Factory orders are rising fast, but problems abound. Factories face shortages of parts/workers, rising raw material costs, supply chain disruptions and logistics bottlenecks. MRS Machining, a Wisconsin maker of precision metal parts, recently…
June consumer prices rose 5.4% from 2020, the biggest surge in 13 years. Prices rose for many products including used cars and trucks, airline fares, apparel and more. Many companies are passing along…
Disruptive companies are changing the rules of the game in manufacturing. Relativity Space (RS) is a great example using 3D-printing to build its Terran 1 rocket. Aerospace products are often built one at…
COVID, freak weather, chip shortages and other factors have automakers re-thinking the Just In Time (JIT) approach. JIT, where goods are received as needed, cuts waste and adds savings by having parts delivered…
Per Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Factory of the Future is a vision for how to enhance manufacturing by improving plant structure, digitization and processes. Enhancing each area is considered vital for performance improvement…
The U.S. economy is roaring back to life. Demand for many items is soaring. But many companies can’t catch up due to production bottlenecks, labor shortages, supply chain woes and other problems. Restaurants…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a Conditional Sailing Order to keep cruise ships from sailing in the U.S. to prevent COVID. The Cruise Lines Int’l Association estimates a loss of…
A flurry of supply problems have slammed global manufacturing. Many companies are having trouble keeping up with demand, facing delays and cost increases, also pressure to increase prices to maintain profit margins. Toyota…
Fast food drive-thrus are morphing. Traditional single lane, garbled intercom and window payment/pickup are poised to become a relic of the past. Starbucks employees at some locations move through car lines taking orders…
Many factories are struggling to keep up with demand. Supply chain bottlenecks are a big factor, including product shortages from overseas contract manufacturers, shipping delays and cost increases. Semiconductor problems are acute. Demand…