alewis

Entries by Andy Lewis

Transforming the Factory Floor

Every industry goes through numerous changes, and for the manufacturing and distribution industry, these changes are happening right now. With changing  technology, workers, and processes the manufacturing and distribution  industry is evolving into the manufacturing and distribution industry of the future.

In an article from Industry Week, author Jill Jusko writes, “Successful manufacturing and distribution …

Reversing the Trend: Strategies for Addressing Decline in U.S. Manufacturing

Though specific statistics vary, it is clear that manufacturing and distribution industry employment has been consistently declining for a number of years. In a recent article for Manufacturing Business Technology, Greg Chesnutt, president and CEO of Prime Technological Services, offers a deeper analysis of the situation, taking a look at a variety of areas, …

Guidelines for Successful Manufacturing Project Management

Large projects, especially those that take place on the global scale, are quite challenging. Strong coordination and planning skills are a must, as well as the ability to problem solve. In a recent article published by iChainnel, Vaishali Badgujar offers seven project management tips for manufacturers.

List the requirements—Outline everything: what the project is …

Mixed Opinions on the Current Direction of the US Manufacturing Sector

A recent article for the Supply Chain Digest offers a snapshot of the current US manufacturing and distribution sector. While nobody will dispute that the sector has lost millions of jobs since its peak in 1979, opinions are mixed, says the author, when it comes to the current direction, and scale of development, of …

Why Leadership Commitment Won’t Guarantee Lean Success

There are a lot of cases in which leadership commitment is the cause of failures throughout any industry. However, there are cases in which improvement initiatives fail even though leaders are fully committed to the cause. Why is this?

In an article from Industry Week, author Rick Bohan writes, “It looks easier to implement than …

How to Connect Design and Manufacturing Teams

Cloud-based computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are some advances in technology that have led us closer to a “push-button manufacturing” future. However, design and manufacturing and distribution remain disconnected.

According to an article from The Manufacturer, “The need for closing the gap between design and manufacturing and distribution teams is overwhelmingly compelling; traditionally, by …

Manufacturing’s Future With Industry 4.0

As manufacturers distributors look to achieve growth, Industry 4.0 introduces automation and data exchanges for the growth necessary to move beyond the status quo. Industry 4.0 offers businesses numerous benefits to survive and thrive.

In an article from Industry Week, Terri Hiskey describes Industry 4.0 which includes “cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, and cloud …

Why the Manufacturing Industry is not Failing

There is a false sense that the manufacturing and distribution industry in America is declining.  Although it is true that many jobs have been lost in the manufacturing and distribution sector, the idea that the industry is failing is a false narrative on the truth.  

In an article from Industry Week, Stephen Gold explains …

Manufacturers are Hiring, but Skills Gap Remains

The manufacturing and distribution industry saw more new workers these past months than any point since 2008, according to an article from U.S. News. As regulations are being torn down by those in Washington, manufacturers distributors are beginning to see a renewed demand for domestic manufacturing.  

According to author Andrew Soergel, “922,000 manufacturing and …