Better by Design, LLC

02/28/2023

While the economy remains uncertain, the immediate need to meet increasing customer demands is still a high priority. In these cases, modest investment can yield large improvements. Meeting the variable quantities, product variations and rapid delivery demands requires production tools and capability flexible enough to match. A well designed manual or semi-automatic work station/cell is low cost, reduces worker fatigue, reduces errors, and increases throughput....

02/09/2023

Today's manufacturing model requires tooling for flexibility, utility, and quality, while increasing worker engagement, and reducing boredom and fatigue.Better by Design, LLC...

01/09/2020

It's a new decade and the economic fundamentals show few signs of a pull back anytime in the near future. Labor (skilled or unskilled) is in short supply while your customers are demanding more and more in quantity, quality, product customization, and delivery demands. AND, when you check your production floor, you see your most skilled people near retirement, encouraged by the performance of their 401ks in the last couple of years. [ 171 more words ]

It’s a new decade and the economic fundamentals show few signs of a pull back anytime in the near future. Labor (skilled or unskilled) is in short supply while your customers are demanding mo…

04/27/2016

The United States is in a battle to maintain our world leadership and our standard of living. While the Baby Boomers can remember when their parents simply expected that their kids would be better off than they were, the Boomers are now worried whether their kids or grand kids can keep what they have. Competition is more intense and innovation seems to have diminished in volume and speed. [ 508 more words. ]

https://thecompetitivearena.wordpress.com/2016/04/27/future-of-american-manufacturing/

The United States is in a battle to maintain our world leadership and our standard of living. While the Baby Boomers can remember when their parents simply expected that their kids would be better …

07/13/2015

US Manufacturing Opportunity & Challenge http://conta.cc/1fur1rK

Following the recently published KPMG study Global Manufacturing Outlook, manufacturing in the USA (as well as the rest of the world) sits on the cusp of an innovation revolution.  Given the needs and challenges, many of us will have to revamp and retool our entire business models in order to remain…

05/15/2015

Robots http://conta.cc/1Fin42u

Dean Baker put it quite well in his Los Angeles Times piece, that Robots are not going to take over the world or YOUR job anytime soon.  While ROBOTS are an important tool to keep US manufacturing competitive, return on the investment is critically dependent on matching task requirements to those fu…

02/03/2015

Automation is Key http://conta.cc/1vpmpde

Deep down, all manufacturers know that automation is a key to improved productivity.  It's not just producing more product faster as some might think.  It is reducing scrap, minimizing defects and delivering the perfect products that your customers expect......on time (elimination of post manufactur…

01/08/2015

Advanced Manufacturing Tools http://conta.cc/1AulhmU

My apologies to all of you for my last mail which did not address each of you properly.  I have attached a couple of articles from the recent edition of the Milwaukee Biz Times  that are reflective of the content of that previous mail.  You may, or may not, have seen them.  In any case, I trust you…

01/08/2015

Advanced Manufacturing Tools http://conta.cc/1Fp0d71

This new year increasingly looks promising for Manufacturing in the Upper Midwest as business growth accelerates.  However, the skilled labor pool does not look like it will keep pace.  Successfully riding this surge requires rethinking processes, incorporating the latest tools to protect our valuab…

01/07/2015

Tools For Manufacturing http://wp.me/p3xCnR-2

This new year (2015) increasingly looks promising for in the as business growth accelerates. However, the skilled labor pool does not look like it will keep pace. Successfully riding this surge requires rethinking processes, incorporating the latest tools to protect our valuable skilled personnel. Skillfully applied automation technologies can and will improve speed, precision and repeatability without increasing the workload on key personnel. [ 109 more words. ]

11/06/2014

Quantifying the Skills Gap http://conta.cc/1yZBnDS

Following on from our discussion of the SKILLS GAP, a recent summary of a study done by Plant Engineering Magazine caught my eye. Not that it adds to the definition of the issue, but it does add real numbers to give scale and scope to the challenge that continues to grow and plague manufacturing in…

10/08/2014

THE WORSENING SKILLS GAP http://conta.cc/1rX1EA5

We have written about this previously, and the skills gap is getting wider by the day.  For Wisconsin particularly, this is emphasized by the mix of manufacturing that we have in our economy (about twice the US average of Manufacturing per capita).  As manufacturing continues to move back to the US…