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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.