ThomasNet News | Maintaining Excellence; Construction Industry Lumbers; Revenue Growth Expectations; Needless Administration

Posted by TyraYudiz on -

October 28, 2014

Maintaining Excellence

We recently have been covering plant operations as well as the storeroom and maintenance functions a lot, in how they can affect world-class productivity through longstanding principles and more recently introduced methodologies. There has been a purpose to that.

There is never a bad time to review these areas of plant operations and look for tactical upgrades, but we are now at a great point to take control of strategic enhancements for operational excellence, and this applies especially to manufacturers that work in ever more critical and complex multinational value chains. On top of lean and continuous improvement principles, total cost of ownership analyses have taught us whether we are getting the most from capital investments.

We now have tools that lift us from machine- to process-level intelligence and let us know in real time when a unit goes from being a revenue maker to an untimely cost generator. We have tools that give us unprecedented transparency into overall equipment effectiveness, and which are linked to enterprise management systems and organizational information. Machine monitoring and trend tracking are moving us from preventive into predictive maintenance, allowing us to strategically stretch uptime and handpick downtime. There are software and tracking systems that let us know at any time supply inventory situations and where materials are. Then there is new insight into material-handling equipment and what total-cost choices exist.

A recent survey reiterates what we already know as world-class manufacturing – high quality and low scrap/rework, least wasted time and unnecessary costs, minimum incidents (machines and people), hermetically tight deliveries – but it also shows a gap exists. Another survey illustrates why storeroom and maintenance management has not been but needs to be inclusive of an operational excellence strategy. We have what it takes to gain cross-system visibility in manufacturing, maintenance, inventory, and purchasing. It's all there to be tied together.

William Ng, Editor-in-Chief

PMI – A full service distributor of Standard and Specialized Component Solutions!
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Industry Market Trends

Construction Sector Lumbers Along Unsteady Housing Progress

		If a majority of economists are correct, the next few years should bring some normalcy back to the U.S. home-building market. Since construction companies and suppliers have heard that story before, it may take some time before they begin to believe the narrative. ...Continue Reading

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Indium Corporation Develops and Manufactures Electronics Assembly Materials.
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Convenience, Protection, and 'Smart' Features Will Carry Folding Cartons

		The explosion of single-serve products has affected makers of folding cartons for packaging. They are also hearing demands from product brand owners for more attractive packaging and features like QR codes and freshness monitoring. ...Continue Reading

By Bill Allen, Smithers Pira

Want new customers? Stop delivering old-school messages.
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Small and Big Manufacturers Alike Forecast Healthy Revenue Growth

		Fresh survey results from Prime Advantage, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and other sources give both small and big manufacturers reasons to be hopeful if not confident. Still, a slew of challenges remain, threatening long-term growth. ...Continue Reading

By Mike Keating

Packaging, Shipping & Workplace Products
Bags, boxes, bubble, corrugated, envelopes, anti-static, janitorial supplies, strapping, tape, ties, vinyl, custom products and more – always in stock. Free Test Samples, 6-Month Quote Guarantees, Flex Pay Warehousing, Instant Credit and Same-Day Shipping! FREE 324-page print catalog!

Fluid & Gas Flow

New Processes Needlessly Reduce Recovery from Onshore Gas Fields

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By David Simpson

NEW GiHCS® Industrial Cabling Solution with LC Crimp & Cleave Connectors!
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Machining

Manufacturers Must Go with Planning for New-Product Launches

		The message for most companies seems to be that while the spirit of production planning is willing, the flesh — in terms of meaningfully executing plans and procedures — is weak. ...Continue Reading

By Pat Toensmeier

CS Unitec Non-Sparking, Non-Magnetic Safety Hand Tools for Hot Work Zones
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Procurement

How to Define and Execute Success in HR Supplier Performance

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By Sharon Barnes

U.S. Material Handling Corp can handle all of your Material Handling needs.
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Tech Trends

Resource, Time Scarcity Accelerates Project Portfolio Management Tech

		Today's rapid innovation cycles have decision-makers searching for technology solutions that can help them handle their product development pipelines and direct precious resources to those efforts with the most potential for market success. ...Continue Reading