https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/rss en-us 2017 may be remembered as the year we finally figured it out. For years, manufacturers have been investing in transformative industrial technology - and these past twelve months have been no exception. 2017, however, wasn't about finding anything new, so much as learning how to apply what we have. Machine sensors, for example... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/4872 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 04:49:13 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/4872-will-2018-begin-a-new-golden-era-for-industrial-technology Americans increased their spending 0.4 percent in December, a solid pace but slower than the big spending burst seen in November. The Commerce Department said Monday the spending gain followed a 0.8 percent surge in November. Incomes were up 0.4 percent, helped by... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/4871 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 04:39:27 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/4871-u-s-consumer-spending-up-in-december When it comes to digital technologies, manufacturers know they've got to "give" in order to "get." After years of emphasizing cost-saving programs to drive lean operations, manufacturers are now focused on propelling outsized top-line results by investing in digital technologies. That's one of the key findings of our recent study, The Work Ahead in Manufacturing, in which... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/4587 Mon, 25 Sep 2017 10:40:48 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/4587-manufacturer-metamorphosis-navigating-digital-s-impact-on-manufacturing Replace or enhance? That's the question many people ask when discussing implementing artificial intelligence (A.I.) in the workplace, fearing that computers will put them out of a job. Just this past September, Forrester released a report saying that 6 percent of U.S. jobs may be replaced by A.I. and bots by 2021. For employees, this may... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3862 Thu, 02 Feb 2017 11:22:51 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3862-how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-the-field-service-industry The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a tech-policy think tank, has released a new report that urges President Trump to ignore both condescending criticism and tired laissez-faire thinking and continue forward with his focus on growing U.S. manufacturing. "From his involvement in the Carrier deal to... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3859 Thu, 02 Feb 2017 11:15:00 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3859-report-offers-10-principles-to-guide-the-administration-s-strategy-on-manufacturing [Video] http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3548 Mon, 17 Oct 2016 07:48:41 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3548-the-future-of-apple-s-car-project The first Industrial Revolution conjures up images of grimy 19th century factories, belching smokestacks and newly mechanized production equipment. The dawn of the so-called fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, could not be more different and it is laying the groundwork for the Digital Enterprise. None of us will escape the impact of Industry 4.0, so it's vital to comprehend what likely lies ahead. The stakes are high. Consider that since 2000,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3282 Fri, 20 May 2016 11:07:54 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3282-what-it-takes-to-build-a-manufacturing-digital-enterprise We humans seem to love technology. I guess that is really not a surprise as technology got us out of the trees and into the subdivision. It got us off our feet and into our Fords. What sometimes gets us into trouble is our willingness to believe that technology can somehow, by itself, take care of everything. During the mainframe era,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3223 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 07:13:19 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3223-staying-customer-centric-in-an-age-of-technological-disruption Samsung Electronics, the world's largest maker of phones, memory chips and television sets, plans to revamp its authoritarian, top-down corporate culture to become more like a lean startup as it copes with sluggish demand and growing competition. The company said Thursday... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3222 Wed, 13 Apr 2016 06:25:46 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3222-samsung-to-give-up-authoritarian-ways-emulate-startups Over the last 10 years there has been significant growth in European and American automotive manufacturers running operations in China, consequently it has been one of the fastest places of growth in the world. However,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3158 Mon, 07 Mar 2016 10:33:27 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3158-3-key-trends-to-hit-automotive-manufacturing-in-2016-and-beyond Faced with increasingly complex global markets, labor issues and major economic fluctuations, supply chain leaders are looking for solutions that can help meet these challenges. Here's a look at the supply chain trends for 2016 that will help global organizations optimize their logistics operations... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3157 Mon, 07 Mar 2016 10:21:17 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3157-trends-for-the-supply-chain-in-2016 With 2016 upon us, I've been combing analysts' predictions of changes they see coming to the manufacturing industry - and combining them with my own observations of how well today's ERP technologies can support these changes. There's no doubt:... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3115 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:31:17 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3115-manufacturing-trends-for-2016-an-outlook-for-erp IBM may not grab as many headlines as some other tech heavyweights, but that doesn't mean the company has stopped innovating. In fact, 2015 marked the 23rd straight year in which IBM was awarded more patents in the United States than any other company. During those 23 years, http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3058 Mon, 25 Jan 2016 09:00:15 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3058-top-10-u-s-patent-recipients As advanced as manufacturing is becoming - with interconnected systems and data running factories, production and the supply chain - cybersecurity should be a concern for every manufacturer. Andrew Ginter, vice president of industrial security at Waterfall Security Solutions, took some time to answer our questions about... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3057 Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:46:08 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/3057-the-biggest-cybersecurity-problems-facing-manufacturing-in-2016 In 1913, Henry Ford transformed the automotive industry with the introduction of the assembly line. By connecting all of the various tasks and processes involved in constructing a car along an automated conveyor belt, Ford was able to vastly reduce the time and effort required to make each automobile. One hundred years later,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2994 Thu, 03 Dec 2015 07:29:55 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2994-end-to-end-digital-integration-the-next-manufacturing-revolution U.S. manufacturing output rose in October for the first time in three months as factories cranked out more steel, cars and computers. Manufacturing production increased 0.4 percent last month, the Federal Reserve said Tuesday, after slipping 0.1 percent in September. The rise suggests that... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2942 Wed, 18 Nov 2015 10:34:14 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2942-u-s-manufacturing-output-rises-for-first-time-in-3-months In a growing economy where competition is fierce among manufacturers, it's more important than ever to keep customers happy. If a customer has a bad experience with a particular manufacturer, word will spread fast and a solid reputation can be damaged quickly. In this day and age,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2941 Wed, 18 Nov 2015 10:25:44 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2941-three-ways-manufacturers-can-guarantee-word-of-mouth-referrals Determining the optimal stock levels for MRO spares should be a science, not an art. But for most organizations, it represents an impossible numbers game. Inventory managers are faced with the challenge of managing tens or hundreds of thousands of items, each with their own characteristics, requiring... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2940 Wed, 18 Nov 2015 10:21:24 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2940-12-best-practices-of-inventory-optimization Manufacturing has entered the digital age and the Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the way manufacturers not only view the way they create and service products, but also how it can help boost quality, efficiency and productivity in their manufacturing operations. Today... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2884 Wed, 04 Nov 2015 11:02:30 -0500 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2884-building-the-business-case-for-an-iot-strategy-in-manufacturing For decades, manufacturers employed waves of young migrant workers from China's countryside to work at countless factories in coastal provinces, churning out cheap toys, clothing and electronics that helped power the country's economic ascent. Now,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2754 Wed, 07 Oct 2015 08:09:31 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2754-robot-revolution-sweeps-china-s-factory-floors Razor-thin margins. Pressures to cut costs. Increased competition from existing vendors as well as new players in the market. It is tough to be in manufacturing today, especially when it comes to gaining a true competitive edge. This is why... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2698 Tue, 22 Sep 2015 11:37:04 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2698-lean-labor-in-manufacturing If you think the manufacturing skills gap is all just hype, think again. Research from the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte predicts there could be as many as 2 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2025, up from... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2697 Tue, 22 Sep 2015 11:30:36 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2697-how-millennials-can-help-manufacturers-adapt-to-change Our childhood is invariably linked to the toys and games that we played with - but as simple as they might seem, creating a toy is a complicated blend of both art and engineering. [Video] http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2641 Wed, 09 Sep 2015 10:10:51 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2641-how-your-favorite-toys-were-engineered When Serena Williams earned her sixth Wimbledon title earlier this summer, she didn't just become the oldest woman to win a major tennis tournament in the open era. She also became an inspiration to those of us who spearhead warehouse safety programs across the country. Like Serena,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2640 Wed, 09 Sep 2015 10:03:56 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2640-how-to-keep-the-warehouse-safety-magic-alive As manufacturers begin to see multiple changes across the manufacturing industry, such as the increasing talent shortage, the increased reliance on technology will become apparent - from automation to replace employee labor to... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2522 Tue, 11 Aug 2015 10:53:39 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2522-visual-analytics-the-future-of-manufacturing-processes Rarely is the need to innovate more critical to success than in manufacturing. Innovations in process, in machinery, or in materials could each create a significant competitive advantage. However,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2467 Tue, 28 Jul 2015 09:49:47 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2467-the-advancement-of-3d-printing-and-its-impact-on-the-manufacturing-industry For decades, manufacturing operations technology (OT) and enterprise information technology (IT) systems developed and evolved into separate physical architectures - remaining largely walled off from each other in the industrial and business spaces. But in the Internet of Things era,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2466 Tue, 28 Jul 2015 09:42:08 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2466-the-plant-of-the-future-seven-key-elements Unlike other industries, the manufacturing and production industry is no novice when it comes to project management. Nevertheless, staying focused on how best to execute project management tactics is often hard and overlooked, especially when pressured for time and/or funds. So,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2411 Tue, 30 Jun 2015 10:30:44 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2411-5-project-management-lessons-for-manufacturing Manufacturers must change how they use technology to innovate, or they will be left behind as other, more innovative competitors gain tighter control of their IT environments, and leverage that high-tech capability to drive innovation. The challenge seen in many manufacturing environments is... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2410 Tue, 30 Jun 2015 10:24:08 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2410-manufacturers-risk-getting-left-behind-without-it-innovation The North American manufacturing sector is enjoying an overdue rebound. In the U.S. alone, manufacturing productivity rose nearly 3 percent, and output almost 5 percent, last year. The industry's willingness to adopt new technology has been a driving force of these gains. In particular,... http://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2353 Tue, 16 Jun 2015 10:20:00 -0400 https://www.businesswatchnetwork.com/articles/2353-how-cloud-apps-are-driving-manufacturing-innovation