes and implement new initiatives that will attract, retain and engage staff.

12/9/2022 - BY: BOB JENKINS
When it comes to working in the quality industry, a wise man once told me, “In quality, we don’t have jobs. It’s our responsibility to help everyone else around us do better.” Over the years, I have found that to be incredibly true. So, we must ask ourselves, if we are to be successful in the function of quality, what is important for us to understand and what skills do we need?

12/2/2022 - BY: CHARLIE WESTRA
Recently, I tasked my two kids to help with the daunting task of raking what they thought was an endless pile of leaves – a chore they hadn’t helped with much previously due to their ability to help combined with my inability to not push them like I was pushed as a kid. Whispers from my father echoed in my head… “it’s work time, not play time” or “the sooner you start, the sooner we get outta here” or my favorite, “no time for a break, grab a rake.” Despite my father’s best intensions, he always had trouble getting us involved. I just hoped my kids were different.

10/21/2022 - BY: STEVE VAMPLEW
One of the many services we provide at the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (The Center) is conducting internal audits on our client’s Quality Management System (QMS) or Environmental Management System (EMS). In today’s manufacturing climate, where labor shortages abound, we are being called upon more than ever to perform these internal audits.

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!