Transportation Impact, a 4-time Inc. 5000 company, comes from humble beginnings. In 2008, Keith Byrd and Travis Burt, both then senior-level managers at UPS, left the world’s largest shipping company after nearly two decades, respectively, to launch their own start-up with the mission of providing clients with the most competitive small package contracts in the country. The QReview is a magazine that highlights Transportation Impact’s Quarterly Review learnings and is filled with supply chain news that delves into specific strategies, statistics, and stories relevant to the supply chain industry. Take a look inside and find out how to overcome market challenges, look for optimization opportunities, and more below! Subscribe to QReview here.
Read More →Nine Ways Manufacturing Analytics Can Improve Your Profitability
If you’re looking for new ways to improve the profitability of your manufacturing business, there might be a resource that you’re not tapping into–data. Many organizations already have data and analytics about equipment, parts, and processes that are not being used to improve the organization. Download the tip sheet by Sight Machine below to find out how to use your manufacturing analytics to improve profitability. Within the sheet below, you’ll learn how to: Reduce unplanned downtime; Diagnose quality problems faster; Reduce the cost of compliance; And more. Find out more below!
Read More →Automation Today
As manufacturers struggle to fill highly skilled production positions—according to NAM (National Association of Manufacturers), “80 percent of manufacturers report a moderate or serious shortage of qualified applicants for skilled and highly skilled production positions”—technology may need to step in to fill the gap. As the article “Automation Today” by FARO Technologies states: “It’s no secret that manufacturing continues to become more automated, and manufacturing output per worker is on the rise.” Smart factories are sought after because they are quickly becoming the “factories of the future,” while growing changes in automation become difficult to ignore. Find out more about the latest advancements in optical 3D measurement and automation technology in the article below including: Advanced Manufacturing; Automated Metrology; and Cobalt.
Read More →A new, uniform packaging design boosts sales and cuts emissions
A new packaging design can make a huge difference for brand awareness, sales, and the environment. BillerudKorsnäs collaborated with a manufacturer of outdoor grilling products to develop and implement a new packaging solution from renewable, fiber based material. BillerudKorsnäs worked with a company who was struggling with inconsistent packaging and high carbon emissions. By replacing the PET and PE plastics, BillerudKorsnäs was able to produce packaging that delivered uniform results to multiple OEM locations. The company was able to increase its market share and customer base while making a sustainable contribution to the environment with more than 47, 000 kg of PET plastics removed from the packaging’s lifecycle. Read the full case study below!
Read More →Making Sense of IIoT Analytics
Making Sense of IIoT Analytics | Automation World As the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) picks up steam, attention is pivoting from connectivity to analytics, flooding manufacturers with a wave of new offerings that all promise to facilitate real business change. In the article below, find out how Sight Machine is integrating and visualizing data throughout the manufacturing industry. Sight Machine’s CEO and co-founder, Jon Sobel, explains that the company has created an automated intake process that refines data from incompatible factory floor systems and contextualizes it for subsequent analytics. Read the full article below to find out more!
Read More →Three MD Companies Receive NIST Innovation Grants
Three MD Companies Receive NIST Innovation Grants | MDBIZNews Based in Rockville, Automated Precision Inc. is a first-time recipient with a $98,750 grant in Phase 1 funding. The company’s research focuses on a noncontact measuring technique for use in the defense, energy, aerospace and automobile industries. The technique measures high speed 3-D scanning during surface inspections, which cuts manufacturing costs and can reduce waste. Discover more information about the three Maryland companies that were among a group of small businesses to receive grants from the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Learn more below!
Read More →A Change Management Strategy For Your ERP Project
C>R | C=a*b*d. What does this equation mean? Why is it critical to an ERP change management strategy? Successful ERP transformation projects must take many facets into consideration, in particular, people, processes and technology. Most projects address the process and technology portions, but have little or no focus on the people portion. For a transformation to be successful, it is the people component that is the most critical piece in order for the transformation to be successful. Download the full white paper below to discover the practical ways to apply current change management strategy models to prepare your business for an ERP transition. If you didn’t know the equation above, you’ll also find out the answer within! Read more below…
Read More →ESCO® Corporation Improves Companywide Metrics Visibility and Accountability Using Dploy® Solutions
Even for small manufacturers, effectively capturing and using key performance indicators (KPIs) to take corrective actions can be difficult. But when a global company using a mix of manual, spreadsheet-based processes adds new acquisitions to the mix, the process challenges quickly compound. That’s part of the reason why in 2012 the team at ESCO Corporation knew it needed a better way to track and analyze KPIs across existing locations and new acquisitions. This article explains how your team can benefit from using Dploy® Solutions and increase your visibility while helping to summarize and monitor strategies and resources. For more information, read the full article below!
Read More →API Install Galaxy Horizontal Arm CMMs At Nissan Mexico Plant
When Nissan Motor Company built their new production facility in Aguascalientes, Mexico they looked to Automated Precision, Inc. (API) to assist them in providing CMM inspection for the stamping shop, body shop and tooling departments. Initially, Nissan purchased nine dual horizontal arm API Galaxy-H multifunctional CMMs. These coordinate measuring machines are manual-controlled horizontal arm layout and measuring CMMs that are designed specifically for measuring thin-walled components such as automotive car bodies and sheet-metal panels. The Galaxy-H CMM is a double-arm design that features the table installed in a foundation at floor level so components and fixturing can be easily moved on and off the table for fast inspection. In the article below, find out more about the dual horizontal arm API Galaxy-H multifunctional CMMs and how the arms are being used in the Nissan Mexico Plant today. Nissan engineers even said that API was able to meet the schedule for production in a small window of time, despite the demanding requirements of the task. Check out the full article below!
Read More →Infographic: A Strong S&OP / IBP Process is Designed to Reduce Costs While Growing the Top Line
This infographic by the Aberdeen Group and the TBM Consulting Group outlines the top business pressures facing sales and operations planning and integrated business planning (S&OP/INP) process. S&OP/IBP Users have superior customer service, cash-to-cash cycle, and forecast accuracy, driven by the effective measurement of their process and strategic actions. These improvements move them from predicting results toward a prescriptive approach, allowing them to manage their costs while growing their top line. View the full infographic and read the report on this topic below!
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