Production

Following up on his pledge to provide greater support for manufacturing in his State of the Union address, President Obama has announced a proposal to cut the effective tax rate for manufacturers to 25%. A number of economists howled against this so-called “industrial policy” and criticized the president’s singling out manufacturing for “special treatment” — […]

The regularity of the growth cycles of living organisms has always fascinated thoughtful he observers regularity and of has the invited growth a cycles variety of living attempts to apply the same principles—of a predictable sequence of rapid growth followed by maturation, decline, and death—to companies and selected industries. One such concept, known as the […]

The past several years have witnessed a growing awareness among American managers of the central importance to competitive success of first-rate competence in the work of production. At the top of many corporate agendas now rests the determination to boost productivity, product quality, and new product innovation. This is all to the good. What managers […]

Years ago, while visiting friends in the United States, I happened to see the classic children’s film The Wizard of Oz. Near the end, Dorothy at last appears before the all-powerful wizard—a terrifying image of smoke and light. Only when her dog, Toto, tugs at a curtain over to one side does she see a […]

A growing number of executives of U.S.-based companies are repatriating their manufacturing capabilities - moving some production operations back from...

American industry is beginning to put its manufacturing house in order. Companies building high-volume standardized products like copiers, appliances, and automobiles are learning from their foreign rivals and emulating their commitment to ongoing product and process innovation. But one important segment of U.S. industry—job shop manufacturers—continues to postpone needed reforms. Many of these companies have […]

Three capabilities the consumer health company invested in after demand surged during the pandemic.

It’s more complicated than simply implementing new technologies.

A Chinese appliance maker considers expanding production to Mexico.

Deep tech, which combines physical and digital technologies, is moving out of the lab and into real-world supply chains.

A new study shows that global trade doesn’t always mean poor working conditions.

And how to overcome them.

In their article "Restoring American Competitiveness," my colleagues Gary Pisano and Willy Shih assert that excessive outsourcing has undermined the competitiveness...

Strategies for reducing excess inventory, stemming the rate of inventory change, and preventing the situation from happening in the future.

Now that providing services is more lucrative than making products, the old foundations for success in manufacturing are crumbling. Smart manufacturers are creating new business models to capture profits at the customer’s end of the value chain.

How the industry is changing in the U.S., China, and Africa.

The industry depends on small suppliers, and they’re struggling.

The business press does not rush to do stories on tool pegboards. An editor hears that Westinghouse’s Asheville, North Carolina plant has shortened machine setup times, eliminated many computer transactions, and cut inventories and indirect labor costs by two-thirds—all in only a couple of years—and you can bet the reporter sent to cover the story […]

The Toyota story has been intensively researched and painstakingly documented, yet what really happens inside the company remains a mystery. Here’s new insight into the unspoken rules that give Toyota its competitive edge.

Marketing personnel in companies that manufacture industrial goods often complain about the activities and attitudes of their manufacturing counterparts with laments such as: “Why can’t they become market-oriented or customer-oriented?” “Why are they so provincial?” The manufacturing people, on the other hand, lament like this: “The marketing people have no understanding of costs, profits, plants, […]