Guidepost: A post, at the intersection of 2 or more roads bearing a sign for the guidance of travelers.

It’s the year 2022. The challenges now and over the next several years in manufacturing are significant. The landscape is everchanging with much of this driven by technological and societal change that is advancing us into the new frontier of the 4^th Industrial Revolution. So just exactly how do we find our way? How do we focus and work on things that really matter? One thing is for sure, you can follow, or you can lead! And if you lead, what direction do you go and how do you stay the course? To begin, let’s think Strategic Planning and Execution.

Have you had a chance to sit back and think about how the pandemic has changed your long term business goals? Although we are still not out of the woods yet, now may be a good time to think about revising your strategic plan to account for the recent disruption.

This is an original article from ArchPoint.

Written by Andrea Belk Olsen, MSC and CEO of Pragmadik
https://www.linkedin.com/in/olsonandrea1/

While many companies have a set of established “organizational values”, they often fall short of effectively shaping a set of behaviors that drive customer-centricity. 

Traditional organizational values are usually broad, covering general principles including things like:

• Loyalty
• Honesty
• Open Mindedness
• Reliability
• Dependability

Forster Tool and Manufacturing Company has taken pride in being a women-owned business, and demonstrated its commitment to clients seeking precision custom machining services for more than 50 years.  Forster Tool and Manufacturing is ISO 9001:2015 AND AS9100D certified.  They are a client success for thinking strategically and positioning themselves for future successes with IMEC's help.

Situation

With an ever-growing increase in global competition, Forster Tool and Manufacturing Company was losing high volume, low margin work overseas. Clients were developing warehouses and sourcing parts globally. Forster needed a new strategy for higher margin domestic work, and quickly. Additionally, the company knew their impending upgrade to ISO 9001:2015 would require a deeper analysis of risks and rewards –creating a perfect opportunity to explore their larger strategic vision for the future.

Written by Scott Czysz, IMEC Technical Specialist

“10 Commandments of Facility Layout” has more punch, but when it comes to facility layout, very little is written in stone. Compromise is needed almost every step of the way; this does not mean there should not be a structured approach to facility layout and design. In fact, a structured approach is even more important when there is so much uncertainty and compromise.

The suggestions below are written with factory layout in mind - moving to a new facility, or rearranging your existing facility.  Many of these suggestions can also apply to smaller scale department or cell layout, office layout, or even the layout of your dream home or home workshop.

Written by Steve Barnhart, IMEC Technical Specialist

There really is no secret sauce to conducting an effective strategic planning process. You need to develop a strategy and you have to execute on that strategy. The hard work is the creative exercise of building the vision and bringing it to life with processes and measurable results. Here are a set of questions to help you think through developing your strategy and implementing your strategy. How many of these questions can you answer clearly? And, how many of them can you answer with evidence (proof and results)?

Written by Ryan Langdon, IMEC Regional Manager

If you are wondering how another year has seemed to slip by so quickly, don’t worry, you are not alone. If you are worried that you have gotten off to a late start setting goals and direction for your organization; you are not alone there either. Most organizations delay planning and goal setting due to the unavailability of perfect data, lacking a structure to get planning accomplished, or just hate the painful process of creating a perfect plan that ultimately gathers dust on the shelf until the next year. Although strategic planning may not be something you look forward to, it can be a transformative process that brings the organization together and accelerates growth and improvement initiatives. I have accumulated a few tips and tricks over the years that may make your planning a little less painful. Or at the least, you may find a pointer or two that helps you think outside your planning box.

Excerpt from The Hitachi Foundation blog. The Hitachi Foundation is partnering with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC), and several local funders through the Chicagoland Workforce Funders Alliance to launch a new initiative aimed at growing the number of high-quality manufacturing jobs in the Chicago region. 

From Scrap Metal to Precious Metal: Chicago's SIPI Metals Creates Great Products and Great Jobs

Chicago has been at the epicenter of American manufacturing throughout the 20th century. Today 3,700 firms account for more than 100,000 jobs and over $30 billion in annual sales. Despite its endurance, the Chicagoland manufacturing sector faces challenges - securing a skilled workforce, adapting to new technologies, and bringing innovative products to market. To strengthen its position for the future, the region will need to build on lessons from what works among exemplary firms like SIPI Metals Corporation.