Blog

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.

October 1, 2019

How to Make the Most of Your Manufacturing Day EventThis year’s MFG Day is on October 4, 2019, with over 2,000 events already registered on the MFG Day website (www.mfgday.com). While every MFG Day event will be unique in some fashion, there are a few things that every host can do to make the most of this celebration of manufacturing.

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September 20, 2019

How to Handle Covered Defense InformationManufacturers at all levels in the Department of Defense (DoD) supply chain must properly handle Covered Defense Information (CDI). If you don’t, you could lose your DoD contracts. To help you determine if your company comes into contact with CDI, here’s a concise definition of the sensitive information and suggestions for how you can approach providing the “adequate security” the DoD mandates.

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September 13, 2019

Are Robots Right For Your Plant?Recent advances are making robotics implementation accessible to even the smallest manufacturers. Promising improvements to productivity and safety, robotics are not just an option, but could be an essential aspect of any manufacturing company’s future. Determine if robots are the right fit for your business by following these steps to identify your needs, assess your resources, and build a solid business case.

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August 30, 2019

4 Types of Robots Every Manufacturer Should KnowThere is a lot of buzz these days in the manufacturing sector about robots — and how they can help manufacturers address some of the challenges they face in today’s market, such as increased productivity and the scarcity of skilled workers.

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August 20, 2019

Digital Manufacturing for Small ManufacturersSmart Manufacturing. Factory of the Future. Industry 4.0. These are the buzzwords used by those driving the manufacturing world forward. At the heart of these concepts is digital manufacturing and design (DM&D). But what exactly is DM&D? And what does it mean for the small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) that make up the majority of the industry?

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July 30, 2019

Toyota Kata: A Lean Strategy for Keeping Up with the Pace of ChangeWith the world of manufacturing evolving at a breathtaking pace thanks to developments such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), labor skill gaps, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Toyota Kata gives smaller manufacturers a lean strategy to help them grow with these developments.

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July 23, 2019

In its heyday, Youngstown was a center of manufacturing and steel production—industries that employed thousands of people and formed the backbone of the community.

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July 17, 2019

4 Ways Robots Deliver ROI to Small and Medium-Sized ManufacturersWith bottom-line benefits such as reduced cycle times, improved employee satisfaction, and fewer customer returns, robots are giving small and medium-sized manufacturers the ability to compete with larger players. Here are four ways robots can deliver ROI to your company.

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July 9, 2019

The National Association of Manufacturers, the industry’s main trade group, plans to unveil a $10 million initiative today that’s aimed at changing public attitudes about its sector to make it seem more modern and to highlight opportunities for upward mobility.

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June 26, 2019

Across the United States, small and medium-sized manufacturers are contemplating integrating industrial robots into their facilities for various reasons, including taking on repetitive tasks and freeing up staff up for higher level work and increasing productivity overall. But how do your ensure that any robot integration project is a success on your terms? Here are four simple suggestions from advanced MEP National Network robotics expert Matt Minner.

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