More and more, ordinary homes and offices are starting to resemble Iron Man alter ego Tony Stark’s famously futuristic Malibu mansion, tricked out with space-age technologies ranging from remote-controlled video surveillance to robot butlers. Residents of smart buildings already enjoy modern conveniences such as programmable thermostats and refrigerators that can be operated over the Internet. But that’s just […]
Redshift
Putting Your Company’s Purpose First to Help Create Positive Impact
Most companies are born in a vacuum, from the space where a creator and a maker saw a need out in the world and took the many steps needed to fulfill it. But as time passes, spreadsheets and the bottom line can obscure the original intention, and that same company can lose sight of its […]
4 Ways Architects Can Extend Their Client Services Post-Construction
Plamena Milusheva, a designer at Seattle architecture firm LMN, is working on a way to get architects back into their buildings long after construction ends and they’ve turned over the keys. The trick isn’t a lockpick kit or any sort of clandestine sneaking technology; it’s a networked device she’s developing at LMNts (LMN Tech Studio)—LMN’s research […]
To Make Products with Social Impact, Mulago Foundation Asks These 4 Questions
Addressing the basic needs of the poorest people in the world is a daunting mission, but San Francisco–based Mulago Foundation has developed a simple algorithm that makes it significantly easier. The philanthropic venture fund, led by managing director Kevin Starr, provides grants and low-interest loans to organizations that demonstrate an ability to transform impoverished communities. Think of […]
5 Steps to Changing Organizational Culture and Designing Your Future Workforce
When you think about all the investment you’ve made in your business—from cutting-edge tools and technology to state-of-the-art facilities—have you stopped to consider your employees, arguably the most important investment of all? As you take your business on the continued march of technological progress, your employees need to be on board with any necessary changes […]
Want a Sustainable Supply Chain? Learn Tips to Make It Happen
Supply-chain sustainability rests on the idea that every step in the process of making a product matters. By definition, it is a holistic view of the social, environmental, and economic impact of supply-chain processes, logistics, and technologies. Although a sustainable supply chain is still a nascent concept, many established manufacturers are already attempting to incorporate […]
The Promise of Manufacturing Automation for All Starts with Generative Design
As a manufacturer, you’re certainly familiar with the concept of generative design by now—but there’s still some confusion over its real definition. Many in the manufacturing community would have you believe that generative design is merely a branch of topology optimization or procedural modeling. But in reality, generative design is a more profound change in approach than that. It’s an […]
How Gig Economy Growth Could Help Close the Labor Gap in Construction
Just 10 years ago, cities across America were mottled with transit deserts—streets, neighborhoods, and entire regions without convenient or affordable transportation options. No trains. No buses. Not even taxis. The only way to get around was by driving your own vehicle—if you had one, that is. If not, it was a struggle to access employment, […]
Think PMI is TMI? Here’s Why 3D Models Need Product Manufacturing Information
Although it’s fascinating to check out a napkin sketch by a famous architect—the germ of an idea that grows into a monumental project—you wouldn’t expect that sketch to serve as the actual plan to build it. But that’s what product manufacturers face too often when receiving information about what a client wants them to create. But there is a […]
How 5 Big Moves Kept a Small Manufacturing Business Alive
Phil VanderKraats is an artist, first and foremost. His milieu is crafting intricate, custom signs for businesses. For many years after starting Signs by Van in Prunedale, CA, Phil experienced success and supported his family with his passion-meets-means occupation. But when 2008’s Great Recession hit, his small manufacturing business—which served businesses and municipalities since 1981—took a hard […]
