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The article offers information on Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control Lufkin Operations, a Lufkin, Texas-based plant which is one of the 2011 Industry Week's (IW) Best Plant winners. It says that the company division produces missile launcher electronics and sub-assemblies. Site director Keith Johnson notes that they emphasized quality of products and communication during plant transformation. Moreover, the plant runs two 10-hour shift four days a week to increase production.

Two letters to the editor is presented in response to the article such as "Building Manager Standard Work," by Jamie Flinchbaugh in the November 2011 issue and "Fed's Strauss Says Manufacturing Employment Decline Tied to Increased Productivity," by Robert Strauss in the November 15 2011 issue.

Two letters are presented in response to the article on shortage of skilled workers in the manufacturing industry and the article "Going to the Gemba," by Jamie Flinchbaugh found from the previous issues.

The article focuses on the issue of industrial productivity in U.S. manufacturing industry. It states the speculation of researchers and thought-leaders regarding the importance of stark increases in productivity despite the respondents expectations and positive response to the "IW/Siemens Productivity Growth Challenges/Solutions Survey" in 2012. Moreover, it considers productivity of operations as top challenge in meeting production growth and profitability goals in 2016 to 2021.

The article offers information on the report regarding the findings of the "IW/Siemens Productivity Growth Challenges/Solutions Survey," aimed at determining the changes in the productivity among manufacturers from 2010-2011.

The article reports on the significance of the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) as a performance metric. It mentions that the OEE would inform the users on the percentage of time which the equipments has been producing good quality product at an acceptable rate. It states that critics argued on how OEE could promote overproduction in lean manufacturing.

The author reports on the potential of manufacturing to improve its role as a principal driver of economic growth in the U.S. He states that manufacturers in the country was able to manage the financial turmoil for the last few years and that their share is held at around 20% of the total global manufacturing output. He also mentions that manufacturers achieved 6.7% growth in productivity and cut their labor costs by 4.4% in 2010.

The article presents a corporate profile for Raytheon Co., a military contractor in the U.S. It discusses the efforts of Raytheon Co. in enhancing its supply chain. It notes that the company seeks to strengthen its revenue by embarking on a strategic sourcing initiative. It states that Raytheon focuses on productivity initiatives driven by Six Sigma and operational improvements.

The article focuses on research compiled by the Supply Chain Consortium which indicates that variability in warehousing and distribution costs as a percentage of revenue is higher than with transportation costs. Bruce Tompkins, executive director of the Supply Chain Consortium, claims that some companies are increasing distribution costs to lessen transportation costs. It also notes that many companies are improving warehousing productivity.

The article focuses on how the manufacturing industry can continuously improve its initiatives. It claims that the industry can achieve its desired financial results through using the right tools and having people at their workstations. It explains that people can determine problems and select the right tools to deploy countermeasures in order to correct these issues.

The author offers some free helpful investment advice to investors seeking a good return in tough times. According to him, it is a sound decision for employer to make plans on how to improve his\her employees inorder to strengthen the company's workforce. He adds that wise investments to advanced facilities can help improve company's productivity.

The article discusses the survey conducted by LifeCare Inc. on the factors that affect an employee's productivity. According to the survey, heavy workload is the main factor that employees are having difficulties in completing their tasks in time. Also presented are the data and statistics that the firm has recorded during their survey of 1,500 employees.

The article reports that U.S. spending on supply chain technology will increase by 12% in 2008, according to a survey conducted by AMR Research Inc. The study found that increasing productivity and output are the top priorities for both process and discrete manufacturers. Outcomes and findings of the survey are discussed.

The article reports on the claim that the multi-tasking machining can yield a 400% increase in productivity. It was claimed by the computer aided manufacturing software provider Chuck Mathews, vice president at DP Technology Corp., in Camarillo, California. Greg Unmann, president of Astra Tool & Instrument Manufacturing Corp., had experienced 60% cycle time reduction and significant quality improvement after consolidating multiple maching operations in Hawthorne, New York.

The article features Cargill Corn Milling-Team Wahpeton in North Dakota which processes corn into products it delivers to customers in 27 states and five Canadian provinces. The company has a strong focus on collaboration which was built into the highly automated facility which Cargill leases from ProGold LLC, a partnership that includes the Golden Growers Cooperative who supply the corn. Collaboration is built into the culture as well given the various teams such as safety, innovation, energy, and plant leadership.

The article presents statistics on the manufacturing industries in the U.S. including the percentage of firms that say continuous improvement programs led to a major increase in productivity, the percentages that reported some increase and no change at all.

The article presents the results of Randstad USA's annual World of Work survey. It was found that most employees and their bosses think productivity either increased or remained the same in 2006, primarily due to greater employee output and efficiency. Forty-three percent of employers said that productivity has increased since 2006 while 33 percent of employees observed an increase in productivity.

The article focuses on the significance of the decision of Stock Manufacturing to innovate its old laser cutting strategies by adding more hours of productivity to its existing lasers from Cincinnati Inc. The Cincinnati Modular Material Handling System (MMHS) automated handling system has the capability to operate the firm's two lasers for eight hours a day attended and another 12 hours unattended. The system features two towers with 38 drawers of storage for sheet materials and finished parts.

The article reports on the relocation of the global procurement headquarters of IBM Corp. from New York to Shenzhen, China. Chief procurement officer John Paterson notes that a globally integrated enterprise allows a company to be established where it will most benefit. The strategy was anticipated since the company aims to gain 10% to 15% in productivity improvements. The advantages of the relocation can only be felt once the company manages to reduce its employees.

The article features electrical panel boards manufacturer Schneider Electric of Peru, Indiana. Part of the company's lean philosophy of visualization, standardization and order is labeling their equipment. Its 97% on-time delivery rate in 2005 contributed to its success. Non-Value-added movements of workers were reduced through visual controls such as labels, reconfigured workstations and a water-spider route.

The article features wallboard manufacturer National Gypsum Co. of Wilmington, North Carolina. The company's plant, determined to win with manufacturing performance, became a role-model performer and a leader in quality and productivity. The turn-around of the plant resulted to improvements such as the quality score increasing to 920 points, an increased production rate of 215 feet per minute and labor efficiency improving at 17.5%.

The article reflects on the status of manufacturing industries in the U.S. and the traits that a manufacturing company should have to stay in the business. Data from the Labor Department indicate a decline in manufacturing employment in summer 2006. The productivity of manufacturing increased by 2.6% and output increased at an annual rate of 5.1%. A manufacturing company should be more competitive and productive to achieve success in the business.

Discusses the trends in employment, capacity utilization and production of manufacturing companies in the U.S. from February 2005 to January 2006. Manufacturing output in January; Increase in factory operating rate; State of the U.S. labor market.

Presents the production projections made by the U.S. business and public policy research group Manufactures Alliance/MAPI in 2005. Percentage of decline in steel production; Production growth for the communications equipment sector; Forecast on production for the oil- and gas-field machinery sector.

Comments on the relationship of economic statistics and structural changes in the manufacturing industry. Influence of industrial productivity on personal finance; Recognition of economic changes as the measure of production; Possible changes of the U.S. economy.

Discusses the application of Response Management computer software in manufacturing industries. Limitations to the performance capabilities of business organizations; Challenges of manufacturing; Impact of software solution on manufacturing operations.

Comments on the decline in plant construction in the U.S. from 1980 to 2005. Reasons behind the decline; Impact of the decline on industrial production; Significance of the expansion of manufacturing facilities to employment in the country.

Presents information on the decision of Hydro Aluminum North America to upgrade its Saint Augustine casthouse in Florida to prioritize energy efficiency, waste reduction, biodiversity and pollution control. Scope of the upgrade strategy; Effect of the upgrade on productivity and production processes in the facility; Cost of the upgrade.

Focuses on the manufacturing process optimization (MPO) in the manufacturing sector in the U.S. Goal and mechanism of MPO; Business techniques that provide cost and industrial productivity analysis.

Discusses several factors to consider when establishing or recalibrating process metrics for operational performance measurement of manufacturing process. Importance of integrating the operational performance metrics; Measure performance that the customers care about; Avoid overproduction.

Focuses on the formulas used by manufacturers to determine productivity rate. Method used by Dave Layman, senior vice president of operations for La-Z-Boy, for measuring the productivity of his company; Defect of the productivity measures of many manufacturers; Impact of design for manufacturing efforts on the productivity rate at New Balance Athletic Shoe.

Presents the result of a study on the status of the U.S. in advanced technology production published in April 2004. Difference between the U.S. trade surplus in advanced technology products in 1998 and 2003; View of Ernest H. Preeg. senior associate in trade and productivity of Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, on the state of the manufacturing industries; Suggestion of Preeg in determining the reasons for the downturn of the technology-intensive industries.

Presents a graphical illustration of the productivity of the manufacturing sector from March 2002-March 2003.

Reports on contraction in the U.S. manufacturing sector in March 2003. Comparisons of February 2003 and March 2003 results; Indication of the expansion of manufacturing; Growth rate of production.

Focuses on the impact of cost cutting initiatives implemented by original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for small suppliers in the United States. Complaints of small suppliers on OEM; Information on online reverse auctions.

Focuses on the manufacturing metrics in the United States. Focus of on-time delivery; Medians and percentiles for key performance metrics; Production rate.

Reports on Japanese automobile makers that took the top spots in Harbour and Associates Incorporated's 2001 report about productivity measures. Company that led in overall assembly productivity for the seventh consecutive year; Firm who is first in both stamping and engine labor productivity; United States company that showed the most progress of any company in the report.

Presents the industrial production forecasts of Merrill Lynch & Co. for year 2001. Forecasts on industrial production of Germany; Evidences of the global in the manufacturing industry; Projection on the decline of Singapore's rate of industrial production.

Focuses on the productivity growth in the United States for the year 2000. Factors which influence productivity growth; Implications of productivity growth; Comparison of the productivity growth in 2000 with that of 1999.

Presents update on issues related to industries in the United States (U.S.) as of July 17, 2000. Impact of employee fatigue on productivity of businesses according to a research by the National Commission on Sleep Disorders; Effect of the restructuring of industry sectors on tax audits and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Reveals the results of a study in the United States on the opinion of managers on the impact of their office design on the productivity and business objective achievement. Suggestions for the improvement of office design; Influence of an improved workplace environment on productivity.

Cites the benefits gained by Forma Scientific Inc. from kaizen events by improving the productivity of its employees. Remarks from Lou Urschel, the company's director of quality and service; Details on how kaizen was used in the reengineering of its laboratory incubators; Outcome of the kaizen event.

Deals with the economic implications of technological revolution. Indicator of technological revolution; Increase in the growth rate of manufacturing productivity; Decline in inflation rate; Business strategy of Healtheon Corp.

Comments on the contributions of information technology (IT) to the productivity of companies. Modernization and reductions in workforce brought about by IT; Productivity improvement in the enterprise-software industry; Reasons for the doubts on the contribution of IT to productivity.