Smart Manufacturing Blog

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The Value of Continuing Project Education During a Crisis

Todd Kisaberth April 9, 2020

As COVID-19 continues to impact business of all shapes and sizes across the globe, we are seeing upheaval in society we thought only existed in popular works of fiction. With more than 80 percent of the global workforce affected by full or partial workplace closures, it goes without saying that many companies are trying to figure out the best way to get work done....

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How Shop Floor Innovation Sparked Coastal Automotive’s Business Process Innovation

Lori Zoellner January 30, 2020

Have you ever heard of IMPAXX™ foam? Even if you haven’t, there’s a good chance it has helped protect you while riding in a vehicle. IMPAXX foam is the flagship product of Plex customer Coastal Automotive. It’s an energy management foam that is used to provide stable and consistent impact response, and virtually every North American automaker puts it into its vehicles. What sets IMPAXX foam…

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Auto Industry Evolution Sparks Eurotranciatura Mexico’s Growth

Lori Zoellner November 19, 2019

The atmosphere in the global automotive industry is becoming more electric—literally. The Global EV Outlook 2019 reports that the global electric vehicle fleet exceeded 5.1 million in 2018, up 2 million from the previous year and almost doubling new electric car sales. Those numbers are expected to grow exponentially....

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FABTECH: What We Are Learning from Our Manufacturing Leaders

Kaitlin Rebella November 13, 2019

When you think of metal stamping and fabrication, you might not immediately think about the industry’s use of cutting-edge technology with precision metal design. But the fact of the matter is, the smart application of manufacturing technology is a key trait among manufacturers that succeed....

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How to Double the Size of Your Business While Cutting Scrap

Lori Zoellner October 24, 2019

f you’ve noticed the sheer number of electric vehicles on the road today, you can imagine how quickly manufacturers within this industry are growing. One company in particular, Eurotranciatura Mexico recently doubled the size of its business in just a two-year period. ...

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How Great Expectations Are Driving Tech Adoption and Auto Supplier Success

Lori Zoellner October 17, 2019

The automotive industry is changing by the minute. New regulations, new markets, new product-line focuses, new consumer demands. Amid this rapid evolution, automotive supply chain is up against a growing number of daily challenges to achieve a single, yet very layered goal: meet and exceed the expectations of some of the world’s biggest brands....

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Hausbeck Pickles Leverages Data-Driven Quality Management

Lori Zoellner August 6, 2019

Hausbeck Pickle Co. produces an average 400,000 pounds of pickles or peppers a day for some of the world’s largest fast food restaurants including Subway, Burger King, Domino’s Pizza, Taco Bell, and KFC. The nearly 100-year-old company headquartered in Michigan also manages 900 50,000-pound tanks for brining pickles. For every 33,000 lbs....

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Toyotetsu America, Inc. Leads Industry with Lean Supply Chain Visibility and Connected Manufacturing

Lori Zoellner June 25, 2019

As a top ten supplier for Toyota, Toyotetsu America, Inc. (TTAI) saw an opportunity to influence and improve supplier communication and collaboration within its global supply chain by digitizing its operations. TTAI makes body parts, functional parts, and chassis parts for Toyota, Nissan, GM, Tesla, and Subaru. ...

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Romeo Power Innovates for a Clean, More Sustainable Future

Lori Zoellner June 11, 2019

Romeo Power is a battery technology company looking to create an emission-free future. The company designs more energy efficient, lighter lithium-ion battery packs that take electric vehicles (EV) further without gas or emissions. Romeo Power also designs scalable energy storage systems that help businesses and utilities save money, survive and prevent power outages, and harness wind and solar…

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How G and W Products Meets Manufacturing Challenges with People, Processes, and Technology

Dave Morfas April 9, 2019

Pride. You sense that the minute you walk into G&W Products’ manufacturing headquarters in Fairfield, Ohio. You understand it when you talk to employees about their careers, their customers, and their resolute focus on quality products. I was fortunate to witness this firsthand by spending a day with G&W’s Director of Enterprise Technologies, Jeff Karan, walking their facilities,…

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