MEP Study Identifies Strategies Crucial to Global Manufacturing Success
Yesterday, the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NH MEP) announced the results of what has been hailed as a ground-breaking study about the fundamental strategies necessary for world-class manufacturing success.
Commissioned by Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers across the country, including NH MEP, and the American Small Manufacturing Coalition, the survey polled more than 2,500 manufacturers from across the U.S.
“The Next Generation Manufacturing Study is probably the most exhaustive and detailed survey of the US manufacturing base ever conducted. In today’s climate of globalization and the threat of lost manufacturing jobs, it’s important to know where the U.S. stands as a player in the international market,” says Val Zanchuk, president of Graphicast, a manufacturer based in Jaffrey, NH. “The study was also illustrative for Graphicast, as it highlighted where we stand compared to the more than 1,000 companies that responded to the study. This information gives us a clear path to follow to achieve world class status in technology and service.”
MEP’s new study identifies a total of six strategies that are essential for manufacturers who want to compete in today’s complex and often unpredictable global marketplace:
- customer-focused innovation
- advanced talent management
- systemic continuous improvement
- extended enterprise management –which includes developing a resilient and agile network of suppliers and other partners
- global engagement
Unfortunately, the results of the survey show that a there’s a serious gap between what US manufacturers believe is critical for their success and the actual implementation of those strategies.
For example, approximately 40% of companies fail to reach or approach world-class status in the ability of their supply chains to respond to unexpected customer demand for existing products. According to NH MEP, this is due to the failure of companies to implement supply chain measurement systems.
More survey results are available here.
