Topic: Supply Chain

The trust it takes to fall in love with that someone special is the same leap of faith that happens when companies choose to outsource their manufacturing needs.

We partner with the Product Realization Group (PRG) to extend our network of innovation, and have enjoyed their excellent programming for both in-person and web-based events.

From political campaigns to the shifting economy to adjustments in manufacturing strategy necessitated by a weakening dollar and higher energy costs, waves of change are lapping at our door. And once[…]

As I briefly touched upon in my previous post, manufacturers have surprisingly few tools designed for efficient product data sharing. Most communicate product data to their suppliers with email,[…]

As the saying goes, we don’t always appreciate a relationship until it ends. This is just as true in life as it is in manufacturing—especially when it comes to manufacturer/supplier relationships.[…] read more

Designing with a single source part—meaning a part that is only available from a single vendor or distributor—is one of the riskiest moves an engineer can make. With all your eggs in one basket, what[…]

It’s interesting to see the way people approach the decision making process when it comes to selecting final supplier candidates. We can generally put people in two broad camps: either the numbers people[…]

If you’ve had any luck with your first product, chances are you’re beginning to think about adding a second product to your line.

Strong supplier relationships are a fundamental part of a smooth production schedule, but the associated costs are also a major part of your production budget. So when it comes time to lower your supplier[…]

Hope is not a strategy. Yet when it comes to important supply relationships, many OEMs seem to adopt this approach. They wash their hands of the details and hope that their product comes out in the right[…]

Graphic by David Sasda.

Scaling Part II: Five tips for maintaining scalable supplier relationships See Part I: Is your business prepared to scale? There are a variety of steps you can take internally to prepare your business to[…]

With the rising emergence of automation in the manufacturing world, brought on by increasing global competition and reinforced by events like Foxconn’s plan to integrate over 1 million robots into its[…]

When it comes to trading and logistical excellence, the Netherlands have a pretty stellar track record. Out of the 155 countries studied by The World Bank in 2010, the Netherlands was rated third for[…]

Securing pricing is a struggle for every manufacturer who enters into an outsourcing partnership. But is focusing on reducing part and service prices the best way to lower your total outsourcing costs?[…] read more

Supply chain diversification is perpetually on the mind of most production managers. Not too surprising, considering how turbulent 2011 has been politically, economically and geologically.[…] read more

For organizations moving from prototype to production, there are a lot of decisions that must be made about how to source parts and build the product. A major part of this process is deciding what can be[…]

When it comes to manufacturing a product, there is a certain level of risk that is impossible to avoid. No matter how much planning you do, something will eventually come along that takes your organization[…]

For those of you that missed it, Arena premiere partner Global Supply Chain Solutions hosted a webinar last week that discussed best practices for managing your supply chain through periods of global[…]

Several weeks ago, I published an article discussing the impact of global instability on supply chain management. Now our partner Global Supply Chain Solutions (GSCS) is hosting a webinar on the topic,[…]

With global supply chain shortages following the earthquake in Japan, continuing unrest in the Middle East and Libya, hurricanes and tornadoes in the U.S. and the fluctuating costs of labor worldwide, it[…]

As we turn our attention to the topic of manufacturing outsourcing, I will be looking for related learning opportunities to share with friends of the blog. To that end, I’d like to invite you to an[…]

We saw the bill of materials (BOM) for the iPad 2 last week and were impressed by the low costs Apple was able to achieve for its newest version of the tablet, which is considerably improved over the[…]

As we mentioned recently on this blog, it is commonly believed that much of U.S. manufacturing has moved overseas in search of cheaper manufacturing alternatives. And while it’s true that many companies[…]

As northeastern Japan lies in ruins following the biggest earthquake in its history, companies around the world are conducting business as usual. But even if you didn’t feel Friday’s earthquake, disasters[…]

Most manufacturers strive for growth and expansion, looking for opportunities to gain greater market share and see their products succeed. But the truth is, today’s opportunities for expansion often come[…]

The economic downturn disrupted the supply of electronic components, leaving a supply chain with fewer players, each of whom has diminished capacity. This is putting serious strain on the manufacturers[…]

The above statement may seem like a no-brainer for those who speak supply chain; however, it was one of the top takeaways in the 8th annual “Global Survey of Supply Chain Progress” conducted by Supply[…]

Our friend Shaun Snapp over at SCMFocus has a great blog post explaining some of the differences between dedicated bill of materials (BOM) management solutions and product lifecycle management (PLM)[…]

Whether your purview is operations, supply chain management, new product development/new product introduction or executive management, you’ll find information you can use in these two well-established—and[…]

SupplyChainBrain.com offers a summary of a new whitepaper on outsourced manufacturing that focuses on how to develop agreements with supply chain partners that lead to positive relationships and successful[…]

I have recently been talking to people in small and mid-size businesses about their goals for this year and the challenges they face. New product development is on many companies’ list of goals, but[…]

AMR Research has just released its 2010 Supply Chain Top 25 list, and for the third year in a row, Apple is in the #1 spot. The annual report’s goal is “to raise awareness of the supply chain discipline[…]

A recent article in Entrepreneur magazine discusses a number of areas where suppliers can impact a business’s performance. These include many of the attributes on which manufacturers compete, like quality,[…]

Anyone connected to the construction industry has been hit hard by the economy in the past few years. And now, unless a company is part of the green revolution, the construction industry is going to[…]

An article in Supply & Demand Chain Executive reports on new research from IDC Manufacturing Insights and IDC Retail Insights. The “Business Strategy and Supply Chain Innovation” report finds that:[…]

Arena partner Bill Schneiderman of The Results Group recently wrote an article on sustainability and the supply chain for World Trade magazine. His premise is that environmental sustainability is here to[…]

In 2003, Adam Hocherman went big and founded a consumer electronics company called American Innovative. With the help of the U.S. government’s SBA loan program, he began turning his ideas into products[…]

I was fascinated by the video in Marc’s recent post about the official soccer ball of the 2010 World Cup. What struck me was the highly optimized combination of handwork and custom tooling involved in the[…]

As a parent of young children, product safety is always top of mind. So when two products I count on were recently recalled in what felt like short succession, it got me thinking.