To compete effectively in the global marketplace of the twenty-first century, manufacturing companies are trying to maintain a high level of flexibility and responsiveness to achieve agility and to remain competitive. Manufacturers are under tremendous pressure to improve productivity and quality while reducing costs. The new competition is in terms of reduced cost, improved quality products wi...

Operational excellence is generally known as a management system integrated across critical functions that is geared towards continually improving operational performance. Functional areas such as health, environment and safety, quality and human resources are the focus of many corporate-wide operational excellence programs. Operational excellence also focuses on improving areas such as custome...

This paper discusses what an engineering school at a university may do for stimulating the manufacturing excellence in industry. Aalborg University will be used as a case example with its unique use of problem-based learning methods. This approach is also imbedded in a new research initiative, The Center for Industrial Production. Examples of industry involvement in research and development pro...

The front cover shows ABB serving the cement manufacturing industry, which it has done since 1961 with turnkey installations, electrical equipment and automation systems. In 1990, ABB recognised the MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) business area as a natural extension to its technology portfolio. Since then, ABB has provided added value solutions that are independent from the installed pro...

Lean Manufacturing has helped several industries to achieve operational and manufacturing excellence by increasing productivity and enhancing quality, while reducing waste and costs. However, the wood industry has been historically slow in adopting this philosophy and its many tools. In times when overseas competition has taken big portions of the traditional market share for U.S based wood ind...

Web-based intelligent is key to achieve global leadership in six-sigma product aftermarket service and manufacturing productivity for the 21st century. The need to improve the understanding of product’s performance for aftermarket service will lead to e-intelligence for quality maintenance and product development. With the proper integration of e-intelligence into products, manufacturing and se...

This research investigates relationships among IT investment, inventory performance, and financial performance to find the empirical evidence for the theory that operational excellence in inventory management and relevant IT investment enhance profitability in the long run. Using ANOVA, post hoc analysis, and hierarchical regression, we analyze longitudinal data at the industry group level (man...

RFID technology is, according to both industry and academia, one of the most promising new technologies for improving logistics and manufacturing excellence this decade. This research provides a structured approach for identifying benefits from RFID-implementation, which would be useful for the many manufacturing companies that are still in the phase of considering employing this technology. Ba...