Home » Manufacturing

Manufacturing

Articles

More manufacturing? Maybe Butler did it: University’s accelerator helps plants boost business

Ten years ago, Bob McAfee bought SaniServ, an 80-year-old Mooresville institution that pioneered the making of softserve ice cream machines for restaurants. Despite the manufacturer’s longevity, a handful of competitors-one of them much larger and two roughly the same size-had cut into market share, causing SaniServ’s annual revenue to stall at about $10 million. Determined to improve upon the figure, but unsure how to go about it, McAfee turned to the Butler Business Accelerator. The 2-year-old consultancy on the Butler…

Read More

Powerway lays off 14 after losing software deal with Chrysler

Locally based Powerway Inc. is scrambling to shrink its work force and remake its business plan after the firm’s most lucrative
customer–the ailing automaker Chrysler LLC–said it will no longer use Powerway software or mandate its use among the company’s
hundreds of suppliers. Powerway laid off 14 employees and slashed salaries for many who remain after it learned of Chrysler’s
plans on June 6.

Read More

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: There are Six Sigma options; Here’s a look at six of them

While many manufacturing companies are implementing Six Sigma for continuous process improvement, it may not be the most practical solution for every company. Smaller manufacturers can benefit from applying many of the tools found in the Six Sigma methodology, but on a more manageable scale for daily process improvement. While far from a complete list, the following six practical tools may be used by smaller companies who are motivated to continually streamline production and improve productivity: Key performance indicators Most…

Read More

Allegiant finding treasure in clients’ trash: Local firm helps manufacturers set up cost-saving recycling plans

In 2000, gasoline cost 99 cents a gallon, you could barely give recyclable plastic away and the idea of manufacturers “going green” was a pioneering thought. Allegiant Global started that same year as Heritage Interactive Services, with one client and little market awareness of what industrial recycling and reuse initiatives meant. Heritage Interactive was started by principals of locally based Heritage Environmental Services, which was-and still is-involved in more traditional waste-disposal services. When one of Heritage Environmental’s clients, Michigan-based Lear…

Read More

Purdue joins Conexus on manufacturing, logistics effort: University, advocacy group predict evolving industry

An advocacy group formed a year ago to boost the visibility and growth of the state’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries has received a major lift from Purdue University. Conexus Indiana and Purdue earlier this month announced the formation of a partnership in which the university will lend its academic and research talents to the organization. The key goals include linking manufacturers with new suppliers, exploring emerging markets and supporting startups launched from university or privatesector research. “Conexus is very…

Read More

Officials turn up call for 2-year degrees: State putting emphasis on higher education options

State and local leaders are turning up the amp on the importance of higher education, but they’re also trying to tune students into the message that being college-educated doesn’t have to mean spending four years at a university. In recent weeks, both Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels have loudly proclaimed the state’s need for more workers with twoyear degrees. While government officials have long said the state needs a more educated work force to attract business,…

Read More

IPIC’s BioWorksU virtual effort wins acclaim:

A new Web site developed locally and designed to attract youngsters to careers in the life sciences sector now shares something in common with the wildly popular Club Penguin site. The Indianapolis Private Industry Council, with assistance from locally based Creative Street Media Group, created BioWorksU.com. And while more educational and likely more appealing to a larger age group than Club Penguin, the two were among recent Webby Awards finalists. Called the “Oscars of the Internet” by The New York…

Read More

VIEWPOINT: A prayer for the housing market

Please, Chairman, forgive me, for I have sinned and I herewith repent. Please Chairman Bernanke, hear my prayers. Please give me only one more housing bubble and I will forever honor you with the restraint you desire. I have succumbed to the seven deadly sins of investing and I herewith vow never again to do so, so long as you let interest rates continue to fall. I have been weak in seven ways: Hubris. Yes, it is true. I believed…

Read More

Evolving mobile phones indispensable for on-the-go technology ‘addicts’

Mitch Roob oversees a state agency with a $6.5 billion budget and thousands of employees who deliver a range of services to
more than a million Hoosiers. And he’d be lost without his BlackBerry. He is just one of the many Indianapolis professionals
who use enhanced mobile devices, or smartphones, to keep tabs on their work and increase their productivity away from the
office.

Read More

Move over ‘Super 70’-this one is really big: Department of Transportation hoping for summer launch of study to add truck lanes to 800 miles of I-70

Imagine driving the car down an interstate highway devoid of tractor trailers. It could dramatically improve traffic flow and safety, but it would sever supply chains and bring manufacturing to a halt-to say nothing of the state’s logistics industry. But how about putting those trucks in their own lanes, separated from cars and light trucks? What seemed merely a fanciful concept for Interstate 70 when highway planners tossed it out about a year ago is gaining momentum. The Indiana Department…

Read More

EDITORIAL: Pricey fuel isn’t all bad: Pain at pump creates opportunity

Pricey fuel isn’t all bad Pain at pump creates opportunity The high cost of fuel hurts everyone, from commuters to business owners to not-for-profits whose volunteer drivers deliver meals to shut-ins. Our whole economy suffers. But there’s a silver lining to gas for $4 a gallon: opportunity. If the price of fuel isn’t coming down, and that seems to be the prevailing wisdom, the only thing to do is adapt. It’s in adapting that there’s opportunity to be found and…

Read More

EYE ON THE PIE: We need more leaders like this guy

A friend and I were having lunch. We were talking about an old issue: the lack of leadership in the state. Both of us agreed that Mitch Daniels has been doing a good job in following through on what he promised, whether or not folks liked it. But we were hard-pressed to find other examples of civic or political leadership. I suspect our problem may have been one of age. We’re guys who have been around for the past four…

Read More

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Despite some perceptions, future for IT workers bright

In mid-March, Bill Gates traveled to Washington to carry an unpopular message to Congress: Raise the limits on visas for foreignborn tech workers, or Microsoft and other high-tech companies will be forced to move more jobs overseas in search of a skilled work force. Gates’ testimony to the House Committee on Science & Technology wasn’t groundbreaking-the shortage of tech workers is well-documented. But it begs an obvious question: Why have computer science enrollments at U.S. colleges and universities fallen by…

Read More

Good news on a Friday

Manufacturing seems to churn out about as many lay-off headlines as cars these days, but plenty of good
news about the sector is buried in a recent Ball State University study.

Indiana manufacturing workers are accomplishing far more work than peers…

Read More

Hungry for growth, bagel maker tiptoes into healthy food segment

Since its founding 17 years ago, Indianapolis-based Harlan Bakeries LLC has built its reputation, and its fortune, on making
bagels. Untold millions of bagels. Considering the number of conventional treats Harlan turns out, it might be easy to overlook
its newest project: producing a non-medical “diet cookie” for Boca Raton, Fla.-based Smart For Life Weight Management Centers.

Read More

Angels invest where others fear to tread: Wealthy entrepreneurs join forces to create HALO Capital Group

Some high-tech companies are so risky that even venture capitalists quiver. That’s when they turn to angels, who aren’t afraid to fly to the rescue of cash-strapped innovators with chancy yet possibly lucrative ideas. Last year, two dozen of central Indiana’s most successful business veterans decided to intercede on behalf of Hoosier entrepreneurs. They formed HALO Capital Group, a network of angel investors who seek to speculate on promising Indiana startups. Every other month, the HALO group meets at a…

Read More

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: A healthy economy makes an uninteresting campaign

In this curious primary season, Indiana finds itself the brief center of attention as Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama invest time and treasure in the crossroads of America. The strongest focus in both their campaigns is my favorite subject-the economy. Both candidates bemoan the poor Hoosier economy, its job losses and income inequality. This would be a superb campaign approach for both candidates, except that their claims are wholly, totally and embarrassingly devoid of facts. Indiana’s economy is doing…

Read More

BEHIND THE NEWS: Locally based oil refiner sees boom times vanish

Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP, the low-profile Indianapolis-based oil refiner, has been confronting challenges lately that would fray the nerves of even the most seasoned executive. First, the business is grappling with a huge spike in crude oil prices-the main input for its three Louisiana refineries, which churn out vehicle and jet fuel, along with solvents, waxes and other specialty petroleum products. Then there’s the delay-plagued expansion of its Shreveport refinery, which began in late 2006. The project was supposed…

Read More

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Making green make sense in a competitive market

Day after day, the news seems filled with stories of disruptive credit markets, an economy teetering on recession, and increasing energy costs. As business professionals grapple with such issues daily, why would commercial real estate professionals consider the time and effort to “go green”? Historically, green initiatives suffered in part from stereotypical “tree-hugger” false perceptions. Such perceptions may lead people to believe that green investments simply aren’t worth it. The truth? The real focus has always been the efficient use…

Read More

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: There is no better time to think about going global

A weak dollar. Lost jobs. Liquidity challenges. These and other perceived barriers tend to unfortunately mute short-term considerations for Indiana businesses thinking about international expansion. The reality? Globalization of U.S. businesses is alive and well, and proceeding at a breakneck pace. In fact, America and the world remain embroiled in likely the greatest commercial transformation since the Industrial Revolution with the full integration of U.S. markets in an open era of innovation and productivity. How does this play out in…

Read More