Industry Trends - The Advance Group

Build a Smart Foundation for Manufacturing Productivity

Raza Rauf on September 24, 2012

When it comes to building a smarter manufacturing company, companies need to do what’s important to them – putting together the pieces to make a product. Yet, manufacturing productivity is often a factor. There are some companies now taking steps to make the technology aspect of manufacturing so foolproof and easy to manage that companies can get back to focusing on what they do best – manufacturing without having to figure out where technology comes into place.

Productivity Matters

In nearly all situations, productivity is a big discussion point within the manufacturing industries. As staffing agencies, you know the value of finding team players that can meet productivity goals – it keeps the business going. However, for these companies, it is also important to find a way to get around technology difficulties.

Many manufacturing companies are facing a higher demand for increased productivity. Though some of this comes from staffing the right people, there is much more to the process.

Smarter Manufacturing Systems

Some companies are taking the goal of improving productivity to a new level. They are building smarter manufacturing systems (something your staff may soon see rolling out more frequently in the coming months.) The goal is to allow manufacturing companies to get back to managing what they produce and to leave the technology aspects of putting together manufacturing systems to the experts.

Staffing Agencies and Productivity

Could your staffing agency do something the same? Consider what some companies are doing to enable increased manufacturing productivity. For example, some are developing systems that provide mobile capabilities to keep business managers and operators in constant, instant access of each other no matter where they are. Cloud-based services are making the process secure, reliable, and real-time. This enables far more to be accomplished in a matter of a shorter period of time. This is a clear benefit to increased productivity.

In some cases, manufacturers are facing pressure to see significant productivity gains in a short period of time. Massive demographic changes as well as global competition are encouraging this demand. According to some reports, an estimated 70 million people will be moved out of poverty and will become consumers. Those 70 million people, over the course of the next ten years, will contribute to $8 trillion in spending. As this clearly demonstrates, it is critical for massive improvements in productivity to happen. Realizing it cannot come from just people and staffing enhancements, many companies are pushing for smarter manufacturing systems as a must-have.

Want more productive manufacturng employees in Michigan and Ohio? Advance Staffing Solutions has many temporary and contract manufacturing laborers ready to help your company reach maximum productivity levels.

Why Your Manufacturing Company Should have a Blog

Raza Rauf on September 17, 2012

Blogging is big business these days. Retail businesses and major corporations fully understand this. Unfortunately, some manufacturing businesses have been slow to understand this trend. Venturing into social media can seem like a scary concept for those who are new to online marketing.

However, blogs aren’t going away and they can actually be important tools for businesses of all shapes and sizes—even manufacturing businesses. Here are just a few reasons why your manufacturing company should have a blog.

Brand Promotion

Your business is a brand. Public perception is almost everything to businesses in the information age. The more information that makes its way onto the World Wide Web, information that is controlled by you, the better it will be for the health and long-term wellbeing of your brand.

Blogs are an excellent resource for providing frequent updates about all the good things going on in your business. More importantly, they are excellent tools for solidifying your brand with existing and potential customers. When you control the information on the Internet, at least a majority of that information, you’re able to have a huge impact on public opinion about your business.

Recruiting Tool

Keeping an active business blog for your manufacturing company is also a great way to recruit top talent in your field. A large percentage of job seekers today do the bulk of their job seeking online. The Internet is a major tool in the job search process these days and that isn’t likely to change.

By posting openings in your company on your blog you’re going to come up with a larger potential pool of knowledgeable and skilled employees than with a random job posting on most job boards. If you need specialized skills, this is the place to let people know about the positions that are available and which specific sets of skills are needed.

People who are reading your blog are likely to be people involved in the industry, first of all, so they’re likely to have the skills you need. Second, these may be people who weren’t necessarily looking for a job, but may be intrigued by the specific jobs you have available. Finally, it’s another way to bring attention to your manufacturing business and establish yourself in the eyes of potential employees and customers as a legitimate force in your particular manufacturing field.

The bottom line is that all businesses in today’s competitive marketplace, whether they are manufacturing businesses or fast food restaurants need blogs to provide a steady stream of data and information to the buying public while building their brands and reputation online. If you’re not controlling the conversation about your business on the Internet, to some degree, it leaves the doors open for people who do not have the best interests of your business in mind to control that information.

For more tips on the use of blogging and other forms of social media marketing in the manufacturing sector, be sure to check out our previous related posts on this topic:

Treat Every Event as a Networking Opportunity

The Importance of Hiring a Social Candidate – Who Doesn’t Just Look Good on Paper

Social Media Recruiting 101: Make Friends, Not Fans

Lean Manufacturing Is About Your People, Not Tools

Raza Rauf on September 6, 2012

Lean manufacturing may be all that you are hearing about as a manufacturing organization or business owner. Yet, business owners who are putting all of their time and attention into lean tools are missing the fundamental key aspect of this movement. It is not just about putting in place a system for getting the work done on the floor. Rather, businesses need to think people, too.

The Mistake So Many Are Making

Going lean is the big goal. Many businesses are being told that by implementing lean tools in their organizations that they are going to see significant improvement and achieve global competitiveness. In fact, there are dozens of authors promising this type of outcome if we just implement lean. They are basing this on the performance results Toyota has achieved with their TPS production system – known for its effectiveness. However, TPS is not just about lean tools. Without the true connection to people, there’s something major missing that’s going to hold you back.

What Is TPS Really?

Two components make the Toyota Production System so ideal. One element is continuous improvement. The second is respect for all people. Yes, it is a simplistic symptom, but that comes from maintaining these two aspects. For those businesses in the U.S., learning about lean tools, such as value stream mapping, poke yoke, and kanban, there is a huge disconnect from what the TPS methodology really is. For lean technology and methods to be effective, there must be a change in culture within the business, too.

What Does This Mean?

To ensure that a business “going lean” is able to succeed at it, they must change their culture and way of thinking when it comes to people. The business owner must trust people within the manufacturing plant to solve problems regardless of where the problem came from. The goal here is that businesses must focus on obtaining a critical mass of people who will act, think and believe lean and rely on them to push the business forward.

Solve problems with a TPS perspective. Here are some examples.

Keep hitting your numbers is the old way of thinking. The new is to product only items that the customer has ordered.

Avoid too many problems with unions or vendors is the old thinking. The new is never to skip past a problem.

Make sure there is plenty of work in the backlog you say with lean focus the goal is to work to continually improve the processes.

Do not let people handle problems alone. Do skip over something that can be handled right now. This changes the job of the plant manager significantly.

The bottom line is that before manufacturing industries focus on lean tools in their business, they need to teach their employees the way of seeing the operation through lean eyes. Be respectful of the team. Teach them. Learn from them. Adapt together to approach a lean methodology.

Looking for the best manufacturing staffers? Get the right team members for your manufacturing business growth by working with the staffing experts at Advance Staffing Solutions in Michigan and Ohio.

How to be an Eco-Conscious Manufacturer

Raza Rauf on August 6, 2012

Investing in a green manufacturing initiative may be at the top of your list of goals for this year. There is no doubt about it, this does offer various benefits. For one, it is great PR in a world where consumers love a company’s efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. It can also save the company millions of dollars over its lifetime in many instances.

Some companies are taking big steps, and making big investments, to be an environmentally conscious company and it is paying off in spades.

What’s Behind the Push?

For many companies, it is all about the demands of the consumer. Companies are making significant changes to their investment plans to fill the demands of the consumer. The consumer is demanding eco-friendly, environmentally-focused products. This is driving manufacturers to invest in newer technology that is more environmentally friendly. The immediate cost is simply worth it in the long-term.

Solar Installation

Diamond Wipes is a good example of this extreme investing for the payout to the company. The company installed a 3360 panel solar system on top of its new manufacturing facility in California. It cost the company $1.6 million to do, which is about 8 percent of their annual earnings. In doing so, the company is creating enough power to fill virtually all of its needs or even to exceed them.

The company’s investment may be a wise one. With 35 to 40 percent of it coming back to them over time through federal and state rebate programs. For the total payback, it could take seven to eight years to realize their investment and break even. Considering this, it could take the company a decade to break even. It may not sound financially wise, but for the company it’s all about good business.

The benefit, the company says, comes from the PR value found in both the consumer and the corporate customers. This particular company is mainly a business-to-business provider, and the green model it is taking will appeal to those companies they operate with over the entire supply chain.

Beyond the Solar Panels

Environmentally friendly initiative extends beyond solar panels. Companies are investing in methods that reduce emissions. Another option is to improve shipping and warehousing to ensure they are efficient. Moving to biodegradable products is also a key benefit some companies are enjoying. Some are also looking to cut packaging costs to reduce waste. Others are demanding greener base products from manufacturers, all with the goal of creating a more eco-conscious end product for the consumer.

The initial investment may not pay off for some time, but for many companies, it is worth it just to do good business. Meeting the consumer’s demands and fulfilling corporate customer’s needs is worth the investment.

Advance Staffing Solutions in the central states of Ohio and Michigan can help your manufacturing program to become more eco-friendly. Find out how temporary staffing can support a more green manufacturing model.

3 Emerging Technologies for Workplace Safety

Raza Rauf on June 21, 2012

Safety is a major concern for business owners today in every industry. From office and factory floor workers to delivery and long-haul truck drivers, emerging technologies are making workplaces safer every day. Here are three prime examples of technology that’s emerging to improve safety and promote wellness in the workplace.

1) Electronic drive logs. The industrial transportation industry is getting a technology makeover that goes way beyond adding a few creature comforts to the cabs of trucks. Long-haul truck drivers face many dangers and risks in association with their long hours on the roadways. Paperless logs of their mileage, speeds, and gas consumption may not seem to be all about improving safety at first glance, but it has quite a few unintended consequences that err on the side of safety-minded driving. That’s good news for truck drivers on the roads as well as the, passenger vehicles that share the roads with them. These electronic records can help businesses boost efficiency, cut costs, and implement higher safety standards for their drivers.

2) Ergonomic office equipment. Ergonomics may not seem all that technological in nature at first, but there is a great deal of innovation in the products that are designed to make office spaces safer and more comfortable for employees. From office chairs with ergonomic designs to office equipment that’s designed to minimize risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome there is a wide range of emerging technology in the office that makes the office space a little more “user friendly.” But, did you know that there are also new tools and technologies for shop floors and industrial applications that involve ergonomics? In fact, the latest advances in ergonomic technology involve push carts that are used for transporting various shop materials. Traditionally these carts have been heavy and difficult to maneuver. New, ergonomic technology leads to carts that handle much more deftly when pushing or pulling large volumes of weight allowing employees to do so without risking back injuries or overexertion.

3) 3-D visualization technology. Believe it or not, different people have different standards when it comes to safety. It’s tough for big and small businesses alike to implement a written safety policy that works across the board with the same degree of success. One man’s risk may be playing it safe to the other man. It’s all about perspective. That’s why 3-D visualization can be so useful. It doesn’t tell a story that has room for interpretation but paints a picture that’s impossible to overlook or misunderstand. This type of technology explores risks and potential consequences without putting any actual person at risk as an example.

Accidents and safety violations in the workplace cost businesses in more ways than one. The human factor, involving the injury or loss of a valuable employee, coworker, and/or friend, can be significant. However, there are other costs to the business that also need to be taken into account – damages, liability, loss of productivity, and repairs. Emerging technologies, such as the three mentioned above, can save your company time and money. More importantly, it can help protect your greatest asset: your employees.

Find out how Advance Staffing Solutions can support your efforts for a safer work environment.

Can’t Find a Full Time Industrial Job? Start as a Contractor

Raza Rauf on June 13, 2012

The job market, despite news claims of an economic recovery, is still fairly slim in certain sectors – particularly the industrial sector. That means there’s a lot of competition for full time employment in this sector. Even if you have a resume that’s thick with experience, it can be a tough market to break through. While it may not seem like the most attractive option to many people with years of experience in various industrial fields; there is some merit to signing on as contract labor. Here are just a few of the potential benefits you might want to keep in mind as you explore your employment options.

1) Contractor jobs are in wider supply than full-time industrial positions. If you look through your local Sunday paper or even the job listings online you’re sure to see that most of the listings use language such as: temporary position, contract position, contract-to-hire, etc. It’s not a slim majority either. You’re leaving a lot of potential income off the table if you skip applying for all of the temp-to-hire positions that are available in favor of seeking full-time employment with benefits.

2) Contract jobs mean money right now. Some of these positions even offer daily pay for daily labor. This means that you get paid at the end of the day for the work you’ve done. Depending on how long you’ve been searching for work, the fact that you don’t have to wait two or more weeks for your first paycheck is a huge benefit to keep in mind. It can mean the difference between a steady diet of Ramen noodles or a little meat and having a little bit of meat and potatoes on the menu.

3) Many companies simply aren’t hiring direct any more. They’ve realized that they can save money and training hours by hiring contractors for the openings. When they find promising contractors they keep them in mind for full time positions as they arise. Contractors also don’t generally get the same benefits packages that full-time employees receive although they do typically earn very similar wages so this does save companies money. More importantly, it gives you, as the worker, and the company an opportunity to test the waters before making any formal commitment for long-term or full time employment.

Once upon a time, contractor jobs had a negative connotation in the field of industrial work. That simply isn’t the case today. If you’ve been running yourself ragged from one interview to the next with no results to show for your efforts, then it’s time to explore the potential benefits of becoming a contractor. It might make a world of difference in your current financial situation and could easily lead to the full time job you really want.

Be sure to get in touch with Advance Staffing Solutions for access to a wide range of industrial career opportunities.

SMART Asset Management in Manufacturing

Raza Rauf on May 29, 2012

As we move rapidly into the new age of manufacturing, SMART asset management can and should be an integral part of an industrial environment. Consider that more innovators are focused on creating a “smarter” planet, with technologies connecting more aspects of business and personal life than ever before. We are all interconnected through our communities, our corporations, and even other nations.

The manufacturing business as a whole is also getting smarter. Since the dawn of robotics and computerized machinery, the industrial world can produce faster, better and at higher levels of quality than even humans can in some cases. It’s as if the entire manufacturing world is trying to keep up with consumer demand at lightning speed.

Therefore, it makes sense that SMART asset management is a part of the equation for millions of manufacturing companies worldwide. Every industry uses some form of SMART management. Here are some examples:

Sensors built into vehicles that alert manufacturers of malfunctions to a central computer center.
Smart meters from energy companies to reduce waste with a demand response system.
Manufacturing data centers that process information from equipment on the production floor.
Buildings with smart systems that close window shades, adjust lighting, and secure entrances.

In the manufacturing world, there are most likely to be practical applications for SMART asset management to control a variety of materials, personnel functions, and customer data. SMART software can monitor inventories using RFID tags, place routine orders for regularly used materials, automate shipping and receiving, detect equipment use and failures, and more.

SMART asset management for manufacturing means being able to collect advanced data using sensors and actuators. This data translates to analytics which can then be used for a variety of purposes from incident response and staffing to inventory control. It’s clear that SMART asset management serves a critical purpose and will continue to do so for many years.

e-learning: Future of Training Industrial Workers

Raza Rauf on May 7, 2012

For many industrial employees, having the most up to date skills and training is critical to doing a good job. The problem is that getting that education may mean taking time off to go back to school. This is not feasible for most people and when e-learning comes into play. E-learning provides a simple and effective way for individuals to get the information, education and skills needed to do their job without having to travel or invest in full time schooling. For employers and for employees, it makes sense in the industrial arena.

Key Benefits to e-Learning

When it comes to e-learning, there are benefits to the entire industrial workforce, including both the employees and managers. This method of learning, which is conducted online rather than in a traditional school setting, poses a few advantages to everyone involved, making it the go-to solution in nearly all situations.

It is a cost effective model. Overall, e-learning is more affordable than paying any company to come in to train staff or employees. It is also far more affordable than sending individuals to school or paying for schooling on your own through a college program.

It is far more convenient for everyone involved. In some industrial positions, the need for advanced training is great but having the employee out of work for several weeks or longer to learn the new skill set is just too difficult. With this model, the employee is able to work and dedicate a portion of his or her shift to the training with little to no interference in the work schedule.

New hires get hands on, specific training from an e-learning format rather than using a skilled worker to train the employee. This means that the highly trained professional already working and vitally important to the business can remain on the floor working rather than training someone new. This increases overall productivity.

The utilization of e-learning in this method can only gain these benefits if and when the process is completed properly. In order for that to occur, it is important to implement a customized program designed for the industry or the company specifically. Measurable objectives must be put into place and there should be an evaluation of the training programs to ensure they are highly effective and working properly. There is some trial and error present in the process but in the long-term, any business can benefit from the investment in e-learning.

What to Expect Going Forward

In the industrial workforce, e-learning will become the best solution for training employees, management and even owners on new applications and systems. It will also become the most important resources for the ever changing climate in today’s industrial sector. Educating older workers who have had full careers in the field using e-learning still makes more sense in terms of productivity and cost effectiveness.

Get the scoop on the latest in career technology and temporary staffing topics here at the Advance Temporary blog. Looking for skilled industrial employees? Advance Staffing Solutions has the resources your company needs to grow.

Manufacturing Skills Gap or Management Skills Gap?

Raza Rauf on April 26, 2012

All manufacturing companies experience a shortage of qualified workers from time to time, due to various challenges that can include poor staff management, lack of educational support, and high-demand for specialized skills. However, when this occurs, HR departments are put into overdrive, trying to compensate and oftentimes falling short of project needs. This is when they turn to management to come up with a solution to proactively address the staffing and development needs of the company – to prevent this kind of scenario.

At times, HR managers may be asking if the problem is due to manufacturing employee skills gaps or something within the management skills that are lacking? There are a few ways to determine this.

When There is a Skills Gap

One of the ways you can determine if the problem exists among your staff is to conduct a skills inventory to determine how well your job descriptions match up with the actual duties and skills of your employees. This will tell you if you are accurately hiring the kinds of people you need to be successful in their roles. If you see marked gaps in skill levels, it’s time to revamp your recruiting efforts.

Then you need to take the time to visit local educational centers to see if they are offering programs to prepare the coming generation of workers to meet the demands of your industry. New graduates can be a valuable source of new employees so it’s important that the schools you recruit from have the updated skill development programs you need from future candidates.

Your in-house staff have already proven to be valuable assets to your company, that is if you are taking the time to develop their skills to higher levels and promoting from within. Set up the time to find out where skills are lacking, and then either hire a trainer to come in to teach these skills, or provide employees with learning incentives to get this education on their own.

When Poor Management is to Blame

There is a common saying among HR people: “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers”. This is certainly true in the manufacturing world, where there may be little time for managers to foster positive relationships with employees on the job. However, if there is a continual turn-over issue present in a specific department, it can mean it’s time to evaluate the people skills of that department manager.

One of the best investments any manufacturing company can make is in its management, at all levels. This means from your newest to your most seasoned managers, everyone should be continually getting trained and updated on industry topics. This includes training on tough personnel issues, like onboarding and employee development.

While a manufacturing skills gap can be caused by a little of both aspects, there are ways to manage staffing within manufacturing in a more positive way.

One is to bring on quality staff who have the right skills to do the job well. This can be accomplished by working directly with a manufacturing staffing agency, to provide pre-screened candidates suitable for all levels of manufacturing work.

The second is to give management the support needed to become better at their jobs, by offering management training and development initiatives. Back this up with incentives to cut down staff turnover and build more engaged teams.

Robotics and Its Effect on Manufacturing

Raza Rauf on April 7, 2012

Who, or what, is working next to you? Sooner or later, it is likely to be a robot rather than a human. In the eyes of many, the use of robots is long overdue. In fact, even ten years ago, people in the industry were warning that people would soon be doing far less work and robots would be doing much more. Keeping that in mind, individuals may need to take into consideration how robotics will play a role in the manufacturing industry going forward.

Robotics Isn’t New

It is important to keep in mind that the use of robotics in the manufacturing industry is not something new. In fact, robots have been in the business since 1961. That’s when General Motors introduced Unimate into their production lineup. This 4,000-pound arm did a great deal of work that would have taken humans much longer to do. Dangerous and boring tasks are no problem for Unimate. These machines are not late for the job and they perform without needing to take breaks. That makes them better, you would think.

However, these systems are not always the best option. In fact, robotics is not always a good option in manufacturing. In any task requiring decision making, it takes a human brain to make it happen. This also includes tasks where creativity is important or where the need for adaptation is critical. In some situations, a simple task is just not what needs to be done. That’s where these robots become limited.

What Robotics Does Offer

Keeping in mind the limitations, there are still many situations in which robotics make sense in manufacturing.

Productivity is never higher than when a robot is doing the work. Program them, turn them on and let them go.
Quality improves as well, especially when precision in each piece needs to be spot on. There’s no mistakes made in this process.
For businesses that need to increase productivity and decrease costs, the hiring of these robots, instead of paying unskilled workers, makes sense. It makes these manufacturing businesses able to compete with the low cost of labor in countries like China.
New machines are able to learn and expand on their skills. Though they are unable to make decisions without some level of input, it is now possible to apply robotic technologies in more applications, even in more complex processes requiring decision making.

The effect of robotics on the manufacturing industry is nothing short of profound. With 60 percent or higher increase in productivity, there’s no doubt the use of robotics is here to stay. Yet, that does not mean the human’s job is on the line, at least not yet. For many businesses, there is still plenty of time to move beyond the limitations in the manufacturing process and to push forward with the aid of robots.