Manufacturing

Private Equity changing industry landscape in South Carolina

Like the textile industry in the 1930s, aerospace manufacturing in the Southeast is a booming industry, having grown primarily because of private equity. And prospects for the future are rosy, given the availability of private capital to invest in what some feel is a sure thing. Since…



Lowcountry firm nears finish line to manufacture innovative pillbox out of state

Although the Charleston-based pharmaceutical company, PharmRight, is nearing the day its cloud-connected pillbox, Livi, will hit the market, the product will be manufactured in Maine, not South Carolina. In February, the company signed a deal with Enercon, a Maine company, to manufacture the dispensers. Randy Parker, CFO…


Chinese company bringing 150 jobs to Upstate

A Chinese auto manufacturing company will invest $45 million in bringing its operations to the Upstate; a move they say will generate 150 jobs. Jiangnan Mold Plastic Technology Corporation will build its new 260,000 square foot plant in Greer, and expects to be hiring in the second…


Rethinking Your Company’s Purpose Benefits the Bottom Line

The traditional management model has existed for more than a hundred years and the basic tenants are still fundamental to how businesses are managed. Concepts such as hierarchy, standardization, specialization, goal alignment and the use of extrinsic rewards to motivate behavior are key components. Above all, efficiency…


How Lean is Your Organization? Home Runs, Bunts, or Both?

Whether or not your organization employs lean processes, chances are you have experienced them. Maybe you have seen the power of lean from drastically reduced wait times in healthcare, to significantly faster manufacturing lead times, to improved service delivery times and many other positive impacts. Yet, despite…



Charleston Chamber calls for $16M from state to fund aerospace training center

  The Charleston Metro Chamber has identified urging legislature to either fully fund an aeronautics training center or allowing construction of the facility to start, as one of its priority issues for this legislative session. In its legislative agenda released in January, the chamber called for the…


Industry 4.0 and what it means to you

The Upstate economy has made great strides coming out of the “Great Recession” thanks to a vibrant manufacturing base that calls our ten-county region home. As this large sector continue to hum along, one theme to watch for in 2016 is the idea of “Industry 4.0” within…


The Future of 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing

In the 1960s Star Trek television program, crew members would head into the cafeteria and push a couple of buttons on a “replicator” and within seconds they would reach into the box and pull out their meal. This was great science fiction, but could it ever be…