Through thought leadership around a member-defined set of Critical Issues, we are shaping the future of manufacturing.
Intertape Polymer Group (IPG) is undergoing a digital transformation, and it’s doing it without an army of data scientists and data engineers, revealed IPG’s Vice President of Business Transformation, Jai Sundararaman, during the MLC’s 2021 Rethink Summit this week. Instead,…
“We are in the midst of great change,” declared David R. Brousell, Co-Founder, Vice President, and Executive Director of the Manufacturing Leadership Council (MLC) in his opening speech at the MLC’s 2021 Virtual Rethink Summit today. “It requires us all to…
Schneider Electric’s Lexington, KY, plant is one of only a handful of manufacturing facilities in the U.S. that enjoys the coveted status of being a World Economic Forum-designated “Lighthouse” factory. To achieve that distinction, the Lexington plant, built in 1957,…
What draws the next generation of leaders to a career in manufacturing? While the specifics may vary from person to person, it’s the challenge, and the satisfaction, of seeing a product through from design to being in the hands of…
Manufacturers are generating more data, faster, and from more aspects of their operations than ever before. The key to harnessing all that data to produce higher quality products more quickly and efficiently, and to speed up the decision-making process, is…
“Augmented Reality is definitely cool, it’s relatively easy to use, and it can have a big impact on productivity and quality,” argued Jim Heppelmann, Chief Executive Officer of PTC in an exclusive Executive Dialogue session during the Manufacturing Leadership Council’s…
Since its founding in 2018, the World Economic Forum’s Lighthouse Factory Network has served as a collection of role models for what is possible in advanced manufacturing. With 69 Lighthouse locations designated worldwide, the factories that have earned this distinction…
“The next 60 years will usher in an era where robots will become useful team-mates for people, helping them in both physical and cognitive tasks,” predicted the MIT’s Dr. Daniela Rus during her keynote session on the final day of…
“Manufacturers do not accept that anything is impossible.” In his opening speech for Rethink: The Manufacturing Leadership Summit, National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons reflected on the world’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic and how digital technologies…
When it comes to making a digital transition and realizing ambitious business outcomes, Shell believes that technology might be the least important element. During his session at Rethink: The Manufacturing Leadership Council Summit, Peter Westerink, General Manager of Digitalization…
IBM’s digital journey is keenly focused on building a cognitive enterprise that embraces an agile culture of innovation, combined with a client focus that leverages exponential technologies to deliver greater value. IBM executives on the MLC’s recent virtual tour of…
As manufacturers accelerate the deployment of digital technologies to modernize and interconnect their facilities and supply chains, they also open up new risks for cyber-attacks, stressed Chandra Brown, CEO of MxD, during a recent virtual plant tour for Manufacturing Leadership…
There is nothing like an existential crisis to spur change. And the manufacturing industry seems determined not to waste the opportunity.
The road to recovery and resilience begins with great ideas paired with great technology to create and implement a strong risk-reduction strategy that will continue to protect your organization and its people for years to come.
Data analytics are being employed at the heart of the battle against COVID-19. Tracing the outbreak and modeling data to predict outcomes is critical in this crisis. Businesses and governments around the world are starting to apply a wide range…
As COVID-19 vaccines such as those from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna begin to become available, manufacturers have a lot of questions about vaccination in relation to their workforces. To provide as many answers as possible at this point in the vaccination…
It’s time for the industry to use the opportunity presented by the COVID crisis to build the safe, agile, and resilient workplaces it will need for the future.
Today’s version of artificial intelligence is at risk of undercutting the power of knowledge.To free this important technology, here are 10 recommendations that will enable AI in manufacturing operations to prosper.
The manufacturing sector faces a slew of challenges due to the pandemic. A recent survey by the U.S. National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) found that nearly four out of five manufacturing companies expect a financial hit from COVID-19. More than half (53.1%)…
It’s been nearly four months since the COVID-19 pandemic initially sent manufacturers into a turmoil they had never experienced. A sudden onslaught in demand for ventilators, PPE, and other medical equipment was unprecedented in its scope and urgency. Supply chains…
Whether your manufacturing activity ramped up for relief and recovery efforts, completely shut down, or remained open in limited capacity, the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the way many manufacturing organizations will function moving forward. Beyond physical cleaning,…
The Manufacturing Leadership Council has extended its 2020 Critical Issues Agenda to help manufacturing companies navigate the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
the 20th century, two of the most important disciplines that manufacturers embraced were lean manufacturing and safety…
On a recent conference call held by the Manufacturing Leadership Council (MLC) and its parent, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), leaders from Premio Foods and Trane Technologies discussed tips and tactics for safeguarding workers and strengthening operations throughout the…
n January of 2012, the Manufacturing Leadership Council published its first study on the subject of future factories…
“It will be very difficult for the U.S. to grow competitively in the future without increasing the speed of M4.0 adoption,” warns MLC Board Chairman John Fleming at the 2019 ML Summit.
Data is manufacturing’s new gold, but much like any raw material, it only has value once it’s mined, refined, and polished to make it shine. Manufacturers generally have no problem collecting massive amounts of data, but leveraging it to its…
Diverse and disparate products and devices get connected over the Internet of Things (IoT). This is giving way to personalized consumer experiences, workforce empowerment, optimized operations and novel business models. In the past, customers were forced to buy a product…
When I think about artificial intelligence, particularly concerns about its effect on jobs, I’m reminded what Franklin D. Roosevelt said at the height of the Great Depression in his
Hannover Fair MLC Report, Day 2 –– Interoperability, IoT, collaborative robotics, AI in the factory, and digitally-driven enterprise strategies dominated the MLC Delegation’s stand visits during the first full exhibition day at this year’s Hannover Fair in Germany. First stop…
Hannover Fair MLC Report, March 31, 2019 — The Hannover Fair, the world’s largest industrial exhibition, opened last night in Germany as political and industrial leaders, including a delegation of Manufacturing Leadership Council members, gathered in the Hannover Congress Centrum to…
Several months ago, a member of the Manufacturing Leadership Council from the automotive sector approached the MLC team with a proposition: What if they could host an IoT-themed workshop at their headquarters to discuss manufacturing digitization – and enlist the…
In an attempt to get some perspective on where the industry stands today with regards to the idea of…
Is data just a growing problem or a profound agent of change?
John Fleming, the chairman of the manufacturing leadership Council’s Board of Governors and former Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs at the Ford Motor Co., makes an important point about Manufacturing 4.0.
Is data just a growing problem or a profound agent of change?
Manufacturing Leadership Council members tour Dal-Tile’s 990,000-square foot plant in Dickson, TN, and learn how a combination of culture and operational techniques combine to create operational excellence.
Ron Castro, IBM’s Chief Supply Chain Officer, believes the manufacturing industry is at an inflection point in its history where the opportunities for disruption are enormous.
Nominations Open for Program Honoring Companies Leading the Industry into the Manufacturing 4.0 Era Washington, D.C. – Reflecting significant industry trends, the 2019 Manufacturing Leadership (ML) Awards will add a new emphasis on recognizing emerging individual leaders under 30 years…
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA–Manufacturing leaders are becoming better prepared to accept the challenges involved in driving digital transformation, and their companies are taking a more serious and strategic approach to embracing Manufacturing 4.0. These were among the conclusions that were presented…