MFGx Blog

Collaborate - And More - With Zapproved

aj — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:37:54 GMT

Here's an interesting online collaboration tool that can help manufacturing SMBs, workgroups and displaced teams come to consensus around elements of a project.

Zapproved allows anyone - at no cost - to submit a proposal or proposed project/product to any person or group with an email address. Of course, attachments can be added to any proposal. The proposal package can then be sent within the email with two buttons - one to approve, one to deny. All votes, their sources and any comments from the group are tracked and shared, allowing for strong record keeping and approval cycle management.

Since Zapproved is a SaaS (software as a service, and Web-based), there's no software to install. And your projects and proposals - along with all data around the approval cycle - are maintained and retrievable for later review.

This simple tool can help technical groups build consensus, keep projects moving, and it brings transparency to all team members involved in a decision process.

It's not too hard to imagine how Zapproved can assist manufacturers manage their supply chains by gaining documented approval and consensus on design or process changes, as well.

A unique approach to collaboration, Zapproved is worth a visit if your team could use a little control.

Manufacturing As Art And Inspiration

aj — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:48:32 GMT

The more you try to shave the cat, the more the thing will bite and scratch. I think it's best to leave its fur, and listen to its silky pur. Some people try to make life a little tougher than it is. - Cake

Christopher Conte is the poster child for spreading the manufacturing gospel to the masses. He is to manufacturing hipness what Jerry Lewis is to MD, or what Jerry Lee Lewis is to rock: a potentially timeless, iconic figure that represents a vibe around which an audience can grab inspiration and act.

Christopher Conte is an artist with STRONG manufacturing chops. And he's a bad manufacturing cat daddy with STRONG artistic sensibilities. Born in Europe and migrated to the U.S. as a boy, he found these talents in himself early on and began a brilliant journey that led him to a wonderful place. He creates art, and he builds artificial limbs. The yin and the yang.

You can see the fruits of his "artgineering" pedigree at The Work & Sculpture of Christopher Conte.

It seems to me that Christopher's story and what he does offers something special that we shouldn't overlook. We've tried hard in the past to express that manufacturing in the 21st century is advanced, highly technical, rewarding, satisfying and modern. But we've sucked at it. Sites like Manufacturing Is Cool were launched with the best of intentions. They've tried desperately to convey those positives about manufacturing to a generation that doesn't believe it - and that's noble. But those efforts look tired and hackneyed. They look like your dad wearing a Slipknot t-shirt and telling you to eat your peas because they're good for you. Somehow - while their motives are pure - you just can't take them seriously.

Christopher Conte is what we should use as an example of modern manufacturing mojo and its vast potential. Manufacturing isn't just about making chips or welding anymore. Manufacturing is - because of the vast availability of inexpensive technology and communications channels - a blend of technology, business and expression. It doesn't - and shouldn't - have to carry the old, tired stigma.

You can't make someone see something they don't want to - they have to get it themselves, and on their own terms. The Christopher Contes of this world create a sphere of influence far more powerful than any other message we can come up with on our own. He's the ideal - perfectly expressed, and manifested in real life:

Manufacturing can, indeed, be cool.

Robojackets Return From China

aj — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:17:08 GMT

Perhaps you remember reading about the mighty Robojackets on MFGx a few months back.

The Robojackets, you'll recall, are the group from Georgia Tech University that aim to spread the robotics and automation word. They participate in several robotics competitions throughout the year in many different locations.

Well, they're just now back from the RoboCup 2008 competition in Suzhuo, China. They competed in events against teams from all over the world - Germany, The Netherlands, Japan, Iran, and many others.

The Robojackets team (seen below, at the MFG.com Shanghai offices) were sponsored by Caterpillar, General Motors, MFG.com, and multiple groups at Georgia Tech.

Solar Power Update

aj — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:17:30 GMT

Last month, I dropped a post on the feasibility of solar power for manufacturing facilities and plants ("Solar Power for Manufacturers - Does It Make Sense?").

The push of my post was that solar isn't acceptable for SMB manufacturers - yet. It's just too expensive. But, I proposed, maybe solar could be a catalyst to help energize manufacturing and help solve the energy and ecological conundrum we're in.

But according to a recent report from McKinsey titled "The Economics of Solar Power (registration required to view entire report), it seems that solar is gaining more steam as a viable, affordable energy source. It goes so far to suggest that solar could become comparable in cost to conventional electricity within 10 years.

Says McKinsey:

Within three to seven years, solar energy's unsubsidized cost to end users will approach the cost of conventional electricity in a number of markets, including parts of the United States (California and the Southwest), as well as Italy, Japan, and Spain.
Installed global solar capacity will grow by roughly 30 to 35 percent a year, from 10 gigawatts today to about 200 gigawatts in 2020.

While likely investment is baked into McKinsey's forecast, it's not too clear how unforeseen technological advances could affect velocity. Regardless, this is an astonishing prediction from a more than reliable, credible source.

More to follow ...

2 Million Minutes

aj — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:20:12 GMT

No, that's not how long it feels like listening to Boeing moan over losing the KC-X tanker contract (although no one would blame you for thinking that).

2 Million Minutes is the title of a new documentary, named for the approximate amount of time a student spends in high school. The push of the film is twofold: to compare those 2 million minutes from the perspectives of students in the U.S., China and India; and to exclaim loudly that the U.S. education system is broken - that it is incapable of generating the amount of engineers, scientists and technologists the U.S. economy requires to compete and thrive in the global bouillabaisse.

Check out the trailer for a great introduction.

Now, anyone would have to be a fool or asleep not to agree - at least partly - with this premise. The clues are all around us. Recently, Bill Gates testified before the U.S. Congress on the need for increased funding for math and science education and revised immigration regulations for the U.S. to maintain its competitive edge.

I acknowledge that our education system is flawed. Our curricula and techniques are outdated, and we're slow to adjust. Students in countries that 20 years ago couldn't hold our abacus are catching up to us at an alarming rate.

But you know what? I don't buy it - at least, not the fact that the education system is solely to blame for this malaise. It's like saying guns kill people. Yes, they do. But a lot of things lead up to a killing, outside of - and just as important as - the action itself, or instrument used.

Look at manufacturing in the U.S. If you're reading this, odds are you're intimately familiar at how difficult it becomes every year to find talent for the shop floor. You know that it's not just the system that is failing us.

It's the culture, too. Mostly.

Fact is, the attraction isn't there. Fewer students are ENTERING school to become chemists, engineers, and computer scientists. Manufacturing is seen as a path best suited for mouth-breathing Luddites out of step with the times and technology. More now see the road to success paved with abstracts, leisure and bling. Our culture places less emphasis on space programs or smallpox vaccines. Parents, families, peers, media, government and, yes, our education system are ALL a bit out of whack.

2 Million Minutes is an important film, with an important message. Heading its warnings can do nothing but help us regain our competitive edge.

But we must acknowledge that the 2 million minutes BEFORE these 2 million minutes are just as important to this cause. Otherwise, we're whistling in the dark.

Google Sites - New Web Site Options For All Manufacturers

aj — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:43:45 GMT

Google has just announced a new Web service called Google Sites, and it offers manufacturing professionals large and small several options to promote and serve their businesses, and collaborate with others simply and effectively.

In essence, Google Sites is about building a Web site without needing to know how to build a Web site. No coding, design or advanced computer skills are needed.

Check out these features and descriptions:

Single-click page creation - Creating a new page for your Google Site just takes the click of a button.

No HTML required - Creating a Google Site is as easy as editing a document, which means there's no markup language for you to learn - just get started.

Make it your own - (Google's) customization options let you give your Google Site your own look and feel.

Get started with templates - (Google) offer(s) a growing list of page types -- web page, announcements, file cabinet, dashboard and list -- to help you get started with your Google Sites pages.

Upload files and attachments - Use the file cabinet to upload files up to 10MB in size. Each Google Apps account receives at least 10GB of storage in Google Sites. Google Apps Premier and Education editions get an additional 500MB for each user account.

Embed rich content - Google Sites is integrated with other Google products, so you can insert videos, docs, spreadsheets, presentations, photo slide shows, and calendars directly onto your Google Sites pages.

Work together and share - (Google's) permission settings let you designate owners, viewers and collaborators (meaning they can edit pages) for your site. And you can make your Google Sites available to just a few people, your entire organization, or the world.

Search with Google - You can search across Google Sites pages and content using powerful Google search technology. You'll find specific pages and documents instantly, the same way you would on Google.com.

What does all this mean for manufacturers? You can create a useful Web site for your company. You can create an Intranet (internal site) to serve you company, employees, sales force, etc. You can create private sites to serve a project and only invite the project members. You can create training sites for your employees.

The point is that you can create a Web site - without knowing how.

Solar Power for Manufacturers – Does It Make Sense?

aj — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:33:19 GMT

I can’t decide if solar energy is right for manufacturers as an energy source.

On the one hand, anything that gets us away from dependence on oil is nothing but a good thing. On the other, manufacturing businesses – especially SMBs – likely can’t justify the hefty initial investment in current solar technology.

Please spare me the argument that it pays for itself, or that “you can sell back to the grid” to offset costs. Those are long-term issues for businesses with wicked cash flow and shrinking margins. And the energy needs of a manufacturer are much greater than most other businesses. Besides, if any technology gets the nod first, it’s likely gonna be for something that automates or improves the processes of the business.

For a quick video overview of solar power with consideration for manufacturing applications, check out this video from Cisco over at bMighty.com.

Now that you know where I stand, consider another angle to all this. In the video, the cat explaining how businesses buy and install solar technology says his company’s been seeing 50% growth every year. He goes on to point out that his two solar panel suppliers are “at capacity” and they’re in “the Philippines and Japan.”

So what about using solar power as a catalyst to help U.S. manufacturing? You can find several examples of solar power’s potential from myriad sources (here, here and here).

Solar power manufacturers are enjoying accelerated growth, while many in mature or shifting markets struggle. The time is right to make a change. It’s been suggested by many that bold initiatives are called for to rebuild the fading U.S. infrastructure – so why not a bold initiative to renew U.S. manufacturing dominance through solar power.

It kills 2 birds. Or, I should say, revives them.

More Collaborative Tools For SMBs

aj — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:08:44 GMT

Here are a couple of online, low-cost collaborative tools for you to use with clients or colleagues. These may not be the most secure or elegant solutions, but for personal use to support your work, you may want to check these out:

ADrive - ADrive offers up to 50GB of storage space for your documents and files. While it's touted as an online backup for your hard drive, you can share your files with anyone. Adrive is free after you create an account.
Tweetcube - Do you Twitter? Many are flocking to the real time networking site. Tweetcube allows you to share files of up to 10MB in size through your Twitter account, and deletes them after 30 days. Tweetcube is also free with registration.
SnapYap - OK, the name may sound odd, but Yahoo was already taken, OK? SnapYap is simple: plug in the e-mail address of anyone you want to video conference with, they're notified to meet you online, and you're squawking together in no time. Absolutely free.

Shout out: Robin Good.

Flipped Out

aj — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:24:39 GMT

Let me tell you about a new product (new to me, at least) that offers many small-to-medium sized manufacturers a fantastic opportunity to market themselves more effectively.

Mitch Free, CEO/Founder of MFG.com, loves his gizmos. If there was a stronger word than love, I'd use it and not be exaggerating. When Mitch gets a hold on any new tech-toy, he's done. Imagine the excitement of kid on Christmas morning, mixed with the concentration of a neurosurgeon - that's Mitch in that zone. He just absorbs these things.

So, Mitch stops by yesterday with the latest object of his affection, the Flip. It's a point-and-shoot, stupid-simple-to-use video camera. About the size of a cell phone. Brilliant user experience. Looks really cool. Records up to 60 minutes of video/audio. Its name comes from the USB plug that "flips" out of its side. Plugs right into your computer, or any USB-enabled device.

Mitch made a 10-second clip of me. Plugged the Flip into his laptop, D&D'd the file, and played it. I was astonished at the quality of the video and audio.

Pure Digital, the company that makes the Flip, has been around for a few years. They introduced the Flip in May of '07. It sells for $149 - $179 on its Web site. I found a top-end Flip for $149 on Amazon.

The importance of this product to manufacturers is this:

Many manufacturers either don't have the time, resources or ability to create quality video of their processes, capabilities and products to complement their Web presence. Or enable their sales or support staffs in the field to share videos. The Flip heralds a moment in technology when you can record effectively and efficiently and share or post those videos easily - regardless of how comfortable you are with the medium.

Record processes or facilities or interviews with a Flip, post videos to a channel on YouTube, link to them from your site. Simple, quick, and all for less than the cost of a weekend at a Holiday Inn.

Online Tool To Rank Your Site?

aj — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:02:07 GMT

File this under Friday fun time:

Want to see where your site ranks on the search engines? Get a sense of how many backlinks there are to your site? Then you need to visit:

Xinu Returns

Just plug in your URL (or any URL) and you're on your way.

Couple of drawbacks: It's a Spanish site, so checking your indexed pages on Google takes you to google.es (it's easy to switch, but still ...) and some of the search engines register only sporadically.

But Xinu does a cool job of validating coding on your site, and it actually grades your URL and title, keywords, and description code for effectiveness.

Nothing's perfect, but this is a great idea, fairly well executed.

Shout Out: Thanks to Peter08, an MFGx community daddy-o, for the tip.

More Online Collaboration Tools For Manufacturers/Engineers

aj — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:24:50 GMT

Collaborate and communicate with any of your peeps that have an internet connection:

FileCrunch - Upload and share files from your hard drive or network, up to 250mb in size. Free and no registration required.
Vawker - Create your own online video/chat area, send the URL to whoever you want, and let 'er rip. Very simple to use. Registration required, but it's free to use.
Cozimo - Collaborate with a person or workgroup around videos or graphics. Collaborators can place notes with the files real-time, and each account has up to 10mb of space to use (and is limited to 1 workgroup). Registration is required, and the base functionality is free (with charges for more advanced sevices).

More: China's Pre/Post Olympics Smog Crackdown

aj — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:15:36 GMT

Last week, we passed along word that China is considering - among other actions - shutting down large portions of manufacturing to "green up" before, during and after the games.

Along with our sources on the ground in Shanghai, Richard over at All Roads Lead To China has been on the case in regard to those issues that could impact manufacturers in all roles of the supply chain.

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The talk is heating up, and it's hard to determine exactly what will be done where, and when it's gonna go down. And while talk of pollution has been around since Beijing won the 2008 Olympiad competition, consider these reports from the past few months as evidence that swift, aggressive action is on the horizon:

East China Province Gives Ultimatum to Polluters Before Olympics - Richard at ARLTC has posted another update, this time looking into reports that 132 plants in Shandong Province (near Beijing) have been warned to comply with pollution regulations by 06/30/08 or be shut down.
Beijing Petrol Stations Face Olympic Shutdown - ABC News Australia reported in February that the capital would shut down 10% of its gas stations, and fit the rest with special nozzles to reduce vapor emissions. Our sources tell MFGx that there has been more recent talk of using an even-odd system for vehicles for this time frame (e.g., cars with odd numbered plates drive on odd days, even on even days).
China's Looming Olympics Disaster - Jim Jubak at MSN Money reported in March of the potential "perfect storm" - water and food shortages to support the games, the affects of pollution on atheletes, and - yes - the forced shutdown of industries its impact on the Chinese economy. (Oddly, not much is mentioned about potential Draconian measures' impact on the world economy.)
China's Smog Shutdown - This article, published by the Chinese government on 02/28/08, is as informative for what is DOESN'T say about plant closings. No real details are given, which means as of March 1st, Beijing was (is?) leaving their options open.

Bottom line is this:

If you're sourcing to China, you'd better be talking to your suppliers and IPOs to determine if they are in compliance, and what disruptions might occur if they aren't. Now's the time to develop contingencies.

If you're a supplier in a mature market (U.S. and Europe), now's the time to engage current and former customers to see if you can play a part in their solutions. These times of instability and uncertainty in China may present fantastic opportunities for you to get more work and develop long-term, profitable partnerships.

Meet The Instapreneurs - On-Demand Manufacturers

aj — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:02:38 GMT

As a revolution, on-demand manufacturing/3-D Printing has yet to take off. However, as a concept and technology its potential continues to grow.

(Do you still think this is a pipedream? The photo at right is of injection molding tools made with 3-D printing. +Photo source: U.S. National Science Foundation.+)

A recent article in Wired Magazine revisits many of the on-demand manufacturing play-yuhs and touts the obvious impact these technologies and models will have on the supply chain.

Welcome to the age of the instapreneur. With nothing more than a design, amateurs can manufacture jewelry, robots, T-shirts, furniture - anything. No warehouses. No minimum orders. And no money down. The digital economy isn't just digital; the same market forces that allowed midlist musicians to make a living distributing their songs online now give amateur clothiers the chance to sell their wares without having to persuade (a retailer's) buyers to carry them.

Unlike the industrial revolution - which transformed the physical world in obvious ways, and saw reactions that created new technologies and business acumen - the on-demand revolution will (+is+) happen(+ing+) outside the peripheral vision of most manufacturers.

Just as the Luddites were upended by technology, what we know as traditional manufacturing protocols, practices and channels to sustain businesses will morph completely. In their place, instarpreneurship will emerge - the path from concept to market will dramatically shorten, supply and materials chains will skew and reinvent themselves, and the value of the traditional hands-on craftsman will drop.

Also from the Wired article:

Large brands are starting to see the appeal of manufacturing-as-a-service, too. Lexus recently used Blurb, an on-demand publisher, to print 1,800 copies of a book promoting the automaker's green practices. Franchises from Dilbert to the Discovery Channel sell licensed merchandise on CaféPress. Disney has uploaded more than 3,500 of its designs to Zazzle, allowing the company to sell a wider range of products than just the blockbuster Mickey Mouse T-shirts favored by conventional retailers. The service also gives the Disney machine unprecedented agility. "Here, I can see that Hannah Montana is taking off, we can upload a design right into Zazzle's system, and in a day or two it's a product," says Patrick Haley, senior manager of customization for DisneyShopping.com.

And Ponoko, the model that best compares to the channels for discrete parts manufacturing, now has 5,000 merchants on their platform after 1 year of existence.

From idea to part to market in an instant. With minimal technical savvy. That's instapreneurship.

Oosah

aj — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:31:25 GMT

Here at MFGx, we like to pass along online tools and utilities that we've found - even if those tools weren't designed specifically for manufacturers.

So, in that spirit I introduce you to Oosah. It's intended to accept files like photos and video from multiple accounts (i.e., Facebook, MySpace, etc.) into one spot so someone can share 'em with friends and family.

But Oosah can help manufacturers and engineers, too. You get 2 megabytes of storage space to upload and share many file formats with anyone, anywhere. It's a great option for collaboration with customers or colleagues, especially across long distances.

Oosah is free to use - it just requires registration, and you're on your way.

Wanna Sell Stuff Online? Here's A New Option

aj — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:41:16 GMT

Are you a small manufacturer with limited Web resources or knowledge? Are you a shop with a product line? Do you want to test the e-commerce waters but not sure how or where to start?

Take a look at Web Store by Amazon.

For $59.99 (U.S.) per month + 7% commission, you get an easy to set-up, fully functional online sales channel. That includes credit card processing, fraud protection, and search engine optimization. And - maybe best of all - you don't have to mess with maintenance or support of the server: Amazon handles it all.

And, if you add Amazon products to your products, you can earn "referral fees" from Amazon to offset your costs.

Not a bad deal.

Sure, you can use eBay. That's a fine way to go. But if you want to enable your own Web site with this functionality without the time and effort, give Amazon a shout.