Manufacturing may be known as the place “where the rubber meets the road,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean that organizations are getting the most out of their production operations. In fact, as I discussed two weeks ago, a considerable number of operations have difficulty with realizing the full potential that manufacturing can generate. While this can happen for a multitude of reasons, in my experience a main culprit can be a misalignment of detailed goals between manufacturing and a company's broader business objectives.

Did you know that the global report card displays a 'D' when it comes to our effort of combating global warming? That manufacturing accounts for 16% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 14% of worldwide employment? Or that GE has lowered its sticker price by 20% due to homeshoring? Me neither, and percisely my reasoning for incorporating the below articles into this week's round up. Enjoy. 

At LNS Research, we’ve been working hard to address the most pressing issues organizations are facing today. For almost two years, we’ve been translating our quantitative research and discussions with industry leading executives into a constant flow of actionable research around the areas of enterprise quality management, manufacturing operations management, and sustainable operations.

From our discussions with industry leading executives, our analysis of today's technology offerings, and the results from the 2012-2013 Quality Management Survey, we've seen that the emerging software category, Enterprise Quality Management Software (EQMS), is making positive impact on operations across the globe. Notably, we've reported companies that have implemented EQMS functionalities are, on average, outperforming others in key quality metrics.

From well before Henry Ford’s assembly lines through the modern manufacturing shop floor, energy has been quietly powering production. The utilities line item has duly earned its place as a central piece of every financial balance sheet. In conjunction with the rising focus on sustainable operations, for years companies across the globe have been working to strategically improve this number to both appease the environmentally concerned and reduce related costs. 

This week’s compilation includes discussions on the commonalities between Star Trek, golf, manufacturing, and private and public sector collaboration. Quality, both from a product and systems standpoint, plays an important role in the connection between each of the following articles, and more importantly, as you dive into the topic specifics.

An unfortunate reality in many quality management strategies is the lack of harmony in IT decisions across the enterprise. In the 2012-2013 LNS Research Quality Management Survey, 47% of executives said that a top challenge was having too many disparate quality systems and data sources. As a result, a roadblock to success that most large and distributed companies experience resides in the mountains of unstandardized quality process data that’s never fully leveraged.

In the spirit of launching our newest research library here at LNS, I have provided articles that coincide with the Industrial Energy Management (IEM) space. Within the IEM research library, our team plans to provide best practice guides, corporate case studies, and solution selection guidelines relating to energy management. Below you will find articles discussing sustainability, renewable energy, and tips on energy reporting.

Largely due to the misalignment of goals and objectives, a considerable number of organizations struggle to realize the full business value that manufacturing can generate. From discussions with executives in a wide variety of manufacturing industries, this challenge seems to in one way or another impact the effectiveness of a majority of their organizations. Goal alignment is an issue that even market leaders struggle with and sometimes fail to successfully address.

Although quality is an enterprise-wide issue, many companies struggle in defining how it fits into overall corporate strategy. The 2012-2013 LNS Research Quality Management Survey put this into perspective when it asked executives what their top quality challenge was. More than 50% marked off having difficulty with the way quality was viewed in their organization. They said it was looked at as a department rather than a responsibility.