Constraints are a big part of the manufacturing industry. They are almost inevitable at times. The key to dealing with this is planning. In order to lessen the effects of constraints on your operation, it is crucial to know how to identify both your internal and external constraints and have the proper strategies to handle them effectively. In a recent chat for USA Manufacturing Hour on Twitter, host, Dr Lisa Lang from www.ScienceofBusiness.com led a discussion on the Theory of Constraints.

It's critical for business owners and managers to prepare their organizations to survive, and possibly even thrive, through a recession. What steps can be taken to prepare a business to maintain operational integrity during a recession?

What is APS software? APS, short for advanced planning and scheduling, allows manufacturers to keep track of materials, labor and production processes in order to optimize plant capacity. Having a solid grasp of resources can greatly improve the productivity and efficiency of a manufacturing operation.

Goal setting is an important part of success. In fact, goals are like a roadmap to a destination and without goals, forward movement can be directionless. Identifying the right goals is an important part of any strategy and can be effective in promoting both short- and long-term results. This is true in business but also true for life in general.

In a recent chat for USA Manufacturing Hour on Twitter, host, Pavel Stepanov from VirtuDesk led a discussion about setting effective goals for both the short and long term.

There are many opportunities to increase supply chain efficiency. There are also many challenges that impact the ability to run efficiently. By working through some of the challenges with some practical methods that have a big impact on supply chain management, any organization can increase their supply chain efficiency, regardless of industry.

Let’s start by exploring a few of the challenges to supply chain efficiency that impact most industries.

Technology roadmaps are a great organizational tool for any company to map out technology developments and to determine how those developments are going to change the way a company operates.

What?

A technology roadmap is defined as a planning technique to create strategic long-term and flexible plans for technology developments, adjustments and technology initiatives over time.

Basically, a technology roadmap focuses on a company’s short-term and long-term technology goals. There are three main uses for a roadmap: to reach an agreement about a company’s technology needs, to provide a forecast for technology developments and to create a framework for planning and coordinating technological advancements.