Tag Archives: Manufacturing

New Look American Manufacturing

Posted on June 30, 2006 by John Hunter

The New Look American Manufacturing [the broken link was removed] by Dale Buss: The evidence shows that American manufacturers that revise their processes and integrate technology in ways that allow them to stay close to customers can survive the onslaught from China. Adaptability is key above all other factors. I agree by applying lean manufacturing and other management improvement ideas manufacturers can (and are) prospering in the USA. I don’t think one factor is the key. Many factors determine whether … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

American Manufacturing Successes

Posted on June 29, 2006 by John Hunter

Lean and Unseen, The Economist: But someone forgot to tell American manufacturers the bad news. Most of them have enjoyed roaring success of late. Net profits have risen by nearly 9% a year since the recession in 2001 and productivity has been growing even more rapidly than is usual during economic expansions Yes, as I have been saying the demise of manufacturing in the USA has been exaggerated in the popular press (Global Manufacturing Data by Country – US Manufacturing … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Management, Manufacturing | Tagged

Innovation Needed to Keep USA Manufacturing?

Posted on June 29, 2006 by John Hunter

ICAR touted as example of innovation needed in U.S. [the broken link was removed] “Our ace in the hole is innovation, and that’s why intellectual property is so important to develop,” Graham said. “How do we protect that advantage within the rule of the law?” Lindsey Graham [the broken link was removed] and Hillary Clinton are co-chairs of the United States Senate Manufacturing Caucus. Is innovation our ace in the hole? I don’t think so. There is no ace in … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Innovation, Management, Manufacturing, Systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Manufacturing is Cool

Posted on June 12, 2006 by John Hunter

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers brings us the web site: manufacturingiscool.com [the broken link was removed – maybe manufacturing isn’t cool anymore 🙁 ]. Maybe this is the answer to Bill Waddell post: We Don’t Get No Respect 🙂 From the manufacturing is cool site: Video tapes and books full of additional information regarding the many interesting careers available in manufacturing engineering and technically oriented material.Professionally prepared classroom programs and curriculum resources available to enhance your instructional capabilities. Ways to … Continue reading →

Posted in Career, Education, Manufacturing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

China’s Manufacturing Economy

Posted on April 15, 2006 by John Hunter

Brad Setser posts on manufacturing comparisons: Have China’s manufacturing powers been exaggerated? [the broken link was removed] I am all for pushing against over-generalizations that get repeated so often that they become conventional wisdom. The oft-stated argument that France isn’t growing is one example. In fact, France has grown faster than either Germany or Italy over the past few years, and France grew for the same reason the US grew: soaring real estate prices have pumped up domestic demand. But … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Economics, Manufacturing, Popular | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

US Manufacturing Plant Construction

Posted on April 2, 2006 by John Hunter

Breaking Ground [the broken link was removed] by Jeff Moad: Last year, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce, investment in new manufacturing plant construction increased 25%. That compares to a decline of 6.5% in 2003 and an increase in 2004 of 9.7% As we have noted earlier, the United States is by far the leading manufacturer in the world: Global Manufacturing Data by Country and Manufacturing and the Economy (Japan is second and China third and growing … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Manufacturing | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Global Manufacturing Data by Country

Posted on February 22, 2006 by John Hunter

I am still looking for a good source for manufacturing data by country and year. Today I found some data from the United Nations Statistics Division. The data for the top five manufacturing economies: China, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and United States. Figures are in current $US billion. The data used is for Mining, Manufacturing and Utilities (because China and Germany do not have manufacturing data separated out). Country 2001 2002 2003 2004 United States 1,781 1,779 1,876 2,012 Japan … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Economics, Manufacturing, Popular, quote | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Engines of Democracy

Posted on January 21, 2006 by John Hunter

Engines of Democracy [the broken link was removed] by Charles Fishman, Fast Company: The 170-plus people who work at this plant try to make perfect jet engines. And they come close. On average, one-quarter of the engines that GE/Durham sends to Boeing have just a single defect — something cosmetic, such as a cable not lined up right, or a scratch on a fan case. The other three-quarters are, in fact, perfect. … GE/Durham’s continuous-feedback culture — “We call this … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Management Articles | Tagged ,

What Should GM Do?

Posted on January 16, 2006 by John Hunter

GM must take back concepts that Toyota has capitalized on [the broken link was removed] by W. Harrison Goodenow: It still doesn’t have to be this way. The solution lies in better manufacturing engineering and not in Machiavellian marketing. Concurrent engineering, hard prototyping, management by planning, real process control and Deming’s analytic-studies approach to design of experiments are proven approaches to designing and building a quality car competitively. Just ask Toyota. Toyota posts Manufacturing articles and links

Posted in Management Articles | Tagged

Lean at NUMMI

Posted on January 11, 2006 by John Hunter

Lean at NUMMI (site broke the link so I removed it) by Patrick Waurzyniak , Manufacturing Engineering. An article well worth reading. NUMMI’s production system is patterned closely after TPS, which is constantly changing and being updated, notes Gonzalez-Beltran. The pillars of TPS are the waste-reduction techniques of Just-in-Time production, bringing inventory to where it is needed and at the right time, and also jidoka, which provides machines and operators the ability to detect abnormal conditions and immediately stop work … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Manufacturing, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged ,

America’s Manufacturing Future

Posted on December 27, 2005 by John Hunter

A Wake-up Call From Asia [the broken link was removed] by Patricia Panchak [the broken link was removed]: China and India very aggressively are pursuing advanced manufacturing. Increasingly, China’s exports to the U.S. are composed of advanced-technology products. … J.P. Morgan said it would add 4,500 employees in India by the year 2007, mainly by setting up operations in Bangalore to support its growing structured finance and derivatives businesses globally. Such jobs are not the simple, low-value call-center work that … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Economics, India, Manufacturing | Tagged , ,

Rebirth of American Industry

Posted on December 21, 2005 by John Hunter

William Waddell excellent posts on the Evolving Excellence blog are always an interesting read. He, and Norman Bodek, have published a new book, Rebirth of American Industry. Read the full Excerpt from the book [the broken link was removed]. The Evolving Excellence blog also has a post: A New Must-Read Book – From Our Own Bill Waddell [the broken link was removed]. Norman Bodek has also written: Kaikaku, The Idea Generator: Quick and Easy Kaizen (with Bunji Tozawa) and The … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Lean thinking, Manufacturing | Tagged ,

Hopeful About India’s Manufacturing Sector

Posted on December 11, 2005 by John Hunter

Why Am I Hopeful About India’s Manufacturing Sector [the broken link was removed] by Indra: As World Economic Forum Founder and Chairman Professor Klaus Schwab said in recently held India Economic Summit, 2005, “It is indeed important for India to excel globally not only in the services sector but also in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing in India has become much more sophisticated with the introduction of high technology in many of its production processes. A key priority for India is … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, India, Manufacturing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Manufacturing and the Economy

Posted on October 30, 2005 by John Hunter

In Global Market, Iowa Manufacturers Fight for Survival: The conventional wisdom has been that expanded trade would result in the United States losing low-pay, low-skilled manufacturing jobs, said David Swenson, an economic scientist at Iowa State University. But “a lot of the jobs that we have traditionally thought of as high value, high quality, high benefits are in trouble, too.” The conventional wisdom was that the rest of the world would not be able to compete with the United States … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Economics, Management, Manufacturing, Popular, quote | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Go Lean to Remain Competitive

Posted on October 26, 2005 by John Hunter

Go Lean to Remain Competitive [the broken link was removed]: Captains of industry should adopt Lean Production Systems, an idea {conceived} by Toyota for its car-making, to transform their plants to efficient ones, for survival in the globalisation era Sundaram Clayton Limited Brakes Division President C N Prasa. In 1998 the SCL Brakes Division won the Deming Prize and in 2002 they won the Japan Quality Medal. Sundaram-Clayton Limited [the broken link was removed], Mission: We are committed to being … Continue reading →

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