By: Katie Rapp The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light a stark reality about current supply chains. As Nissan Motor Co.’s Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta points out, “The just-in-time model is designed for supply-chain efficiencies and economies of scale. The repercussions of an unprecedented crisis like COVID highlight the fragility of our supply-chain model.” The U.S. […]
If you’re a small or medium-sized manufacturer (SMM) working in the aviation, aerospace, or defense industry — or if you’re planning on breaking into this sector — it can be difficult to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory standards that govern this niche. This is especially true for the AS9100 Standard, a particularly stringent […]
Competing for talent in a tight labor market is challenging enough, but once Wisconsin manufacturers have success in attracting employees, it becomes increasingly important to then focus on retention strategies. There are several factors that companies have control over as it relates to retaining employees, starting with the onboarding process for new hires. “This ultimately […]
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Stephen Smiley spent a major portion of his career working for a large, multinational corporation revered for its operational excellence before shifting into leadership roles at smaller manufacturers. Smiley has taken that varied knowledge and experience and transferred it to his role as a senior consultant at WMEP Manufacturing Solutions where he works to make […]
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Faced with an array of workforce challenges, Wisconsin manufacturers are investing in process improvement and automation as a means of dealing with an increasingly tight labor market. Such steps are often strategic, and necessary, for manufacturers to build capacity and increase output without boosting staffing levels. A first step towards that end tends to be […]
Questions by Mark McDermid, Sustainability Consultant, WMEP & WBSC Answers by Corey Meek, Corporate Responsibility Lead, Promega Corporation Why and how did you get started on your sustainability journey? Environmental stewardship has been part of Promega since the early days of the company. From restoring a native prairie on the Fitchburg campus to becoming the […]
By Mark McDermid, Sustainability Consultant Mark Twain once quipped “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated”. Similarly, reports of the demise of sustainability are also quite exaggerated. Sustainability-driven innovation may be a key to both the recovery and resiliency of many businesses as well as growth and competitive prowess. Consider that 62% of […]
For many years, Wisconsin manufacturers struggled to find qualified workers. Now, they are having difficulty finding merely attracting any employees. “This issue really started to build in the mid to late 1990s. At that time, the cry was manufacturers were having trouble and problems finding skilled workers,” WMEP Manufacturing Solutions Vice President of Consulting Services […]
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By: Brian A. Weiss From my standpoint, technology transfer is not easy, especially when attempting to introduce a new capability or technology into the manufacturing sector. Smaller manufacturers in particular present unique environments and challenges that must be appropriately understood if the transfer is to be successful. NIST researchers have an ally that makes technology transfer […]
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This blog is part one of a series on cybersecurity and Industry 4.0. This morning my favorite local morning news program had an interesting segment on new slang words and what they mean. While the definitions were probably not necessary for Millennials or Generation Z, for Baby Boomers like me it was an eye-opening vocabulary […]
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