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 […]
Redshift
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 […]
Thinking About the End User Comes First
Jack Davies is a product design engineer who believes that passion combined with an understanding of how the end user will interact with the product is the key to successful design. Davies says bad design comes from not truly understanding—and only assuming—how people might use a product. Watch the video to learn more about this […]
Designer Joe Doucet’s Secret to Success: Forget Inspiration and Embrace Fear
“I am most interested when a project scares me, when I have absolutely no idea even where to start,” says Joe Doucet, designer and founder of Joe Doucet and Partners design firm, based in New York and London. Watch Doucet talk about his 3D-printed concrete public-seating project—seating that also serves as a protective barrier for […]
Could Machine Learning Improve Work-Life Balance in the Future of Architecture?
For many architects, working nights and weekends is part of the job, especially when project deadlines loom. According to the 2018 Equity in Architecture report, 70% of architects surveyed don’t feel empowered to ask employers for work-life balance benefits, such as working remotely and flexible hours. But in the future of architecture, automation and machine learning (ML) […]
