Impact Dakota Blog is a blog dedicated to supporting North Dakota’s manufacturing community improve People, Purpose, Processes and Performance. Entries provide information on opportunities, new ideas, quick tips, celebrations of success, and well, frankly, anything to help you become a better manufacturer.
Navigating the complexities of a supply chain can be challenging for small and medium-sized manufacturers, from balancing fluctuating material costs and delivery delays to shifting market demands. But within these challenges lie potential opportunities to build resilience, innovate, and fuel growth.
In this new Manufacturing Innovation blog from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), Supply Chain Group Manager Angelina Rivera explores some of the most pressing supply chain challenges faced by manufacturers and how strategic actions and the right support can transform these challenges into growth opportunities.
Manufacturing is the backbone of the U.S. economy and contributes significantly to employment and innovation in our nation. If the U.S. manufacturing sector were its own country, it would be the seventh-largest economy in the world. U.S. manufacturing provides hard-working Americans with well-paying jobs and the ability to provide for their families. It’s also the main driver of innovation in the U.S., responsible for 55% of all patents. A new Manufacturing Innovation Blog highlights how manufacturing creates jobs, supports local economies, strengthens the nation’s security and leads innovation.
Deciding to bring production back home is a big step. It requires careful consideration of cost, supply chain reliability, and potential risks.
NIST MEP Acting Director G. Nagesh Rao and National Programs Division Chief Jyoti Malhotra, Ph.D., provide their key predictions for what manufacturers can expect this year
Industrial Artificial Intelligence (IAI) has tremendous potential for revolutionizing various sectors by automating complex processes and providing actionable insights. But it’s important to understand the inner workings of your IAI system if you want it to add measurable value to your manufacturing operations. A new Manufacturing Innovation Blog post digs into one important aspect of AI: data. Continue reading to find how including the right type and right amount of data in your IAI system is a major key to success.
Imagine transforming your supply chain into a dynamic network where collaboration, continuous improvement, and shared innovation unlock new value for your business. This shift will lead to more resilient, cost-effective, and agile operations. Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) is the key to achieving this transformation.
In our latest supply chain whitepaper, Rethink Your Supply Chain Strategy for Better Outcome, we outline an approach to implementing SRM, offering practical insights and strategies for manufacturers.
The MEP National Network has seen many accomplishments and made significant strides toward mitigating supply chain vulnerabilities, leveraging innovation and technology, and narrowing the workforce gap for U.S. manufacturers. It’s been a pleasure and honor to serve, collaborate, cultivate, and grow together in support of America’s manufacturing ecosystem. Please take a moment to breathe, reflect, and enjoy the holiday season.
Manufacturers sometimes face technical challenges beyond the scope of their in-house expertise or experience. The right partners and advisors can help them navigate these obstacles and remain competitive. The Mississippi Polymer Institute (MPI), a regional office of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MMA-MEP, Mississippi MEP), is a specialty technology resource that fosters business growth through precision testing, third-party quality investigations, product development, scale-up, manufacturing troubleshooting, and specialized workforce training. MMA-MEP connected their client, Chromis Technologies, with MPI, which resulted in an extended product line, improved recycling, scalable production services, and expanded custom outsourcing.
Do you feel dazzled and awed by the great potential of Artificial Intelligence aka AI? Perhaps hesitant or lost when words like ‘convolution,’ ‘deep learning,’ or ‘autoencoder’ are thrown around? Well, fear not, a new blog from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is the first in a multi-part series aimed at helping manufacturers practically evaluate each step of investing in and using an AI-enhanced system or tool in an industrial application.
Manufacturing is critical to our way of life. Without it, we would not have the supplies, food, clothing, electronics and other things we use every day. However, manufacturing also produces waste that often ends up in landfills or oceans.