SmarterChains / Factory of the Future
The 5 Imperatives Manufacturing Leaders Must Embrace in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence is changing how manufacturers see, measure, and manage performance. Every factory now sits at the intersection of data, decisions, and disruption. Yet as Vineet Khanna, former Global Head of Supply Chain at Nestlé, explained during The Future of Manufacturing: Scaling Operational Excellence for Growth, Productivity, and Profit — the opening session of the Advisors Value Creation Series — the technology itself is not the revolution. The real transformation lies in how leaders think....
SmarterChains
SmarterChains Welcomes Supply Chain Veteran Michael Corbo to Strategic Advisory Board
SmarterChains, a leading smart manufacturing transformation platform, is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael “Mike” Corbo to its Strategic Advisory Board. Corbo brings over four decades of global supply chain leadership, most recently serving as Chief Supply Chain Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, where he guided complex international logistics and operations with precision and foresight....
SmarterChains / Media
SmarterChains Appoints Scott DeGroot to Strategic Advisory Board
SmarterChains, a global leader in smart manufacturing transformation, is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott DeGroot to its Strategic Advisory Board. With nearly four decades of leadership at Kimberly-Clark Corporation culminating in his role as Vice President of Global Distribution & Planning, DeGroot brings profound supply chain expertise and executional strength to SmarterChains....
SmarterChains / Factory of the Future
SmarterChains Appoints Finance & Transformation Leader Heidrun Wechter-Essig to Strategic Advisory Board
With over 30 years of international leadership in finance, operations, and transformation in Fortune 25 companies & private equity–backed businesses, Wechter-Essig brings a rare blend of strategic and practical supply chain expertise. She is valued for her ability to combine financial rigor, operational depth, and digital transformation expertise, when partnering with supply chain leaders....
Building High-Performance Teams in Manufacturing: The Strategic Power of Skills Inventory
Manufacturing leaders are increasingly recognizing that sustainable success hinges on continuous manufacturing workforce development. But how do you effectively identify, grow, and apply the capabilities your teams need to thrive? Let’s explore how skills inventories, strategic role design, and ongoing upskilling manufacturing strategies can unlock the full potential of your workforce....
Solving the Manufacturing Talent Crisis: A Roadmap for Workforce Development and Education Reform
Why the Future of Manufacturing Depends on Rethinking Talent and Education Manufacturing is at a turning point. As the industry undergoes a digital and technological transformation, it’s facing a widespread manufacturing talent crisis that threatens its ability to compete globally. This crisis is not just a short-term labor shortage—it’s a fundamental gap between the skills people have and the capabilities modern operations demand....
Value-Driven Transformation: The New Operating System for Industrial Excellence
In a world shaped by constant change, transformation is no longer optional—it's existential. Every organization is chasing the holy grail of resilience and agility through Operational Excellence programs, Digital Transformation initiatives, and, most recently, AI-led innovation. But there’s a silent truth lurking behind most of these efforts: without a sharp focus on value, transformation is destined to fall short....
Leadership in Manufacturing: Building High-Performing Teams for the Digital Era
At the core of operational excellence lies strong, capable teams empowered to adapt, solve, and lead. And in this new era, leadership in manufacturing is less about overseeing tasks—and more about enabling people to thrive in an increasingly digital ecosystem....
Bad Data in Manufacturing: The Cost and the Solution
Only a handful of manufacturing companies are equipped to handle this new volume of manufacturing data. Thus, data integrity must become a top priority for every manufacturer....
Reflections on IoT Connected Products
If you think that the internet has changed your life, think again. The Internet of Things is about to change it all over again!...
The 7 Deadly Sins of Modern Manufacturing
Many companies have committed one (or more) of what could be described as the 7 deadly sins of modern manufacturing....
Manufacturing's Next Step: From CoE To Ecosystem of Excellence
A CoE is a business investment: A team that develops and shares best practices and orchestrates end-to-end transformation. In SmarterChains’ experience, however, it is only a stepping stone....
MES OEE: Top 4 solutions
A review of 4 leading MES OEE solutions from SepaSoft, Cantier, Guardus Solutions and Critical Manufacturing....
Forklift Sensory Systems: 5 top solutions
Forklift Sensory Systems for Advanced Material Handling, a list with solutions from Linde Material Handling, Global Industrial, LeddarTech, Pepperl+Fuchs and Flexco Industries....
Robotic Grippers: 5 Top Technologies
5 innovative technologies for Robotic Handling via Grippers by companies like Zimmer, Robot System Products, IPR (Intelligente Peripherien für Roboter), Empire Robotics and Schmalz....
5 Innovative Edge Computing Solutions
5 top Fog and Edge Computing solutions: ClearBlade’s IoT Edge Platform, Xaptum’s Edge Network Fabric, OSIsoft ‘s PI System,Nebbiolo’s Fog Computing Platform, and FogHorn’s Lightning....
Industry 4.0 Complexity and Uncertainty – Why Some Manufacturers Thrive
Why do some manufacturing companies gain more value from Industry 4.0 than others? Because they regard the adoption of Industry 4.0 as an overall strategic business objective....
Factory Culture of the Future: A sensible guide to Adhocracy
Imagine a synergistic organization, where silos are broken by common customer-centric objectives and a transparent flow of information....
Industry 4.0 in Consumer Packaged Goods Manufacturing
Industry 4.0, above all, is opening up new and exciting pathways for companies to level up their capabilities and performance but it is also accelerating the demise of companies that cannot successfully leverage these possibilities and adapt fast enough to the changing landscapes around them....
Embracing the possibilities of Industry 4.0 in the COVID-19 era
Clearly, the time to move, to get ahead of the curve, is now by preparing and defining your future capabilities for what is next and beyond. At SmarterChains, our three-stage approach – Prepare, Define, Execute – helps manufacturers embrace the possibilities of Industry 4.0....
Ten Factory of the Future Dimensions – Your way to Industry 4.0 transformation
At SmarterChains we call these areas the 10 Factory of the Future dimensions....
