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

WANTED: Women in Manufacturing

Manufacturing leaders from across the country met in Milwaukee last month with a single focus and purpose: attracting more women into manufacturing.

Their reasoning is strong: while women represent close to 50 percent of the U.S. workforce, only 30 percent of the 14 million Americans employed in manufacturing are women. What’s keeping them away? A recent survey offers several reasons, including a lack of quality science and math education programs, and the presence of persistent stereotypes that say careers in technology, engineering and manufacturing are simply not for women.

Enter the Precision Metalforming Association of Cleveland, OH, who launched Women in Manufacturing two years ago to help promote opportunities for women, and dispel some of the old stereotypes of manufacturing being “dirty, dumb and dangerous,”

Read more about the conference here http://www.biztimes.com/section/manufacturing_enews

…and here: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/2012/10/former-harley-davidson-exec-bridge.html

And find out more about the group here: http://www.womeninmanufacturing.org/

What it Takes to Stay "Made in America"

In the ever-changing global manufacturing arena, here’s a terrific article on some US small manufacturers (including KI of Green Bay) who kept their production onshore, and stayed profitable.

Although for some, off-shoring was a necessity, these companies, from textiles to high tech, chose instead to focus on the primary drivers of business…. efficiency, customer-focus and adherence to company values… to stay competitive while keeping home-town jobs at home. Some of their strategies are basic fundamentals, but others required more creativity…and guts. But you’ll like what you see.

Check out the full story here from Inc Magazine.

Growing Your Force!

Conventional wisdom says you hire people whose experience and training matches the skill you need. But, when those needs shift, productivity (and morale) tend to fall off.

It seems that every few weeks, we find another story about the challenges of finding qualified people for technical positions. Well here’s one with solutions that are low-cost and yielding high returns: Internal workforce development.

You may have a success story of your own, but you can also take the example of Diemasters Manufacturing in Elk Grove Village. They created an internal training program that gets their people “working on the system, not just in the system.” It may sound like a Lean initiative, but is far more focused on people than on procedures. The result is a better trained (and engaged) workforce. And it helps getting those specialty positions filled.

You might have success stories of your own. Read more about the new issue of MetalForming Magazine.

Circle this date on your calendar: Friday, October 5th.

10/5/12 is “Manufacturing Day,” and it is NOT just a ceremonial designation.

A large group of manufacturers and associations around the country have banded together to ‘rally the manufacturing community.’

Their two key goals:
-demonstrate to the public manufacturing’s critical importance to a strong and thriving economy, and
-to show off the many rewarding, lucrative and often overlooked career opportunities manufacturing has to offer.

You can read all about Manufacturing Day by clicking here.

And click here to find out what's happening and who's participating closer to home

A Mix of Optimism and Pessimism

A new survey of over 900 manufacturers and distributors is showing the conflicting rrealities of the current business climate.

The Optimism: 83% are feeling positive about their own business and the direction they’re headed. (However, only 39% feel they are ‘thriving.’).

The Pessimism: growing doubts about the economy, both domestic and global, and potential business tax increases.

But the real upside is that these ‘realities’ are pushing more companies to be leaner and more efficient.

You can read a complete article on the report (from fabricator.com) here.

*survey conducted by Chicago-based assurance, tax and consulting firm, McGladrey LLP.