Lessons in Small Scale Manufacturing From The Othermill Shop Floor

Lessons in Small Scale Manufacturing From The Othermill Shop Floor

Othermachine Co. is not a big company. Their flagship product, the Othermill, is made in small, careful batches. As we’ve seen with other small hardware companies, the manufacturing process can make or break the company. While we toured their factory in Berkeley California, a few interesting things stood out to us about their process which showed their manufacturing competence.

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Apprenticeships seek to attract fresh faces to manufacturing

Apprenticeships seek to attract fresh faces to manufacturing:
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — A manufacturing network has created an apprenticeship model to attract young people to machining, and companies who join the model will receive up to $6,000 for each apprentice.

In eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, nearly 7,000 people will retire from the manufacturing industry in the next decade. The U.S. Department of Labor recognized this need and awarded the Greater Oh-Penn Manufacturing Apprenticeship Network (the Network) a $3 million grant focused on building local manufacturing apprenticeship programs. 

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High school girls try advanced manufacturing

High school girls try advanced manufacturing: Seven high school girls learned how to weld and more last week at North Iowa Area Community College.

NIACC hosted an advanced manufacturing camp called “Minds On! Hands On!” last week with the goal of introducing young women to career and education opportunities.

“They’re traditionally not steered at all in this direction so they don’t know about it,” Workforce Initiatives Project Manager Renee Anderson said. “We’re trying to get rid of that perception that these jobs aren’t for women.”

http://globegazette.com/news/local/high-school-girls-try-advanced-manufacturing/article_0aacefd0-d7a8-5be5-a6ff-49e1b702b6ee.html

Tops for aerospace manufacturing — the Grand Canyon state?

Tops for aerospace manufacturing — the Grand Canyon state?: And the nation’s most alluring place for aerospace manufacturing is … Arizona.

No, we are not making this up. So concluded a report this past week by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the influential global accounting and professional services firm. In the 2016 Aerospace Manufacturing Attractiveness Rankings, Washington comes in No. 10.

Candidates promise jobs, but where will they come from?

Candidates promise jobs, but where will they come from?:Each of the presidential candidates has talked about bringing jobs back to America and creating jobs in America as an enticement to the battered middle class suffering from job loss and income stagnation.

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Survey: US manufacturing accelerates in June

Survey: US manufacturing accelerates in June: WASHINGTON — American manufacturing expanded for the fourth straight month in June, hitting the strongest reading in 16 months as the outlook for new orders and production improved.

American Manufacturing Is Globally Competitive

American Manufacturing Is Globally Competitive: How competitive is American manufacturing? By the year 2020, the United States is projected to take the top spot in the Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index (GMCI), a multiyear research platform from Deloitte and the Council on Competitiveness.

Still Made in America: One Gear Maker Manufacturing in Maine

Still Made in America: One Gear Maker Manufacturing in Maine

Outsourcing manufacturing and exporting jobs are a sore spot for many Americans, however some companies find good reason to stay put or break new ground. This summer FOXBusiness.com's series 'Still Made in America' introduces us to a variety of companies keeping their production--and jobs--at home.

Why is Apple trying to move its manufacturing to the US?

Why is Apple trying to move its manufacturing to the US?:I know of two new plants in the USA by Apple now. (1) The Mac Pro plant and the (2) sapphire glass plant.

I'll focus on the Mac Pro, or computers in general, plants first. So far it has been reported that the plant relies on robots heavily. What could be reasons to set up plants utilizing robots in the USA?

• Robots produce as cheaply no matter whether they are located in the USA or China,
• it's expensive to move raw materials to China and assembled products back to the USA,
• to maintain whole plants consisting of robots you need very specialized workers, who could be easier to find in the USA,
• the robots itself may also become an valuable asset they would want to protect from competitors, which could be done easier in the USA,
• it's easier to rapidly test prototypes and new assembly processes when you're located near to the plant,
• as a secondary "nice-to-have" Apple can exploit the "made in USA" story and pretend to bring manufacturing back to the USA

 

The Manufacturing Footprint and the Importance of U.S. Manufacturing Jobs

The Manufacturing Footprint and the Importance of U.S. Manufacturing Jobs: Despite policies that have shrunk manufacturing employment and hurt its international competitiveness, U.S. manufacturing is still a large and vital part of the U.S. economy. It accounts for 8.8 percent of employment in the United States—a total of 12 million workers in 2013—and plays a particularly important role in the labor markets of the Midwest and the South.

Workforce education: Summer camps help close the manufacturing skills gap

Workforce education: Summer camps help close the manufacturing skills gap

Manufacturing Job Losses At Six-Year High, But Forecasts Optimistic

Manufacturing Job Losses At Six-Year High, But Forecasts Optimistic

Top 20 Facts About Manufacturing | NAM

Top 20 Facts About Manufacturing | NAM

Manufacturers Bringing The Most Jobs Back to America

By Michael B. Sauter and Samuel Stebbins April 19, 2016 1:14 pm EDT

       

The loss of American manufacturing jobs to foreign labor has been a central theme of several presidential candidates’ campaigns. However, the trend of offshoring may be slowing, according to one organization.

According to non-profit advocacy group the Reshoring Initiative, offshoring resulted in a net loss of approximately 220,000 manufacturing jobs from 2000 to 2003. However, according to the group, the country added roughly as many jobs due to foreign investment and reshoring as it lost to offshoring last year. Some of the largest U.S.-based companies, likely for both public relations and practical reasons, have begun building factories domestically for operations that would likely have gone overseas a few years ago.

Offshoring, or shifting production from U.S. plants to foreign facilities, is a relatively recent phenomenon that has taken a considerable toll on the U.S. economy. In an interview with 24/7 Wall st., Harry Moser, founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative, explained that recent developments have made the prospect of manufacturing domestically much more feasible. Moser cited economic troubles and rising wages in China as one of the primary drivers of this recent trend.

Indeed, lower labor costs and fewer regulations in countries such as China have created an incentive for U.S. companies to relocate production there. Consequently, U.S. manufacturing has taken a major hit. A study by the Economic Policy Institute found that the U.S. lost roughly 2.4 million manufacturing jobs to China alone from 2001 to 2013.

However, the same market forces that have pushed American jobs overseas are now bringing some of those jobs back. Recently, labor costs in places such as China have been rising, and when paired with high international shipping costs, offshore production presents less of a discount than it once did. Recently, General Electric shifted production of a water heater from China to a plant in Louisville, Kentucky. The move brought hundreds of manufacturing and engineering jobs back to the U.S.
While the reshoring phenomenon is primarily a byproduct of expensive labor abroad and high shipping costs, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States is often beneficial to a company’s image. For example, Walmart contracted General Electric to manufacture high efficiency light bulbs in its plants in Ohio and Illinois as a part of Walmart’s brand-boosting Made in USA initiative. Similarly, Farouk Systems, Inc. cites image as a primary reason for reshoring jobs. Along with Walmart and General Electric, Farouk Systems ranks among the companies bringing the most jobs back from overseas.

A variety of other logistical factors are also making reshoring more practical for businesses. In the era of Amazon, in which consumers expect quick turnaround on products, it can be more practical for companies to manufacture products in-country to have the product ready for customers faster and avoid shipping expenses.
Moser further explained that reshoring can often improve the quality of the manufacturing product. “Many have done it because of the consumer preference for made in America products.” Moser added.

The extent to which these factory openings are truly a sign of an American manufacturing renaissance or merely a pause from the ongoing departure of the industry from U.S. shores is still unclear. One certainty is that it will take more than a few thousand jobs to reverse the trend of decades of offshoring and heavy reliance on foreign imports.
The roughly 22,000 jobs these companies have brought back to the country over the last five years is not insignificant, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to those they have sent abroad. According to one EPI estimate, Walmart alone was directly responsible for the loss of 200,000 American manufacturing jobs due to it’s Chinese offshoring.

It is perhaps much easier to make the argument that the service sector is experiencing a true revival. While several years ago it was common practice for American companies to offshore customer support call center jobs, many American companies and customer service contractors are adding or plan to add jobs in the U.S. As of last year, there were roughly five million Americans employed in some 66,000 call centers across the country.

The Reshoring Initiative provided 24/7 Wall St. with estimates for the U.S. based companies that have reshored the most manufacturing jobs in the past five years. These reshoring estimates are based on company announcements to move international manufacturing operations to the U.S.
These are the manufacturers bringing the most jobs back to America

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The Importance of Kitting In Efficient Operations

Today, companies must operate with maximum efficiency, making every process, every procedure, and every dollar count. To compete in an increasingly competitive, globalized economy, manufacturers have to become “lean, mean” machines. How can kitting help them do this?

Kitting: A Quick Definition

As manufacturers know, assembling complex parts – whether for aerospace applications, medical devices, or commercial products – involves a multitude of parts. When each of those components come in separate packages or even different shipments, it can cost valuable time, resources, and money trying to find the right parts for the right assembly at the right time.

Kitting addresses this problem with impeccable efficiency: it is the process of gathering parts and components for a particular assembly or product as a kit. The pre-assembled kit is shipped as needed, instead of packaging each piece as an order is received.

A typically “lean” concept holds that the more parts are handled, the greater the odds of error and damage. Kitting helps reduce the amount of times that components must be handled prior to assembly. The risk of defects and mistakes is significantly mitigated, if not eliminated. As a result, quality can be greatly increased.

Other benefits include:

• Reduced downtime. One of the biggest problems in a manufacturing environment is employee and machine downtime. Trying to find the necessary parts can slow the entire production line down. Kitting puts everything together, in one convenient package.
• Simplified procurement and supply chains. With kitting, ordering is much quicker and easier, and manufacturers do not have to worry about product or component compatibility. 
• Maximum output. Line employees spend their time assembling products/pieces, not searching for the right components. This reduces WIP (or work-in-progress time).
• More streamlined training. When new operators are hired, they are more quickly and easily trained because of the convenience of kitting. This can greatly reduce costs and onboarding time for new hires.
• Reduced line storage requirements. As authors of a Caterpillar case study note, the increasing variety of parts necessary for manufacturing components/products can cause storage problems on the line. This increases the risk of waste and excess raw materials. Further, traditional delivery methods force lineside storage, and this makes operator walking and searching times much higher.
• Increased customer satisfaction. Because kits help streamline operations, manufacturers can fulfill customer orders more quickly and efficiently.

Outsourcing Kitting Needs

When companies outsource their kitting needs, they can realize even greater efficiency and output. At the same time, they can avoid some common challenges of kitting, one of which is ensuring timely and sufficient supply availability.

Kitting offers a solution that can help increase efficiency from supply chain to final product, cut costs, and optimize operator output. 

Contract Assembly: Meeting Your Quality Control Standards

When your company depends on third-party manufacturing and contract assembly, nothing less than the best is acceptable. While price is important, especially considering the ultra-competitive business landscape, quality is non-negotiable. How do you know that your contractor will deliver optimal results?

Before entering into any agreement with a third-party manufacturer or assembly contractor, it is important to inquire about their track record of success – and double-check with documentation. Another critical area to check: do they have ISO9001 and AS9001 certifications? If they do, that also means they have:

• Documented – repeatable – quality management processes. To earn accreditation, companies must demonstrate that they have clearly defined quality control processes. The processes in each area or business function are documented, and potential trouble spots are identified and resolved immediately. Customers/clients can be assured that their assembly needs are in competent, certified, hands.
• Systems for continual improvement. Whenever man and machine operate together, there are going to be occasional errors. To be certified, contractors must ensure that these occasions are few and far between, and more importantly, that they are flagged, investigated, and resolved. Further, steps are taken to mitigate or eliminate the chances of that error recurring.
• Ongoing training and support. Staff members are fully trained and receive ongoing education so they remain on the cutting edge of their field. This includes training required to do their current jobs more effectively and efficiently, as well as learning new skills to tackle increasingly complex customer demands.
• Ongoing internal quality audits. These audits ensure that employees follow all safety and quality control standards as set out in the quality management process. There is a strict procedure contractors must follow.

These four factors help ensure third-party manufacturers and contractors abide by the toughest quality control measures – and that customers will receive the quality they need, when they need it.

Medical Device Contract Assembly: Results You Can Trust

When surgeons pick up a scalpel, when technicians administer scans, when patients visit their health care providers, they all depend on precision and accuracy. They have to trust that their careers, results, and health are in good hands – or, rather, in good instruments. Medical device contract assembly depends on the highest level of quality control, consistent application of best practices, and a zero tolerance policy on defects. 

What sets outstanding medical device assembly contractors apart from the rest? A few factors include:

• Policies. Reliable assembly contractors adhere to the rigorous regulations set out by ISO9001 and AS9100C. Certification indicates that contractors meet the high standards of these organizations and will be able to assemble and kit medical device components with exceptional skill, integrity, and final results.

To earn accreditation, companies must document their processes, define their quality control systems, implement processes for remediating or correcting mistakes, conduct regular quality audits, and provide ongoing training and support for employees.

• Processes. As mentioned, to earn certification, contractors must have reliable processes in place for continual improvement to ensure they deliver optimal quality today – and tomorrow. It is important that these processes are clearly documented and adhered to by employees from the top of an organization to the bottom.
• People. The people truly make the difference. While some contractors offer cheap labor and overseas solutions, they are too often at the expense of quality. When manufacturers hire and actively train and support high-potential prospects, customers benefit in a significant gain in precision.

DNKB, Inc., for instance, is committed to hiring veterans and ensuring they secure well-paying, highly-rewarding employment opportunities. Customers benefit from their wide range of skills sets, as well as the discipline they bring to their work.

There is no room for error when assembling medical devices; companies should balance price with quality and choose contractors that can deliver on both counts.

Save Manufacturing Costs with an Assembly Subcontractor

Hiring an assembly subcontractor can help save your company money, streamline the supply chain, improve operational efficiency, and increase the quality of your final output. Look to the best sub assembly contractor in the Phoenix area. DNKB is a veteran owned small business. We are registered ISO 9001: 2008 and AS 9100C. Contact us today for more information: https://goo.gl/zOXOTM

What Does ISO 9001:2008 Certified Mean?

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international, non-governmental organization dedicated to developing “voluntary, consensus-based market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.”

In short, the ISO says, International Standards “make things work.” Certified businesses must meet rigorous standards for quality, safety, and efficiency. With members from 162 countries, and a team of highly-trained technical experts, ISO has developed over 20,500 standards. Among these is the “ISO 9000 family.”

The ISO 9000 set of standards deal with quality management. They provide organizations with the tools and support they need to meet market expectations and continually improve quality.

What is ISO 9001:2008 (Recently updated to 9001:2015)?

This International Standard explains the requirements for quality management systems. To earn certification, businesses must, among other

• Demonstrate their ability to consistently provide products that meet customer requirements – as well as applicable regulatory requirements.
• Enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system. They must have a system for continual improvement of the system, as well as a system for assurance that their products conform to customer and regulatory requirements.

Further, ISO 9001:2008 guides every step of a manufacturer’s process, from employee training and production to documentation and internal audits. The emphasis is on quality and ongoing improvement. To that end, businesses must have a process that enables them to continually document, review, assess, and improve each aspect of each process. The end result: a higher level of quality and assurance to customers.

These standards are designed to apply to all organizations, regardless of what they produce or how large they are. 

Why Does This Matter To OEMs?

As mentioned, it is not only assembly that manufacturers entrust to contract assembly providers. It is their names and reputations. When they opt to partner with an assembly contractor that is ISO 9001:2008 certified, they have assurance that they are hiring a quality-conscious organization.

In addition to the highest quality products/processes, benefits include:

• Superior customer service.
• Timely order fulfillment.
• An emphasis on quality improvement, which ensures the OEM’s reputation remains strong.
• Consistent results.
• Reduced waste – which means greater cost savings.

When organizations need to outsource their assembly needs, they should look for a contractor that treats their reputation as if it is their own. ISO 9001:2008 certification is a major indication that they stand for quality, efficiency, and service.

Arizona Veterans StandDown Organization: Providing Better Lives for U.S. Veterans

This Thursday and Friday, January 28th and 29th, the Arizona Veterans StandDown Alliance (AVSA) is hosting their annual Maricopa County StandDown. The two day event will take place at the Arizona State Fairgrounds Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Its goal is to bring homeless and at-risk military veterans together to provide greater access to resources such as housing, healthcare, and other necessities. In addition, the event also provides a forum for these American heros to network with community leaders, establishing connections that can lead to employment opportunities and greater independence.

As a former soldier in the 25th Infantry Division, the Arizona Veterans StandDown Alliance is an organization that is very close to my heart. The unemployment rate among veterans is disproportionately high when compared to the civilian population. Given the sacrifices our veterans made for this country, this is a travesty. Not only do our former soldiers deserve better, military training provides an unparallelled sense of duty, leadership and attention to detail that is an asset to any industry. That’s why when recruiting talent for my own manufacturing company, DNKB, Inc., I looked to American Veterans:

Andre Fisher, AVSA Success Story: 

Like so many other American Veterans, Andre Fisher had fallen on difficult times. Though working for a non-profit organization while running his own computer repair business, Andre was unable to keep up with his monthly mortgage payments and was facing foreclosure. He turned to the VA for assistance, and they advised him to attend the 2015 Arizona StandDown event. There, Andre learned of a program that provides housing and other assistance to veterans in crisis. He was deemed eligible for the program and moved into a veteran housing facility shortly thereafter. In his first week of residence, Andre met with a Workforce Manager named Dennis Woods to discuss his situation and background. Dennis and I had crossed paths at various VA functions and he knew I was in need of an Engineer with startup experience, who could develop and implement processes and quality control for my burgeoning manufacturing business. When he discovered Andre’s engineering and project management background, he recommended that we meet. It didn’t take long to conclude that Andre was an excellent fit for the role, and he soon began his tenure as DNKB’s Senior Engineering Director in March 2015.

Today, Andre is an integral part of the DNKB family. The leadership skills and training he received in the Armed Forces are proving to be instrumental to the continued growth and success of DNKB, Inc. The tremendous work that the AVSA does made this all possible. No one can articulate the true value of the event better than Andre:

“The Arizona Veterans StandDown is a huge event for veterans. It’s amazing that almost any problem or issue a veteran is having can be addressed: Healthcare, Nutrition Assistance, Housing just to name a few. These and many more services are available free of charge.”

           

-       Andre Fisher, United States Air Force Veteran

The AVSA has the full support of DNKB, Inc. This year we will be providing a survival kit for any Homeless Hero veteran in need of assistance. We encourage anyone interested  with veterans issues to help us share Andre’s story and spread the word about the AVSA StandDown. For more information, you can visit them on Facebook.

Benefits of Sub-Assembly

In a business environment that is as competitive, rapidly changing, and expensive as it is today, every advantage that manufactures can gain is critical. Sub-assembly enables them to outsource the design and assembly of units that will ultimately be incorporated into their larger product/service offerings. 

What benefits does sub-assembly deliver to those in the commercial, aerospace, medical device, and government sectors?

While advantages are numerous, here are the top five ways that sub-assembly benefits organizations:

1. Cost-savings. The burden of supporting manufacturing infrastructure and training employees is increasingly heavy. Manufacturers can offload this responsibility to a contractor that has the capability to handle the complex requirements of assembly.
2. Improved efficiency. Innovative assembly and kitting solutions ensure that organizations can streamline their internal processes. This enables them to reduce waste and redundancy in their supply chain. Assemblies, parts, and components are where they are needed, when they are needed. There is no wasted time searching for this part or that component or reworking materials.
3. Reduced risk. The assembly contractor assumes the risk for damage, waste, scrap, operational incidents, and accidents. They “own” this piece of the process and the associated risk.
4. Reduced waste. Sub-assembly enables organizations to reduce waste within their own companies by mitigating excess packaging, extraneous transportation, and, ultimately, environmentally-harmful debris/trash.
5. Increased quality. Sub-assembly contractors are highly skilled and trained; their own internal quality management processes (including adherence to the stringent ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100C standards) ensure that assemblies are manufactured precisely to specs and are consistently defect-free. Any production issues or problems will be identified – and resolved – at the source.

Opting to outsource to assembly subcontractors is a weighty decision; businesses and agencies should be careful to thoroughly vet their contractors to ensure they can deliver these benefits, and many more.