Recently we posted an article that discusses why it can appear that implementing Lean isn’t yielding financial returns. We referenced a case study that described Boeing’s very successful lean implementation that was considered a failure. While Boeing is a much larger company than most manufacturers, we can still apply their results to our smaller budgets… Read more
Manufacturers will always benefit from more productivity. Any business lives this truth. For manufacturers, however, there are factors that make productivity a unique challenge. It’s why so many great ideas, like Lean, are born from this industry. In the ongoing hunt for a productivity-boosting strategy, however, there is one thing manufacturers may be overlooking. This… Read more
Every manufacturer is familiar with the term “Lean.” Toyota’s colossal success has most of the US trying to copy some aspect of it. However, despite the clear evidence that Lean Manufacturing works, when it comes time to cut spending, lean programs are often the first to go. According to a Purdue case study by Bryan… Read more
Does your Distribution Center ship more than 99.8% of orders at the planned time? According to the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) DC Measures Report, that’s one thing it takes to be a best-in-class operation. MLHNews.com recently published an article about achieving best-in-class DC performance. Author Mick McCormick uses the WERC DC Measures Report… Read more
Poor quality bleeds you of value added to your operation. Scrap materials, replacements, lost business, and lost labor hours all add up. If you want to save costs to your organization, enhancing quality is an important move to consider. Here are four ways you can approach this improvement. Define quality through your customers’ eyes. The… Read more
The early effects of Trump’s recent declaration of a countervailing duty on Canadian lumber have sent manufacturers looking for savings to balance out the price hike. While each facility has unique needs for lumber, there is one cost that every manufacturer absorbs: pallet deterioration. With lumber expenses under the microscope, preventing the breakdown of pallets… Read more
On April 25th, a highly expected decision was made regarding the lumber industry. Donald Trump imposed a 3-24% countervailing duty (CVD) on Canadian lumber entering the US. While the decision will raise the price of lumber for US buyers, the tariff is not as high as originally expected, which was up to 40%. In anticipation… Read more
We recently highlighted how manufacturers are buying equipment in 2017, noting that the greatest increases in spending are a result of the e-commerce boom. No doubt, e-commerce is something every manufacturer wants to take part in. MMH recently released Bridget McCrea’s article, “Conveyors and Sortation Keep up the Pace” where she points out that: Forrester… Read more
Manufacturing has experienced some good fortune in recent years. Of course, along with a thriving industry come price fluctuations – ones that both benefit and hinder industry professionals. For example, consumer spending increased the demand for material handling equipment, thereby driving up their prices. You’ve probably noticed this over the last few years, especially if… Read more
Modern Materials Handling (MMH) recently discussed the results of Peerless Research Group’s 2017 Warehouse/DC Equipment Survey. The results revealed that the industry is spending and planning to spend on solutions that improve flexibility and efficiency. This was especially true for companies that felt stress from: faster cycle times, smaller, more frequent orders, and labor pressures…. Read more