It’s a frustrating and common e-commerce experience: receiving a small item in a huge box filled with plastic air pillows or other packing material. The shipper may find it convenient to use just a few box sizes, but it’s a big waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, containers and packaging make up a major portion of municipal […]
Redshift
How IoT-Connected Products Simplify Life But Create Nefarious Security Issues
Get this: Data-security researchers at Indiana University, probing the hacking vulnerabilities of an Internet-connected Crock-Pot, easily took control of the device and other devices that share its Wi-Fi router—but they have found no risk of an attacker remotely setting it on fire. That’s the good news. Now, the bad news: Internet connectivity is designed into […]
How the Digital Supply Chain Will Change the Future of Manufacturing
A transformation of manufacturing supply chains is ushering in the fourth modality of logistics. To ground, air, and ocean, manufacturers can now add digital. The move to the digital supply chain—the power source for Industry 4.0—creates multiple opportunities for every company in every industry. But every revolution needs exemplars to help lead the way, and […]
6 Startup Success Tips from HoloBuilder, Construction’s “It” App
The dream of all developers is that their product, after months or years of work, sees the light of day and becomes an indispensable tool. Few developers experience that, but even fewer achieve the success of the innovative program HoloBuilder. Just a few years ago, computer-science lecturer Mostafa Akbari, together with cofounder Simon Heinen, launched the […]
Start a Product-Innovation Revolution in 6 Steps—Whether You’re David or Goliath
In his book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell upends the idea that it was surprising for David, the underdog, to vanquish Goliath, the almighty giant. Underdogs, Gladwell suggests, have certain inherent advantages. In business, companies might find themselves in either the David or Goliath position, and it’s important to […]
5 Top Manufacturing Trends to Expect in 2019
Innovations such as drones, 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) have been steadily maturing along their own trajectories. Insiders, pundits, and surveyed companies say that in 2019, these trends will continue their recent convergence into a tapestry of industrial tools that’s greater than the sum of its parts. The manufacturing […]
Think Generative Design is Overhyped? These Examples Could Change Your Mind
It is my view that generative design is the most exciting development the manufacturing industry has seen in the past 20-plus years. If that sounds like an overstatement—or you’re unsure about generative design altogether—let me share some examples that might open your mind a bit. But first, let me clarify what generative design is—and what it is […]
Why Using Big Data Mitigates Risk and Helps Construction Businesses Take Flight
Construction companies that adopt technology to accelerate delivery can achieve real efficiencies. But if they aren’t also gaining insight from the project data, they’re missing a major opportunity. It’s like building a better, more powerful jet engine, then never actually leaving the ground. Digitizing all those construction documents creates a wealth of information, but most […]
Robots on the Rise: 5 Examples of Innovations in Industrial Robotics
The term industrial robotics might conjure huge, fast-moving machines engaged in the kind of repetitive, dangerous work that humans used to handle: building automobiles, welding parts, and so on. Although those machines will certainly continue to take on larger roles in manufacturing, innovations in industrial robotics have started to lead humanity in intriguing new directions. From delicate […]
3 Steps to Exceed Expectations and Turn Your Business into a Customer Company
The 21st-century economy isn’t made for complacency. Constant disruption and innovation in business require continual evolution and development. It also demands something personal: a genuine connection to your customer. As Henry Ford said, “If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and […]
