The Fourth Industrial Revolution is progressing rapidly. Manufacturing companies are incorporating new technologies involving robotics, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, just to name a few. There is a heightened sense of urgency for companies to get on board or be left behind. Most South Carolina manufacturers already…
Labor Shortage – What do we do? The current workforce labor shortage is pervasive. From recruitment to retention, from basic skills training to leadership development, workforce development has never been more challenging. Potential candidates “ghost” scheduled interviews and new hires do not show up after a lunch…
The final OpExChange plant visit for 2021 took place at Sulzer Pumps in Easley, SC. Sulzer shared their recently implemented digital platform for work instructions along with an in-depth tour of their factory. Thomas Holcombe is their Managing Director and hosted the event. Value Stream Manger, Robert…
Savannah River Remediation (SRR), located in Aiken, SC provided a report-out to the OpExChange on November 2, 2021. The magnitude of the service they provide is worthy of high recognition. Their purpose is to manage and eliminate “the most significant environmental hazard in the state of South…
AMBAC International achieved a huge turn-around at their Elgin, South Carolina plant. This 100 year-old, employee-owned facility already had great talent but they were struggling financially. In 2018, their CEO, Robert Isherwood, implemented a new management operating system which not only engaged the workforce but also unified…
The OpExChange closed out Q3 of 2021 with a visit to Stanley Black & Decker’s (SB&D) state-of-the-art facility in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Several peer OpExChange members traveled from across the Carolinas to participate. In addition to sharing their Industry 4.0 progress they also provided guidance to…
Within the OpExChange, our companies are all at some point of a continuous improvement journey – striving to improve both their bottom-line and top-line results by reducing waste and increasing value for their customers. Many are now incorporating industry 4.0 technology as a strategic part of this journey….
As manufacturing companies across South Carolina are racing back into normalcy, they are finding that things are not quite the same as prior to the pandemic. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the number of job openings has reached a series high point (the term…
All the 131 OpExChange member companies are at some stage of their continuous improvement journey. Some have been working on this for multiple decades and some are just getting started. Two things we all have learned through this: 1) The journey never ends. 2) No matter where…
Sleep Number Corporation, manufacturer of the award-winning 360® smart bed, hosted a plant visit for the OpExChange at their Irmo site last week. They shared that value stream mapping (VSM) has become an integral tool in their continuous improvement program. Although there is still room for improvement,…