VMEC
What is Innovation Engineering? Businesses spend a tremendous amount of time and energy in pursuit of innovation—the transformative changes that enable growth through new products and ideas. The challenge, in many cases, is that like many creative endeavors, innovation can entail a bit of a “lightning in a bottle” unpredictability. We rarely know when innovative […]
Many small/medium manufacturers face the question of exporting at some point in their growth. Some companies may suddenly become “accidental exporters” through their online presence, but for others, the pull of overseas opportunities can become strong over time. Done properly, exporters can transcend the limitations of the domestic market, seize the potential for profitable new […]
A cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds somewhere in the world. It is well known that our adversaries use vulnerabilities in the industrial base supply chain, from top tier to lower tier suppliers, to penetrate unprotected systems. While small manufacturers may believe they are safe from these attacks, believing they strike more at Prime contractors, nothing […]
The National Association of Manufacturers 2018 Third Quarter Manufacturers Outlook Survey is in. And the results, unsurprisingly, are mixed. Optimism registered at 93.9%– the highest year average in history. However, 73.2% of manufacturers cited the inability to find and attract a quality workforce as their top challenge. In fact, because of this workforce crisis, manufacturers […]
What is Cost Reduction? Cost reduction, as related to any business, is just as it sounds. The definition of cost reduction, according to Wikipedia is: “The process used by companies to reduce their costs and increase their profits. Depending on a company’s services or product, the strategies can vary.” (Wikipedia) While the Wikipedia definition is […]
We’re all familiar with Smokey the Bear and the “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires” slogan. In 2015, Smokey got an update and the new “Receive a Bear Hug” ads ran nationwide. In the ad, Smokey runs out of the woods and gives a big bearhug to a camper for properly checking camp fire embers. The […]
Kata is a Japanese term that can be translated to mean “a way of doing.” It can apply to any discipline that requires expertise in a pattern of behavior such as sports, music or martial arts. For businesses, it is important to understand that Kata can be used as a stand-alone skill or in conjunction […]
Workforce Development Do’s and Dont’s | Five Common Mistakes Three Factors for Success | Starting Your Workforce Development Facing an often written about skills gap and employee retention woes, United States employers are faced with the daunting challenge of growing while having difficulty finding and retaining top talent. Bloomberg stated in a recent article, “The […]
With the pace of change in today’s business climate, organizations that adopt Continuous Improvement (CI) can use it as a tool to stay ahead of the competition and keep employees engaged. According to Google, a common search phrase is “what is meant by continuous improvement in business”. Wikipedia defines the answer to this search as […]
There’s no question the digital manufacturing revolution is racing at us. As a small or medium-sized manufacturer, how close are you to already being “smart”? Here are five steps in the journey to becoming a smarter digital enterprise. First and foremost, be cybersecure. Cybersecurity is an underlying tenant of being a smart and trusted business partner. […]