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Sustainability Blog

  • Two New Sustainability Surveys – Connecting to Financials...
    Entry posted Feb 16 by Kimberly Knickle , tagged Sustainability
    Two New Sustainability Surveys – Connecting to Financials and the Employees

    By now, you've probably noticed that IDC does surveys in a big way.  All that survey work means that I pay close attention to surveys produced by other companies.  I read through the results with a healthy dose of skepticism, but recently I've found two very interesting ones related to sustainability - one from Ceres and another from Brighter Planet.

  • Auto Industry Change: Sustainability & PLM
    Entry posted Jan 25 by Kimberly Knickle , tagged Automotive, Innovation, PLM, Product Development, Sustainability, Technology
    Auto Industry Change: Sustainability & PLM

    The pace and complexity of change the automotive industry is facing is staggering.  If we look ahead 10 or 20 years, how many times will the product need to change?  Joe Barkai and I have taken a look at just a few of the high profile announcements we've seen over the last couple months - from recent auto shows, investments in new technologies, and even the relationship between the industry's products and regulations, voluntary or involuntary.   A common theme runs through many of these announcements - sustainability.

    For the auto industry, sustainability isn't just about one issue or one product.  It's about addressing a combination of environmental, social, and economic issues, such as customer expectations, government regulations, and financial pressures, all at the same time;  knowing the risks and opportunities across every aspect of the business and across the lifecycle of every product is crucial.

Automotive Industry Future Blog

  • Could PLM Have Prevented the Toyota Catastrophe?1
    Entry posted Feb 02 by Joe Barkai , tagged Automotive, Best practices, PLM, Product Development, Warranty
    Could PLM Have Prevented the Toyota Catastrophe?

    Last week I received an email  from one of the top PLM vendors with this question: "could PLM have prevented the recent recall of Toyota cars?"  Earlier today, I was interviewed by a top-tier business magazine, and, perhaps not surprisingly, one of the questions was: "why wasn’t simulation able to predict the increased friction in the accelerator pedal mechanism and prevent the failure?"

     

    My response to both was that no, I did not think that PLM could have prevented the failure altogether.  It is my opinion, however, that when used effectively, PLM can reduce the likelihood of failures, expedite root-cause analysis, and the formulation of remedial steps.  In the case of a recall,  PLM, combined with other tools, can reduce the number of recalled cars, thereby reducing costs and damage to the brand image.

     

    Before I discuss the rational behind my responses, I am interested to hear your opinions whether PLM could have / should have prevented this or similar product failures.   

     

    See more on this recall here http://idc-insights-community.com/posts/073f490f43  

     

     

     

  • Lessons to be Learned From the Toyota Recall
    Entry last edited Feb 04 by Joe Barkai , tagged Automotive, Discrete Manufacturing, PLM, Warranty
    Lessons to be Learned From the Toyota Recall

    The recall of 2.3 million Toyota vehicles last week to correct an unintended acceleration caused by a sticky accelerator pedal is another blow to the company's nearly unblemished reputation.  Only a few months ago, Toyota  recalled 4.3 million vehicles for similar concerns,  blaming floor mats lodged under the accelerator pedal as the root of the problem. 

    In typical fashion of humility and responsibility, Toyota president Akio Toyoda apologized to customers and halted  the sales and production of eight Toyota models.  With annual production of roughly  6.3 million vehicles and sales of nearly 10 million units worldwide, Mr. Toyoda's action  is  significant.  Certainly, Toyota has deep pockets and can surely survive the loss of revenue.  Nevertheless, recovering from the damage to its legendary quality image will be difficult and prolonged.  Indeed, last week, Toyota's stock was down 16.7%  and Consumer Reports removed Toyota  from its recommended vehicle  list.

    The impact is felt beyond the Toyota name plate.  Pontiac Vibe, which is built on the same platform as the Toyota Matrix, is also subject to the recall.

Supply Chain Risk Blog

  • Re-Assessing Supply Network Risk
    Entry posted Feb 10 by Simon Ellis , tagged Economic Crisis, Supply Chain
    Re-Assessing Supply Network Risk

    In our Supply Chain Top 10 Predictions for 2010, we talk a lot about manufacturing companies fundamentally shifting their supply chain structure from a fixed-cost-driven network to a variable-cost-driven one.  Certainly, in many segments some form of this has been going on for years, but it is our view that the uncertainty around global economic recovery (what is the ‘new normal’?) will speed the trend considerably.

    One pretty clear implication of moving from fixed to variable cost structures is the changing pace of outsourcing.  Indeed in one of our 2010 predictions we suggest: The Increasing Pace of Supply Chain Outsourcing/Off-shoring Will Keep Risk Management High on the Strategic Agenda, But Investment Will Remain Focused on Building Risk Awareness. 

  • Sustainability & Risk Management - Using Supply...
    Entry posted 11/23/09 by Kimberly Knickle , tagged Supply Chain, Sustainability, Technology
    Sustainability & Risk Management - Using Supply Network Optimization?

    We just published our report on supply network optimization – "Best Practices: Supply Network Optimization in Asset-Oriented Value Chains (AOVC)" (MI220746).  Our research was geared toward asset-oriented manufacturers (those with significant asset investments, primarily chemicals, metals, and pulp and paper), because we believe complexity in this segment's greater supply chain, including production, can be well served by supply network optimization (SNO).  Optimization tools will play a significant role in 2010 as global economies slowly recover and companies look to survive and to position themselves for the inevitable recovery.  Most of the use cases for SNO tools among the AOVC also apply to many types of manufacturers.

Operational Technology Blog

  • NextGen RFID-Sensing Inclusion of Telematics50%
    Entry posted 10/29/09 by Benjamin Friedman , tagged Automotive, Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail, IT Portfolio, M2M, RFID
    NextGen RFID-Sensing Inclusion of Telematics


    The Auto ID and Sensing Expo, held at MIT and produced by the Cambridge Enterprise Forum, offered a preview of what's ahead for auto-ID and related sensor-based technologies. In years past, this event was focused on UHF-RFID.  This year's event was expanded to include technologies ranging from automotive telematics to specialized RFID-data-acquisition systems designed for vertical industries.  It reasons that the driving force behind RFID-related technologies has moved from  third-party commercial-and-federal mandate to need-based functionality defined along vertical-market requirements. 

  • M2M in MP3
    Entry posted 08/19/09 by Sandra Collins , tagged Best practices, Innovation, M2M, Product Development, Technology
    M2M in MP3

    I was recently interviewed on M2M Radio. This interview was conducted  by M2M Magazine editor Peggy Smedley. Peggy and I discussed factors  shaping the M2M market; topics covered ranged from the Manufacturing Insights M2M vendor selection framework to the manner by which the overall M2M ecosystem might benefit from the US Federal Government's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Manufacturing Forum: Join the Conversations

Video Update: PLM's Role in the Toyota Recall

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