INTERPHEX: If you can make it there...
April 23, 2007

1. INTERPHEX kicks off tomorrow: The pharma industry’s big event is in the Big Apple this week, and I’ll be on the show floor with reports in this spot Wednesday morning and Thursday morning. Pharma manufacturing is a growth market. They have a lot to teach about manufacturing excellence, as we discussed last year.

2. Tips and Tricks: Even with all the technology out in the market, a plant engineer’s ingenuity still is one of his best tools. Our annual look at the best low-tech concepts that yield high-end results will be published in August, but it’s never too early to send in your best idea. This year, those selected to appear in Tips and Tricks will receive American Express Gift Cheques. Here are the kind of ideas that got the 2006 winners noticed.

3. Operational excellence. We’ve got an item on the site today on operational excellence through a presentation made by our friends at ICONICS earlier this year. One of the key issues is manufacturing right now is how to take advantage of all the data being created on the plant floor to measure operational excellence. Here’s a look at a case study from ICONICS on how that’s been done effectively.

4. Donations for Virginia Tech: If you are interested in making a donation to students or faculty members affected by the shootings this week at Virginia Tech’s school of engineering building, click on this United Way link to take you to their donation site.

5. Closer to customers, not labor: Some companies head to Asia to set up manufacturing centers based on the cost of labor. Others, like Cow Corning, see an emerging customer base in Asia and expand their manufacturing to meet these emerging needs. What’s the difference? Listen to my interview with Brett Abel of Dow Corning at the Plant Success conference last week in Houston to understand how one major manufacturer views the changing landscape.

Posted by Wolseley on April 23, 2007 | Comments (2)