Discovering the Value of People
12 September 2015
Big news in the business world: Wal-Mart is famous for keeping costs down, including employee-related costs. In Joplin, the company is testing a new…
The Productivity Impact of Pesky Intermediates
16 September 2013
By Kevin Meyer Seven years ago, yes seven, we started to wonder something about the seemingly rosy U.S. productivity numbers: At its most fundamen…
A Brush with Innovation
28 June 2013
By Kevin Meyer Stories of U.S.-based low margin commodity manufacturers successfully competing against companies from "low cost" countries…
Two Phones, One Genius
30 May 2013
I admit it, I love Apple products. For me they just work how I want them to, and I haven't seen the "blue screen of death" since I switc…
Of GE and Boeing
7 February 2013
While the world watches Boeing and the FAA trace a 787 Dreamliner battery problem from Seattle to Japan to Arizona to Italy then back to Japan, our re…
A Sucker for a Slow Boat
8 January 2013
You're looking at the Marco Polo, owned by CMA CGM, which can hold more than 16,000 containers and reach a speed of 24 knots. Regular readers know…
Sorry IndustryWeek - Apple is not a "Manufacturer" and not "Best"
19 July 2012
Before I begin, let me be clear. I love Apple products, and I own a plethora of them. The design is incredible, they work like I want to work, and the…
Apple's Average Traditional Supply Chain
4 July 2012
Something that annoys me to no end is when I read articles lauding Apple's supposedly amazingly fantastical supply chain. Really? How? Pray tell,…