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.
3D printing of metal objects is a booming industry, with the market for products and services worth more than an estimated $2.3 billion in 2015 – a nearly five-fold growth since 2010.* For this type of manufacturing, a metal part is built up successively, layer by layer, over minutes or hours. Sometimes thousands of layers are added together to make a single piece – a reason why this process is conventionally referred to as “additive manufacturing” (AM).
If you’re contemplating hosting a Manufacturing Day Event, you probably have a lot of questions, ranging from “What is a Manufacturing Day event?” to “What sorts of resources are available to help me make my event a success?”
Chapter 4 “Context of the organization” of ISO 9001:2015 includes the requirement to understand the needs and expectations of interested parties. Section 4.2 states simple requirements to identify interested parties relevant to the quality management system, determine the parties’ needs, and review this information on a regular basis.
Manufacturing is changing at an extraordinary pace and in unbelievable ways.
Are you frustrated with the number of leads in your pipeline? Are you unsatisfied with the lack of brand awareness for your organization? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, you have opportunities to leverage your marketing efforts.
Energy costs can be significant expenses for manufacturers of all shapes and sizes. Your processes may require vast amounts of energy to keep production moving—heating, cooling, lighting and more. Scaling back your energy expenses can improve your bottom line and lead to increased profitability. If you do not have a strategic plan to conserve energy, it is time for action.
A manufacturer can be innovative in various ways beyond the use of technology. Innovation can include the utilization of new business models, the development of new processes and services, and the enhancement of existing products too.
Manufacturers today need to be well-equipped to handle a variety of pressures to improve the effectiveness of their product while simultaneously looking for ways to cut costs. At face value, “going green” might seem like an impossible task for your business, but there are a surprising number of benefits.
Recently a segment on my favorite morning news program stopped me in my tracks. The young and attractive hosts (why are they always so young and attractive?) were demonstrating new appliances including a smart refrigerator. The fridge was equipped with all kinds of high-tech features including touch screen displays, a camera inside that allows you to see the contents and Wi-Fi connectivity. You can see inside your fridge while grocery shopping, how convenient! But I must ask, how secure is it?
Small businesses face unique challenges. Because of these challenges, business leaders need to have a strategic business plan in place to navigate toward their goals and objectives and prepare for any problems that may arise. Strategic management is essential to operating an efficient, successful small business enterprise.