Data for the sake of data can do more harm than good.

Data can be very useful, in moderation! Over what seems like a very long career I have seen data used and have used data for a great number of purposes. But “data,” of course, can mean different things.

And will capital equipment makers stay put, relocate or – shudder! – exit the business?

Manufacturing costs include more than just material, labor and overhead.

Possibly it's because inflation has ticked up over the past year or so, or possibly it's because despite a long career in manufacturing, and I am still not sure all stakeholders from production, sales, customers, suppliers – and especially accounting – really understand or agree, but I find myself now more than ever trying to identify and come to grips with the "real cost" of what I produce.

Remember to sell the excitement of the industry.

Getting the North American electronics band back together will take significant time and effort.

Thanks to a series of events and geopolitical shifts – think global supply chain strains caused by a pandemic; import tariffs ricocheting throughout the electronics industry; weapon systems depleted from regional wars – there is an outcry to get the band back together: the band being North American electronics manufacturing.

The industry’s next generation is on the rise.

I am continually amazed at how many people I see and run into at each industry meeting or event – especially at technical meetings when I’m watching people leave one room and enter another for the next session. It strikes me a bit like watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace – people leave one room to enter the next to do the same thing, and repeat!

Exclusively staying ahead or behind the technological curve can lead to misfortune.

Over the past decades, it has been my experience that there are two basic categories of technology: "cutting-edge" and "behind the curve." Electric (rechargeable) automobiles, for instance, would be considered cutting-edge while hybrid (gasoline and battery) automobiles are behind the curve.

Look past the scary headlines and stay focused on business plan fundamentals.

Welcome to 2023. As ready as we all try to be when beginning the annual cycle of booking orders, scheduling resources, shipping product, and oh yes, collecting payment, this year many are still tweaking their annual budgets. The effects of rising inflation and a prolonged unstable supply chain are causing many to rethink how they must operate their business to maintain margin and profitability.

The needed combination of experience and willingness to travel is hampering certification programs.

HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS – (November 17, 2022) – IMI, Inc.