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Vertical Integration and the Extended Supply Chain
A company has more control over suppliers and distributors that it owns, but is it a good idea to own other links in the supply chain? (full length article) Chocolate producers have a big...
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How big is your warehouse?
Is your warehouse (or stockroom) too big or too small? Is it being used effectively? These are critical business questions because warehouse space, the cost of owning and operating that space, and the...
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Regional Sourcing
The re-shoring phenomenon that you heard so much about over the last year or two is continuing, with varying impact on industries, producers and regions. The bulk of the headlines have dealt with the...
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About Manufacturing 4.0
As usual, December and January blogs and newsletters have been full of predictions for the coming year. There seems to be a consensus, among pundits at least, that so-called manufacturing 4.0 will...
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Manufacturing embraces the Industrial Internet of Things
The high level of interest and hype surrounding the Internet of Things is driven by the proliferation of everyday objects with an Internet connection — everything from kitchen appliances and household...
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Is U.S. Manufacturing Still Strong?
It’s hard to find anything positive in the general media about U.S. manufacturing: Hundreds of manufacturing jobs have been “exported to China”. U.S. manufacturing can’t compete. There are no more...
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The Unique U-Shaped Effect of Automation on Today’s Labor
Automation continues to be a very significant factor in the loss of manufacturing jobs. Ever-increasing productivity is a two-edged sword as fewer workers are needed to produce more goods. The simple...
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The Effect of Automation on Today’s Labor
Automation continues to be a very significant factor in the loss of manufacturing jobs. Ever-increasing productivity is a two-edged sword as fewer workers are needed to produce more goods. The simple...
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You Want it When?
E-commerce is growing rapidly, taking market share from brick-and-mortar retailers at an alarming pace. Many traditional retailers are closing stores while trying to beef up the E-commerce side of...
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Is IoT really beneficial?
The news media have been having a field day about the $400 (previously $700) Wi-Fi and IoT (Internet of Things) enabled juicer, the Juicero, that squeezes prepared bags of ground fruits and vegetables...
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