

Jason Scott for Central Penn Business Journal
- Nov 27, 2018
Wolf administration expands contract eligibility for certain small businesses
The Wolf administration has raised the annual revenue cap for small and small-diverse businesses hoping to compete for government contracts in Pennsylvania. The state Department of General Services on Tuesday said the revenue threshold for the state's small-business contracting program has been raised to $38.5 million — in line with the federal government. The program was previously limited to small businesses with annual revenue of less than $7 million for building design se

Bob Value, Deputy Director, SEWN
- Nov 15, 2018
How Well Do You Really KNOW Your Customers?
Voice Of The Customer is a much-used term in the marketing discipline. Often this is accomplished utilizing formal and informal surveys. Non-quantifiable surveys leave much to be desired as a tool. The customer may tell you what they think you wish to hear or you may hear what you want to hear, in short they can be fairly subjective. There is a technique that was taught to me by one of our consulting firms, Crossroads Development Group who graciously allows me to highlight

Carrie Mihalko, SEWN Program
- Nov 15, 2018
Wendell August Forge Gives Back
Our friends at Wendell August Forge are doing their part to give back to the area. The company is selling a "Stronger Than Hate" ornament with proceeds benefiting the victims of the Squirrel Hill synagogue shooting. The piece depicts the Pittsburgh skyline with various city bridges forming the border. According to the team who designed the ornament, "it shows how Pittsburgh is a melting pot of people and cultures but still deeply connected as a community. Funds raised will be

Andrea Olson for Thomas
- Nov 15, 2018
Skills Gap Isn’t the Only Workforce Challenge
Image Credit: Marcin Balcerzak/Shutterstock.com In recent years, there's been much talk about the “skills gap” facing the manufacturing world. The problem is, this is only partially true. Yes, there’s a deficit in our skilled trades pipeline, and we as employers, educators, and communities need to rally around the value of skilled trades, supporting the growth of this critical workforce — starting in junior high, if not earlier. But there’s another issue at play for mid-marke

Michael Collins for IndustryWeek
- Nov 13, 2018
As Infrastructure Crumbles, So Does US Manufacturing
America is essentially in an infrastructure collapse that is having dire effects on manufacturing. Crumbling water systems that are unreliable can shut down production lines. Congested highways mean late deliveries, production loss, increased fuel and wage costs and excessive wear on assets. Port congestion, lock delays and the penalty associated with not having infrastructure in place to handle larger ships make American products more expensive. Before I address the benefits

Kyle Hawke for IndustryWeek
- Nov 8, 2018
Zero-Based Budgeting: How to Do It Right
As margins tighten in industry after industry, more companies are talking about zero-based budgeting (ZBB)—the deceptively simple idea that each year’s budget should start from a zero base, rather than from the prior year’s spending. The trouble is that too often, companies see ZBB as just about cost control. In fact, when done right, ZBB changes a company’s entire culture, instilling a return-on-investment mentality where people throughout the company think about value, not

John Dauskurdas for IndustryWeek
- Nov 6, 2018
5 Essential Steps on the Path to Smart Asset Management
Over the past decade, supply chain complexity has increased substantially with the rising pressure on retailers to offer unlimited, fast and free shipping. Frequent disruptions, like damaged or delayed goods, are the most common symptoms of this trend. In manufacturing, an asset-intensive sector, the cost of even small disruptions can add up quickly. Some manufacturers are already leveraging digital technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data and advanced analyti

Norbert Majerus for IndustryWeek
- Nov 1, 2018
Don't Let Knowledge Walk Out the Door
As Baby Boomers retire, companies wonder how to retain the knowledge that walks out with them. They have spent billions of dollars generating knowledge, and some of them do an excellent job sharing and reusing that knowledge. Solid knowledge reuse practices prevent companies from wasting time and money reinventing knowledge that already exists. But these companies are not the norm: The average amount of reused knowledge in manufacturing remains low, reportedly about 30%. Reas
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