Coral reefs around the world are disappearing at an alarming rate. Pollution, overfishing, coastal development and global warming are all culprits. In the waters near China, 80 percent of the coral reefs have died over the last 30 years and, according to a 2012 study from the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS) and the University of Wollongong, 50 percent of the Great Barrier Reef's coral has disappeared over roughly the same time-frame.
A new survey by jobs site Monster.com reveals that manufacturing industry workers in the United States may be unhappy and likely to be searching for a job. Monster's month-long study "U.S. Workforce Talent" surveyed nearly 6,000 job seekers who are currently employed or desire employment in the next 12 months.
Visitors to the town of Rjukan, Norway are a little crazy. You'll find them bungee jumpingoff the local suspension bridge into a narrow 275-feet-deep gorge, or hanging from one of the 192 frozen waterfalls which offer some of the best and scariest ice climbing in Northern Europe.
The conflict minerals law is nearing its first compliance deadline. In less than a year, manufacturers in the United States will be required to report whether their products contain conflict minerals - tin, tungsten, tantalum, or gold (3TG) from regions in and around the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
My first post on ensuring value for PLM solutions focused on what to measure, and presented the first three steps to ensure business value: Defining a Total Value Model Developing a Program Value Scorecard with measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Creating program scorecards for each individual project or program phase
At the age of 19, Mark Andol opened his first business in his father's garage. He named it "Mark's Small Engine and Repair Service". Years later, Andol is owner of General Welding & Fabricating, Inc., headquartered in a 46,000 square foot facility in Elma, New York.
As of last Tuesday, manufacturers are required to conduct a thorough review of their supply chain to determine if any "3TG" minerals-tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold-are necessary to the production or function of their products.
I bet you didn't know that Tuesday is National Cheesecake Day. And I bet you also didn't know that here in the United States there are over 50 national "baking something or other" days. There's National Chocolate Cake Day, National Carrot Cake Day, even a National Cream Cheese Brownie Day.
People throughout the world were touched by the tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombings. I live 45 minutes north of Boston - close enough to be highly effected by the bombings, the search for the attackers, and a lingering sense of sadness for the victims. Many of those who survived the blast were left with horrific injuries to their lower extremities.
Crowdfunding-already well established in our lexicon-is the way to raise capital for hip new projects. From 3D doodlers to flying cars, it's disrupting the way enterprises, entrepreneurs, non-profits, and individuals raise capital - enabling large numbers of individuals to fund a project or company, with each backer contributing a small percentage of the total investment.
Regulatory requirements for products are complex and dynamic, with new mandates being added, existing ones being altered, and exemptions expiring. Some determine compliance by straight-forward maximum limits on restricted substances; others are logical requirements or requirements demanding unique calculations. And, in addition to government-mandated requirements, most companies have customer specifications and company standards that may be even more stringent.
When it comes to service delivery, it's often times the more visible customer-facing functions that get the glory (and blame). But the service operation is complicated, with numerous functions, often behind the scenes, that work together to deliver a successful end result.
The infamous and ubiquitous "Made in China" tag on a product might lead many consumers to assume a product is "cheap" in both price and quality; yet across industries, these products pervade every corner of the market, perhaps because of another assumption: that while that product was made in China, it was made for us.
Service is the opportunity for manufacturers to differentiate and grab more market share. The race is on to beat competitors. An important distinction however, is that it's not a sprint toward an end - it's a journey of service transformation.
Managing the environmental and regulatory performance of products is an increasingly complicated challenge for medical device manufacturers who face a myriad of requirements from regulators, consumers and customers to control and report on the toxicity, safety and overall environmental impact of their products. Today's medical device products are more complex technically and commercially.
Innovation isn't the purview of lone geniuses being struck, lightening style, by inspiration out of the blue. Rather it comes from creative, intelligent people who routinely encounter different perspectives and are frequently exposed to new concepts. As Steven Johnson writes in his book Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation , "Chance favors the connected mind."
The industrial world is changing faster now than ever before. Gone are the days when products were simple and you only needed a few buttons to operate them. Innovation and product development evolves more rapid and with more complexity with each passing month and year, and as a result manufacturers across a range of industries-from automotive, medical devices, and aerospace to electronics and high-tech- face new challenges.
Inside a nondescript steel building in an industrial park just north of Charlotte, North Carolina, a cyclist leans over his handlebars, pedals as hard as he can-and stays precisely in place. According to the complex data projected on the floor for the rider to track, his bike is going 40 kilometers an hour.
Part three of our systems engineering series concentrates on the key takeaways from a recent Aberdeen report. A systems engineering approach is best when companies deal in a multi-disciplinary environment (electrical, mechanical, & software systems) where ever-increasing complexities weigh heavy on effective product development.
Ten thousand. That's how many more engineers President Barack Obama proclaimed in 2011 that the United States would have to produce each year to fill persistent shortages of skilled workers. It was a pronouncement preceded-and that has been echoed since-by CEOs, technology associations, other politicians, and journalists.
You've secured buy-in that a Quality Lifecycle Management (QLM) process will help you strike the optimal balance between product reliability and design for lower costs over the product lifecycle. But to ensure successful QLM, you need to do more than simply deploy new software.
It's that time of year. Pack the cooler with cold beverages, watermelon and lots of snacks. Throw in some blankets, a couple of chairs and lots of bug spray. And don't forget sparklers, glow-in-the-dark sticks and Frisbees. It's time to take part in that all-American tradition - a trip to one of more than 14,000 fireworks displays that light up the U.S.
In part two of this three-part series on systems engineering and a recent Aberdeen report, we take a look at the key considerations when implementing a systems engineering approach, as well as some good starting points for systems engineering initiatives.
Earlier this month, I attended the first annual PTC Live Service Exchange event in Anaheim, California. And despite not having the opportunity to meet up with a certain famous mouse, I did have the time to network with, learn from, and present to a great group of service leaders across industry.
For manufacturers the world over, servicing products is no longer simply an obligation, it's an essential contributor to customer loyalty and bottom-line success. Indeed, according to the 2013 " Manufacturing Transformation" report by Oxford Economics and PTC, 77 percent of C-level manufacturing executives consider enhancing service a key factor in their company's competitiveness.
