All Features
ISO
What do a construction van, a last-mile delivery truck, and a 40-tonne semi have in common? They’re all fleet vehicles, critical assets that keep modern transport moving and supply chains functioning. Whether you operate a family-run business or manage a global enterprise, an efficient fleet is no…
Global Shop Solutions
Picture this: It’s Monday morning. Coffee in hand. The schedule is full. Shipping is stacked. Your biggest jobs are lined up like dominos, ready to fall into place.
Then, the floor supervisor walks into your office with that look. “We can’t start Job 2471.”
You blink. “Why not?”
“Missing parts.”…
Kate Zabriskie
Most of us become managers because we excelled at our previous jobs, not because we had a grand vision for leadership. One day we’re individual contributors, and the next we’re juggling endless meetings, urgent emails, and last-minute crises while trying to develop our teams in whatever slivers of…
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
In response to the societal challenge of the growing electricity demand from AI data centers, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is launching the Next-Generation Data Centers Institute (NGDCI). This internal ORNL institute will unite the laboratory’s unique expertise and facilities spanning…
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Kairos Power have entered into a $27 million strategic partnership to accelerate the technology needed to deploy a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors and support U.S. nuclear energy goals.
Under the partnership…
Chris Chuang
As manufacturing emerges from a period of contraction, the industry faces more than just empty roles. The average tenure of a manufacturing worker has dropped, but the complexity of the machinery hasn’t. While the industry sees signs of hope, we face a knowledge crisis far more dangerous than…
Adam Grant
Nano Tools for Leaders—a collaboration between Wharton Executive Education and Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management—are fast, effective tools that you can learn and start using in less than 15 minutes, with the potential to significantly affect your success and the engagement and…
Megan Wallin-Kerth
Working with a disability can be a frustrating and isolating experience. As someone who spent years blaming vitamin deficiencies, anxiety, and even Covid for worrisome symptoms before finally seeing a neurologist—and then a movement disorder specialist, I can attest that even the lengthy process of…
Adam Grabowski
Freedom is generally defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. The license to act as one pleases offers a host of benefits but can also produce consequences that limit your freedom. The same can be said of your manufacturing. The choices you…
Akhilesh Gulati
In the world of quality and lean, waste is the enemy. We hunt for it in cycle times, inventory buffers, and defects. But occasionally we encounter a form of waste so massive and literal that we fail to see it as a resource.
A recent redevelopment project at Denver’s National Western Center (NWC)…
ISO
Data are the backbone of our digital world. From healthcare to finance, and from government agencies to private businesses, organizations everywhere rely on vast amounts of data to function effectively.
It’s not just businesses that generate data. We all leave digital trails through our…
Josh Peterson
As AI makes its way into every corner of work, quality management is no exception. That isn’t surprising: Quality teams are buried in documentation, training upkeep, investigations, and reporting, which are exactly the kinds of workflows AI can help streamline.
However, in regulated environments…
Harish Jose
I want to revisit the notion of information from a cybernetic viewpoint, drawing primarily from Gregory Bateson’s well-known formulation that information is the difference that makes a difference. This definition doesn’t merely redefine information. It quietly displaces information from where it’s…
Peter Chhim
During the last couple of decades working in quality, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen the same pattern play out: A strong launch. Tight focus. Great early results. People doing the right things for the right reasons. Controls are followed. Issues are surfaced quickly. Leaders are…
Chris Pinaire
The manufacturing industry is undergoing a transformation driven by rapid technological advancements, changing consumer preferences, and evolving regulatory frameworks. Manufacturers everywhere face unprecedented challenges as they seek to remain competitive, profitable, and sustainable in the face…
Maartje van Krieken
Performance rarely collapses with fanfare. More often, it flatlines quietly; sales soften, productivity slows, priorities blur, and yet teams run hard without moving the needle. In 2025, the RSM U.S. Middle Market Business Index slid from the low 140s into the low 120s in a short period, with fewer…
Artem Kroupenev
Quality has always been a defining metric in manufacturing when it comes to industry trust, brand longevity, and customer loyalty. Manufacturers are already expected to abide by stringent regulations. But as economic complexity rises and experienced operators retire, maintaining consistent quality…
ISO
In 2021, container ships idled for weeks outside the Port of Los Angeles, a stark visual reminder of just how fragile modern supply-chain reliability had become. The backlog sent shockwaves across industries. Factories stalled, shelves emptied, and businesses scrambled for alternatives. It was a…
Blake Griffin
T he year 2025 has been rife with uncertainty for industrial automation OEMs and their customers. A cataclysmic shift in U.S. trade policy led to a marketwide mentality of “wait and see.” For automation OEMs, this has manifested broadly as delayed orders from customers rather than outright…
CANEA
The role of quality leaders, and quality itself, is expanding. It includes thinking strategically, solving problems, implementing improvements, and driving change throughout the organization.
Quality leadership also requires managing challenges and anticipating what lies ahead regarding quality…
Ken Feinstein
For decades, the one-dimensional (1D) barcode, the familiar pattern of black lines found on virtually every product, has been the universal language of global commerce. Yet, as the supply chain grows more complex, data-driven, and compliance-heavy, the limitations of traditional barcodes are…
Kate Zabriskie
When most people think about work, fun probably isn’t the first word that comes to mind. Deadlines, meetings, and spreadsheets? Sure. But laughter, camaraderie, and a little silliness? That often feels like a luxury, not a priority.
Here’s the truth: Fun at work isn’t just about blowing off steam…
Mike Figliuolo
I had a great conversation with a friend of mine. He was bemoaning the fact that his company was almost completely dependent on one huge customer. He saw the inherent risks in that relationship but confessed that his organization had a bad habit it couldn’t kick. It had succumbed to the addiction…
Cassondra Blasioli
Growing up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, I witnessed firsthand the heartbeat of American manufacturing. I remember the hum of machines, the rhythm of assembly lines, and the pride of workers crafting products that powered industries across the nation. I can still smell the oil and hear the machines…
Andrew Iams
I grew up outside Pittsburgh, widely known as “Steel City.” Although the city is no longer the center of steel or heavy manufacturing in America, its past remains a proud part of its identity.
Like many Pittsburghers, my family’s story is tied to this industrial legacy. My relatives immigrated…