Many companies manufacture products that require transport between company plants for the various manufacturing processes. Many businesses have “centers of excellence” located in different parts of the world that specialize in a specific capability. There could be a number of reasons for having different factories located in vastly different geographical...
Most US manufacturers have implemented, or are in the process of implementing a continuous improvement program. There are a number of successful and widely used programs to choose from and each program has lots of variations. Lean Manufacturing, Just in Time, Theory of Constraints, Total Quality Management, Quick Response Manufacturing,...
A couple of interesting articles on US manufacturing trends; one is by KPMG - Global Manufacturing Outlook and another by Industry Week - 5 Manufacturing Trends that will Shape the Market in 2015. Both articles are claiming that manufacturing is on the cusp of significant transformations, and rethinking their business models...
One of the lean manufacturing exercises that many businesses do is called a “value stream analysis”. Basically one reviews all activities of your manufacturing/order fulfillment process and ask the question: “What value does this operation add for the customer?” If the operation doesn’t add any valued functionality, then that operation...
Reading some of the latest headlines relating to US manufacturing: “American Factories Expand at Fastest Pace in Three Years” – Bloomberg, “U.S. Manufacturing Growth Heats Up in July” –Fox Business, “US Manufacturing Expands Again in July”-ABC news. According to news sources, manufacturing has expanded for 14 consecutive months. Great news on the manufacturing front...
Packnet utilizes a wide variety of equipment and materials to provide its customers with the optimal custom packaging solutions. Packnet also uses its capabilities to provide stand alone services. One example is our CNC routering capability. Packnet can provide fast and accurate cutting and routing services on a wide variety of...
According to the US Bureau of labor statistics, job postings are up significantly this year and have more than doubled since the beginning of the recession in 2009. Yet hiring has been flat since April and hiring rate has only increased about 1/3 as fast as job postings. This phenomenon has...
While often ignored, material handling can end up being one the largest cost areas for a business. It can also present a great opportunity for profit improvement. Material handling is simply the transport of material from one point to another. This includes storage, packaging and shipping. It rarely adds value...
The state of the economy has always been a reflection of the strength of the manufacturing industry in the US. Rebounding from the economic downturn, many people rely on a thriving state of manufacturing for their own growth and security. News of this industry has been varied lately, ranging from...
Each business probably has its own “success formula”, and there might very well be as many success formulas as there are businesses. Many companies believe that success is entirely defined by stock prices, profitability and revenue growth. Packnet believes that there is a lot more to being a successful small...