How do You Know if Your Project on the Right Track? When you’re developing new technology there are many things to consider. One big question that you need to ask yourself is: “Does my device solve a problem that the people in my market believe they have?” You should...
Imagine that your kids are at school. One minute they’re sitting in a classroom, learning about volcanoes. The next minute they’re transported to an actual volcano in the Pacific Ocean. They immediately start to appreciate what they’ve read in their textbook. It’s an...
Downtime is a real killer. Facilities lose a frightening amount of productivity to it. Downtime is one of the biggest drags on a factory's efficiency. And although it’s a serious problem, it’s one that can be remedied. There are long-term steps you can take. These...
Falling sales have crippled the PC industry over the last 6 quarters. According to Gartner, PC sales fell by a painful 9.6% year over year in the first quarter of 2016. Only 64.8 million units were shipped worldwide. That’s the first time since 2007 that shipment...
Ignoring productivity is a huge mistake when you’re in manufacturing. Stop paying attention to it and you’ll miss out on important opportunities for improvement. You’ll be left vulnerable to competitors who become more productive than you. By making your factory...
In the world of business and manufacturing it’s common to talk about goal setting. You may be familiar with the concept of “SMART Goals.” S-M-A-R-T is an acronym that’s often used to define how goals or objectives should be set. What Makes a SMART Goal a SMART Goal? A...
Materials selection is an important part of designing your project. You’ll want to consider a number of different materials. Each one has benefits and drawbacks. Maybe you’re creating transportation products or consumer durables. Perhaps you’re designing...
Improving your manufacturing processes takes ongoing effort. In recent years, we've seen more and more companies doing "lean manufacturing." They want to run efficient and effective operations. They want to eliminate waste everywhere they can. There are different ways...
Technology is becoming smarter and smarter. Daring entrepreneurs and innovative companies are creating amazing new devices every day. Many of these devices form a part of what we call the Internet of Things (Or IoT). What is the Internet of Things? Many devices,...
We’ve all seen the movies. The Matrix (1999) – It’s a dystopian future. Robots use human beings as batteries by plugging them into a realistic virtual world. They have no idea what’s going on in real life. Their ignorance leaves them with no desire to escape. The...