Articles
The Job Of A Leader
April 10, 2013 4:24 pm | by Paul Glover, Founder, The Glover Group | CommentsThe primary purpose of every leader is to recharge the workforce each day. It may sound cheerleader-ish, but when you think about the amount of energy required to do a job, it makes sense for leaders to make sure that their employees have the energy or fuel necessary to perform.
Pick-and-Place Packaging Increases Efficiency for Craft Brewer
April 10, 2013 12:32 pm | by Standard-Knapp | CommentsAfter experiencing a higher than desirable level of bottle breakage with repurposed packaging equipment, Midwestern stalwart Boulevard Brewing Company approached Standard-Knapp to create a solution to meet its non-traditional packaging demands.
Is Re-Industrialization The Key?
April 10, 2013 9:18 am | by Dr. Tom McNamara, Assistant Professor of Operations Management, Rennes School of Business | CommentsMost economists agree that the “Great Recession” of 2008 ended sometime around August 2009, and while the economy has been slowly recovering, unemployment still appears to be a stubborn problem. The headline rate is just a shade under 8 percent, which translates into a little over 12 million Americans out of work.
Replenishing The “Brain Drain”
April 9, 2013 11:49 am | by Paul Michalicka, SKF USA Inc. | CommentsIt is a phenomenon that is referred to with a catchy rhyme: “the brain drain.” Older workers are leaving companies, taking their experience and knowledge with them. And, for various reasons, the reservoir is not being refilled at the same rate.
Industrial Automation Ripe For Energy Harvesting
April 9, 2013 9:22 am | by Digi-Key | CommentsIndustrial control and automation is not an obvious application for energy harvesting, although machinery, by its very nature, is an obvious source of energy, ripe for harvesting. Nevertheless, why exploit energy harvesting in a plant or factory environment?
Women in Manufacturing: Looking Beyond Profits
April 8, 2013 8:36 am | by Adam Beckerman, partner-in-charge, manufacturing and distribution group, Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP | CommentsMore and more women are foraying into the manufacturing industry, and they have their own unique sets of ideas and methods to help their businesses succeed. Three Georgia women are women whose manufacturing companies are committed to more than just profits.
An Easy and Powerful Change Leader’s Tool: A Journal
April 5, 2013 12:21 pm | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsAffecting change within an organization, regardless of how well understood or widely used the program or system might be, is a matter of leadership. Leadership is how we constructively influence behavior. Behavior is ultimately what we must change to make our programs and systems take root.
Pomegranate Juice Adulteration: Grape Expectations
April 5, 2013 9:24 am | by Dr. Robert J. Packer, PerkinElmer Inc. | CommentsFruit juices with high levels of antioxidants, such as pomegranate and cranberry, have become very popular over recent years due to perceived health benefits of antioxidant compounds and the increased accessibility through a number of global producers selling through global retailers.
7 Common KPIs for Production Monitoring
April 4, 2013 12:28 pm | by Red Lion Controls Inc. | CommentsStrategic philosophies or practices such as Kaizen, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management and Continuous Improvement are used by many organizations to help improve processes, drive productivity and maintain a competitive edge in today’s ever‐increasing global economy. Despite varying concepts, each practice uses Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to assess, analyze and track manufacturing processes.
The Virtual Plant Seen Through Standardized 3D HMI
April 4, 2013 9:32 am | by Chris Parkinson, Senior Engineer, HMI Technology Lead | CommentsFrom physical pushbutton stations to sophisticated graphical interfaces with 3D representations of equipment — HMIs are the visible part of a controls and/or manufacturing intelligence system. Unlike controller code that is seen by few, anyone and everyone can see the HMI.
Performance Plans Create Results, Maximize Performance
April 3, 2013 11:07 am | by Timothy F. Bednarz, Ph.D., Author & Publisher, Majorium Business Press | CommentsA performance plan differs from a conventional plan in that it is a proactive document. It is designed for continuous use throughout the year as a guide and reference tool to direct the leader and his or her unit's activities.
Indispensable Leak Detection
April 3, 2013 9:03 am | by Rachel Leisemann Immel, Associate Editor, IMPO | CommentsToday, approximately 95 percent of vehicles coming off of the automotive assembly line have refrigerant systems in them for air conditioning. Pressurized with a refrigerant, the system is checked for leaks before it leaves the facility. A technician holds a wand to the major piping connections of the air conditioner and waits for a device to alarm if a leak is detected.
Redundancy in Manufacturing Control Systems
April 2, 2013 11:20 am | by Greg Lynch | CommentsReliability in process control systems has a different meaning in each industry. Depending on the type of interruption and the severity of the consequences, some manufacturing systems require PLC redundancy to keep people and equipment safe.
Seven Ways to Benefit from Mobile, from the Floor to the Field
April 2, 2013 9:27 am | by Mutual Mobile | CommentsYes, there’s a place for mobile in manufacturing. Seven, actually. Today’s mobile solutions can help your business run more profitably and predictably, by putting the right tools and information right where they’re needed.
The Apocalyptic Threat of Undead Projects
April 1, 2013 11:00 am | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsAre there any of us who haven’t been assigned to the “undead” project? You know, those projects that seem to go on forever without ever possessing the priority or proper resources to get finally to launch, or the ones that are constantly re-directed or re-defined such that we never make meaningful progress, or sometimes they just get put on hold, the back into action, then back on hold for eternity.
Prepare For Disaster (And Keep Downtime To A Minimum)
March 29, 2013 11:00 am | by Christopher Cooley, VP of Product Management, SunGard AS | CommentsDisasters come in many sizes and shapes and are often unexpected, which is why manufacturers must prepare for them, treating disaster recovery plans almost as an insurance policy. And they do happen, often at the most inconvenient times. By one count, their numbers have climbed 233 percent since 1980.
Modular Control Buildings Bring Flexibility To Remote Processing Sites
March 29, 2013 9:00 am | by Matt Hodson, President and CEO, Principal Technology Inc. | CommentsPressures to reduce staff levels for onsite operations coupled with the increasing sophistication and expense of automation and control equipment have led to growing trend to use modular structures to house and protect sensitive process and automation controls.
Five Costly Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring Food Processing Employees
March 28, 2013 11:00 am | by Ryan Kohler, HR Consultant and CEO, Job Match, LLC | CommentsHiring is a constant concern in the food processing industry, thanks to disproportionately high levels of employee turnover, sickness and injury. Hiring managers want to ensure potential employees can handle the stress and demands of their jobs, since hiring and training replacements costs millions of dollars a year.
The Future of Package Printing (Part II)
March 28, 2013 9:00 am | by PMMI | CommentsModern packaging goes far beyond its primary objective of protecting the contents within it. The fact is, it serves as a critical communication platform. Think of the ingredient and nutritional information it lists and how it displays expiration dates and tracking codes to ensure freshness and product safety.
The FSMA Kicks into High Gear
March 27, 2013 11:00 am | by Scott Scdoris, Director, Food & Beverage, Celsis Rapid Detection | CommentsTwo years after President Obama signed the sweeping FSMA into law, the FDA has issued two proposed rules on produce safety standards and preventive controls for food processing facilities. The new rules, which will govern about 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, aim to usher in a new era of food safety by shifting the focus of federal regulators from reacting to contaminations to preventing them.
