The State of Manufacturing: I'm Optimistic for 2014!

Last year, I published a post on the state of manufacturing, and how I thought that recovery was imminent.  I am not a fortune teller and I certainly am not an economist, but you get a feeling based upon sales confidence levels, deals, and industry chat whether it's going to be a good year, or a down year.  Well, like last year, I think it's going to be a good year.  Not just for Invensys (becoming a Schneider Electric Company) but because as a whole there appears to be a palpable positive attitude from the industry as a whole.  Let's look at some proof points.

Repost: Industry Week/The Data that Demonstrates Manufacturing's Importance to the US Economy [SLIDESHOW]

http://www.industryweek.com/competitiveness/data-demonstrates-manufacturings-importance-us-economy-slideshow#slide-3-field_images-90042

I'm proud to say I've been associated with manufacturing for over 25 years--it's a fascinating industry that has relevance with our "every day" life.  This slide show from MAPI shows the ripple effect the manufacturing industry has on jobs, quality of life, income, and industries.  It's a good thing.

Industry Week: US Manufacturing Expands for Third Straight Month

http://www.industryweek.com/global-economy/us-manufacturing-expands-third-straight-month?NL=IW-07&Issue=IW-07_20130904_IW-07_93&YM_RID=maryanne.steidinger@invensys.com&YM_MID=1420302&sfvc4enews=42

Good news on the economic front--manufacturing has expanded (gone beyond the magic 50) for the third month in a row.  Certainly, we in the industrial automation industry applaud this condition, for it means companies are building, processing and producing goods that consumers want...and it also foretells of expansions, improvements, and additional capacity and capabilities.

We've seen an uptick, globally, in manufacturers desiring standardization, production operations management improvements, and extensions to existing software functionality. And of course, the automation industry (especially Invensys) is there to support your efforts with products such as MES, Workflow, and EMI.

Data Highlights the Growing Crisis in U.S. Manufacturing - Sustainable Plant

Data Highlights the Growing Crisis in U.S. Manufacturing - Sustainable Plant

 

We all know, at least intuitively, that there's a lack of upcoming workforce to apply to manufacturing.  This infographic, created by Sustainable Plant, puts it sadly in perspective.

Where Have All the Women Gone?

I am taking liberties with the old folk song written by Pete Seeger (Where Have All the Flowers Gone). I was inspired to write this post after talking with a female colleague of mine about the dearth of women in the wonderful world of industrial automation.

I myself have been in the industry for, let's just say, a few decades. I remember one conference I went to for industrial optics--there were 400 men, and me.  Similarily over the years, the percentages have been consistently tipped.  Now the good part is that I've never, ever had any prejudice from my male colleagues.  I've always been treated with respect.  But the bigger issue is, why aren't women coming into industrial automation, or for that matter, industry at all?

Energy management: crunching the numbers

Energy management: crunching the numbers | 2013-05-10 | Food Engineering

 

 

Energy Management, as covered by Invensys VP of Solutions Niels Andersen, is a concern not only from a sustainability perspective, but from a cost management perspective for food companies. This article, originally published in Food Engineering, talks about measures companies can put in place to understand, and measure, actual consumption and loss.

New Series: The Intelligent Enterprise

by Cronin Almeida and Maryanne Steidinger

Intelligent Enterprise – The way ahead for an Integrated Enterprise. This is a series of blog posts that delves into the various aspects that constitute an Intelligent Enterprise.   

Wikipedia defines the "Intelligent Enterprise" as a management approach that applies technology and new service paradigms to the challenge of improving business performance. An Intelligent Enterprise has to adapt, adopt, and respond to changing market conditions, new economic environments, supply chain variations and customer demands. All of this has to be done in a flexible environment for operations to optimally run.

Repost: Manufacturing In China: Is It Hollowing Out?

A Study by Booz & Co. Partner John Jullens argues that China's manufacturing sector, while transitioning along with the rest of China to a developed economy, is not about to implode.  Read his five reasons in this article.

http://www.manufacturing-executive.com/message/3776?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Article1_1&utm_campaign=Viewpoint_Mar20_2013&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRokv6nLZKXonjHpfsX57%2B8vXKSg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YIDTMF0dvycMRAVFZl5nRhQFe2Ub5BV%2BPlUGEm7Vjw%3D

Repost: Manufacturing Megatrends That Will Change Your World

we as purveyors to the manufacturing industry need to understand the megatrends that will affect our customers' abilities to sustain & grow.  This article by Paul Tate effectively touches on a number of facets that Invensys is specifically addressing.

http://www.manufacturing-executive.com/community/leadership_dialogues/the_adaptive_organization/blog/2013/03/19/manufacturing-megatrends-that-will-change-your-world?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Article1&utm_campaign=Viewpoint_Mar20_2013&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRokv6nLZKXonjHpfsX57%2B8vXKSg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YIDTMF0dvycMRAVFZl5nRhQFe2Ub5BV%2BPlUGEm7Vjw%3D

Repost: Should the Government Rate Plants on Quality?

http://www.manufacturing-executive.com/message/3747?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Article1_2&utm_campaign=Viewpoint_Feb13_2013&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRokv67NZKXonjHpfsX57%2B8vXKSg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YIAS8F0dvycMRAVFZl5nRhQFe2Ub5BV%2BPlUGEm7Vjw%3D

excellent thought-provoking article from Jeff Moad/The Manufacturing Leadership Summit.

Why automate food safety solutions?

By Niels Andersen, VP Manufacturing Business Consulting, Invensys Operations Management

We are now on track to get a revised food safety system in place in the USA. President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act into law on January 4, 2011, and the FDA issued the proposed rules to fulfill the requirements for preventive controls in human food on January 4, 2013. The proposed rules are based on widely-accepted industry standards, so there should be few surprises for manufacturers. There is still work to be done to get the finalized rules in place, but there is now little doubt that the Food Safety Modernization Act is here to stay.

With the Food Safety Act in play, the question that Invensys now asks ourselves is "how do we bring value to our customers by automating food safety solutions?"

Why Recovery is Imminent in US Manufacturing

2012 has been “interesting” from the perspective of the manufacturing industry.  Over the past years, perceived higher costs were driving many manufacturers offshore.

Beagle Research Group recently published a white paper, “Five Key Success Factors for Subscription Vendors.” Although the topic was responding to the changes a subscription-based business brings, one interesting factoid from this paper was:  “…the U.S. is no longer a manufacturing economy either as nearly seventy percent of the GDP is in services.” 

Yet, there are strong signs that manufacturing recovery is imminent…and the US the beneficiary. Read on.