7/12/2019 - A majority of Americans see manufacturing as vital to the country's economy, but much fewer are confident about its future. That's according to a new survey from the Brookings Institute. Mike Coast, President of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, is on the forefront of this change in our state. Listen to the full conversation on www.michiganradio.org.
7/3/2019 - Manufacturers are increasingly under threat from cyberattacks. This is a real concern not just because of the typical business vulnerabilities (e.g., stolen intellectual property, ransomware) but because in today’s increasingly connected world, a successful infiltration from a cybercriminal could shut down a plant's operations or start making equipment produce faulty products without the knowledge of managers, among other things. Read the full article from IndustryWeek.
6/21/2019 - The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center has named Jamie Headley to the newly created position of director of sales. She joined the organization in 2016 as senior business solutions manager responsible for the southwestern Michigan territory. Read the full announcement from thefabricator.com.
6/19/2019 - Anyone working in manufacturing today knows the number one issue facing the industry is the ability to attract and retain talent. And anyone dealing with this “talent shortage” knows that Millennials, or Generation Y, are the most viable labor pool. But with so many perceived differences in career desires among Millennials, how can manufacturers tap into this generation of potential workers? Read the full article at dbusiness.com.
5/28/2019 - American manufacturing has been on a steady growth streak for years now, but that wasn’t always the case. Back in the middle to late 1980s, U.S. industry was mired in a long, severe slump, and had been shedding plants and workers since the 1970s. The U.S. Congress and President Ronald Reagan stepped into the fray to try to help with the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. One element of that law was the establishment of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) under the auspices of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the subsequent development of the MEP National Network. Read the full article from www.forbes.com.
5/23/2019 - One of the primary improvements provided by Industry 4.0 is the ability to free team members from mundane tasks, enabling them to think more strategically and be more flexible to the changing needs of the business. And what aspect of business has changed more drastically in recent years than HR? Read the full article from Chuck Werner, Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center's Manager of Operational Excellence, at www.automationalley.com.
5/20/2019 - The staff can make or break a business based on their level of commitment, motivation and interest in their work. While engaging employees already is a complicated skill to master, incoming generations of workers are bringing with them new expectations and desires for the workplace, making it even more difficult to keep all employees engaged. Read the full article from the Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce.
5/7/2019 - Much has been written about the relevance and application of implementing technology, highlighting the advantages that such innovations can bring to manufacturers of all sizes. But what does it actually look like when these technologies are leveraged to improve a business? For a more detailed picture, let’s take a quick walk through the stages of business maturity. This article appeared in the 2019 MFG Forum event program. Read the full article from mimfg.org.
5/7/2019 - Taking a business from its original form and guiding it to become a learning organization is a challenge. A lot of heavy lifting can be involved and, quite frankly, many people are so tied up in day-to-day operations that trying to find the time and information to work on the business can be difficult. Unless a company is blessed with a “people closet” to pull additional resources from, the efforts may fall short with regard to either resource or priority, causing the improvement initiatives to fail. Leveraging technology can help to reduce the resource drain on the leadership team and can not only result in quicker improvements, but ones that will be easier to sustain and build on. This article appeared in the 2019 MFG Forum event program. Read the full article from mimfg.org.
4/30/2019 - In an age of quickly evolving technology and a more highly educated, technical and team-based workforce, traditional leadership won’t cut it. Read the full article written by Richard Wolin, Director of Training for the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center-Northern Lower, at www.record-eagle.com.