February: How to Improve Your New Product Development and Launch Process
Many companies are failing abysmally in their new product development introductions and launches, despite the industry-wide recognition that new products are the lifeblood of their success. This article offers solutions for manufacturers to fine-tune their product launch efforts and challenges readers to refocus on continuously improving their product development processes.
May: The Future of R&D
Investing in innovation is a crucial component in ensuring U.S. manufacturers' ability to compete in the global marketplace -- but how do they know how much to spend on research and development? And with public funding for R&D continuing to shrink, and R&D budgets falling at many companies, U.S. manufacturers must develop new strategies to finance and further their product development strategies. This article looks at major manufacturers that are doing it right and what implications product development will have for the future of U.S. manufacturing.
October: Product Lifecycle Management
Product is the lifeblood of manufacturing, and this article takes a strategic look at how companies are using the different types of product development solutions in a search for best practices that are applicable throughout various industries.
December: Anatomy of a Product: IW's Supply Chain of the Year
Innovations in process improvement and R&D have been major contributors to the growth of U.S. manufacturers throughout the years. And in this annual feature, IW celebrates a manufacturing-centric supply chain that best demonstrates the growing value of innovation and collaboration. This article spotlights outstanding achievements by a manufacturer in each of the six pillars of manufacturing: factory automation, facilities and operations management, procurement, supply chain management, information technology and product development.
