May 2, 20220Comments

Time for Manufacturers to Ditch the 8-Track Player

If you are 21 years old right now, you were a literal baby when 9/11 happened. The housing crisis was something you heard your parents talking about—if you were paying attention. Instead,

by Duane Clement

April 25, 20220Comments

How discrete manufacturers can stem employee turnover

The great resignation has affected manufacturing in a big, big way. In February, the total overall hiring rate rose 4.1%, while manufacturing rose 3.8%—and that’s the good news. On the resignation side,

by Duane Clement

April 11, 20220Comments

Ask the Experts: Connectivity and Machine Monitoring

Steven Anderson is the President of Port CNC, Inc. a machine monitoring and data connectivity firm with offices in Wisconsin, Missouri, and Illinois. The company initially focused on communication between machines and later

by Duane Clement

March 21, 20220Comments

Culture Superheroes: Accountability and Empowerment

Accountability. Every discrete manufacturer—every business—wants a culture built on accountability. Supervisors want a shop floor where a team recognizes opportunities for improvement, owns what’s going wrong, and fixes any problems they can as soon

by Duane Clement

March 1, 20220Comments

Opinion: Global Turmoil Reinforces Need for Strong Domestic Manufacturing Sector

Here we are, two years later, in the same boat as the last time a major global event disrupted manufacturing supply chains. The war in Ukraine could cause severe disruptions in the transportation

by Duane Clement

February 28, 20220Comments

Come on Down! Why You Need Analytics to Bid with Confidence

We’ve all seen the moment. The studio audience waits as Bob Barker (or, for you kids out there, Drew Carey) calls some poor sophomore from UCLA down to the front row. He’s supposed

by Duane Clement

February 14, 20220Comments

What Does Process Mapping have to do with Industry 4.0? Everything

Discrete manufacturers need access to real-time data and analytics across their shop floor. (Analytics is the key word here) At Data Inventions, we’ve been saying that for a while. But knowing what is

by Duane Clement

January 31, 20220Comments

Manage Your Job Shop From Anywhere in the World

Discrete manufacturers can measure the value of lots of things. Increased machine utilization rates mean a more profitable, more efficient, more successful plant. Higher operator performance means (again) greater profitability, happier operators, and

by Duane Clement

January 10, 20220Comments

2022’s Most Impactful Trend: Predictive Planning

A firefighter stands in front of a burning house, knowing she needs to get to a second-floor bedroom, where a child waits to be rescued. Everything between the place where she currently

by Duane Clement

December 27, 20210Comments

Three Things Operations Needs to Succeed with Industry 4.0

Even if no one rolled out the red carpet, Industry 4.0 is here. In fact, the fourth wave of the industrial revolution—the one that will see massive business, technological, and societal change

by Duane Clement

« Older Articles