What Does 2013 Look Like?

You can count the nation’s purchasing and supply management execs at the Intitute of Supply Management among those who are upbeat on 2013, predicting that the past year’s economic growth will continue.

The one weak spot, they point out in a recent report, is in employment. That’s where they expect growth to remain mediocre…less than 1%

You can read more about their analysis and opinion in this article from Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation (IMPO) magazine

5 Radical Ways to Rethink Managing the Manufacturing Line

Be creative in how you approach the floor.

Business author Steve Denning has some great ideas for improving the manufacturing floor, and reveals the details in this excellent article. It’s all about re-thinking the manufacturing line.

Some of his thought-provoking strategies may sound a little like ‘flavor of the day’ suggestions, but he then provides his reasoning and logic.

Some of his suggestions for managing people on the floor include:

-Forget output, focus on profits
-End the annual review
-Re-think ‘teamwork’
-Take a lesson from (video) gamers (No kidding)

Sound interesting? Then check out the rest in the full article here