Editorial departments

IndustryWeek covers manufacturing operations for senior executives.  It builds a dialogue around six editorial departments, and its editors welcome proposals, ideas and contributed content to appear within these pages.

IndustryWeek's departmental pillars:

(Click on any department name for more detail)

Factory Automation

Including...Robotics, Components, Controls, Capital Equipment, Motors/Drives, RoHS, Machine Tools, and Systems Integration

In today’s hyper-competitive environment, top executives of American manufacturing companies must leverage the strategic advantages of factory automation in order to win in world markets.  In this department, IW looks at what’s new in factory automation and how manufacturers are using these plant-floor technologies to pump up profitability and rein in costs.

Facilities & Operations

Including...Lean Manufacturing, Energy, Maintenance/MRO, Green Manufacturing, Economic Development, Labor and Workforce, Waste Management, and Safety

This IndustryWeek department covers the ways manufacturing managers can optimize their investments in people, technology and machinery. It also looks at the challenges companies face when they produce, market and sell these goods and services.

Purchasing

Including...Global Sourcing, Online Marketplaces, Credit Insurance, Raw Materials, Counterfeit Parts, Spend Management, Procurement, and Financing/Leasing

Material costs make up roughly half of the cost of goods sold at U.S. manufacturing plants.  Manufacturing decision-makers must be smarter about how they purchase materials, and more strategic in their evaluation of both direct and indirect materials.  To that end, they are implementing procurement strategies to mitigate those cost increases while reducing the impact of cost fluctuations.

Product Development

Including...Innovation, Engineering, R&D, Materials, Resource Management, Nanotechnology, Intellectual Property, and PLM

New technologies are increasingly being adapted to fit the needs of manufacturers’ processes, with the goal of keeping the U.S. at the forefront of R&D leadership. This IW department looks at the tools manufacturers deploy to shorten time-to-market while developing innovative products.

Information Technology

Including...ERP, Wireless Applications, Supply Chain Solutions, RFID, Business Intelligence, Green Computing, Data Warehousing, and PLM Software

Both large and small manufacturers are increasingly relying on software and IT solutions to gain the competitive advantage. With the pace of business quickening, software and IT solutions are racing to keep up and get ahead.  Manufacturers demand these solutions perform a wide range of critical functions -- from measuring real-time performance to managing supply chains and logistics; from financial planning to RFID solutions; from controlling the day-to-day to managing forecasts years out.

Supply Chain & Logistics

Including...Globalization, Transportation, Outsourced Logistics, Cargo Security, Material Handling, Warehousing & Distribution, Inventory Management, and Reverse Logistics

To ensure overall success of an operation, a manufacturer must take responsibility for its extended supply chain upstream to the raw material providers and downstream to the end customer.  This IW department looks at how supply chain management is fraught with political and cultural challenges, supplier integration obstacles, and getting products to market faster and cheaper on a global scale.