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White Papers

Download manufacturing white papers from IndustryWeek. You'll find free documents on business issues, strategies, trends and technologies that can help you succeed. All files are posted in PDF format.

These documents are not created or selected by the IndustryWeek editorial staff. They are provided by advertisers who sponsor this area of IndustryWeek.com. Learn how to submit a white paper.


Manufacturing Roundups

Manufacturing Process and Product Design:
Top manufacturers marry their manufacturing processes to product design, to ensure they can produce high-quality products quickly and at low cost. But when product design and manufacturing are isolated, problems develop. View this IndustryWeek guide to learn how product and process design go hand in hand.
Download this free guide now!

Capturing Competitive Advantage through Optimized Plant Communications:
Sponsored by Motorola
This white paper discusses how mobile voice and data communications play a significant role in manufacturer's operations and how the demand can now be satisfied through a range of new technologies that help manufacturing companies increase operational efficiencies. These technologies provide employees with mobile solutions that deliver the specific communication capabilities they need to promptly and effectively perform their jobs. Click here to download.



Current White Papers

The Lean Workforce: Applying Lean principles to improve workforce management

As labor pressures increase and margins tighten, savvy manufacturers are turning their attention to the workforce, and discovering that Lean can help them increase workforce flexibility and agility, and improve their bottom line. Download this paper to find three primary areas that manufacturers should focus on to achieve Lean improvement in the workforce, and a checklist to determine if your organization is ready to support a best practices Lean program.

Paper contributed by Kronos Incorporated

10 Steps To Ensure Your Assets Are As Ready As You Are Emotionally For The Return Of Business

If you are like many in business, during the past year it has been a challenge to just survive the "Great Recession." Companies have had to focus on survival, cutting work force and other expenses. Many companies are starting to see signs of rebounding demand. The question is, "Are you and your assets properly prepared to capitalize on this increased business when the demand arrives?"

Paper contributed by Advanced technology Services, Inc.

Merger and Acquisition Integration: What Successful M&A Teams Have Discovered

Make sure your M&A deal actually delivers the promised results. More than half of all M&A deals fail to achieve the business results that were originally envisioned. Many actually reduce the value of the acquiring company. This briefing paper describes a comprehensive approach that can benefit even experienced M&A teams, helping them to accelerate the transition, minimize risk, and do a better job of managing the critical post-integration activities.

Paper contributed by Crowe Horwath, LLP

APICS Supply Chain Manager Competency Model

Showcase your knowledge and skills and identify areas for skill development with this complimentary download of the APICS Supply Chain Manager Competency Model. Use the model as a compass to evaluate your career development -- from certification programs such as the APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional to education and networking opportunities including the APICS International Conference & Expo and more.

Paper contributed by APICS

Is Advanced Planning and Scheduling Right For You?

If your company manages multiple resources and struggles to deliver on-time, Advanced Planning & Scheduling software could increase efficiency and profits. In this white paper you will learn the 13 qualifying questions to ask executive management to determine if Advanced Planning & Scheduling is right for your company.

Paper contributed by Demand Solutions

ERP for Green Supply Chain Management in Manufacturing

Green supply chains are hot because of mounting pressure from investors and regulators. ERP can help manufacturers document their environmental impact including contributions of supply chain partners. What should you look for in an ERP package to meet green supply chain requirements and green your own supply chain?

Paper contributed by IFS

Merger and Acquisition Integration: Achieving 'Speed to Value'

Make sure your M&A deal actually delivers the promised results. More than half of all M&A deals fail to achieve the business results that were originally envisioned. Many actually reduce the value of the acquiring company. This briefing paper describes a comprehensive approach that can benefit even experienced M&A teams, helping them to accelerate the transition, minimize risk, and do a better job of managing the critical post-integration activities.

Paper contributed by Crowe Horwath LLP

The State of Data

Faulty data, misleading conclusions, revenue lost -- and your name attached to it. What if you could have more control over accountability for your business decisions? You can. This report offers a collection of articles on how to overcome challenges with data quality and data integration issues -- and, as a result, improve organizational efficiency, profitability and competitive advantage. Download now.

Paper contributed by SAS

Strategies for Demand-Driven Forecasting and Planning

Many organizations are finding out that traditional methods of predicting demand are not efficient in today’s fluctuating market. Download this paper to find three key criteria common to companies with best-in-class forecasting systems, and specific recommendations on how to improve your demand planning process.

Paper contributed by SAS

Enabling The Lean Enterprise

Learn how core corporate processes can help your company meet financial objectives and mitigate risk in troubled economic times. Discover how streamlining common processes can reduce costs, and how you can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the processes that differentiate you from the competition.

Paper contributed by SAP

High Efficiency In Manufacturing Operations

Learn what is driving manufacturers to focus on creating more efficient manufacturing operations and which manufacturers are most successful in achieving these efficiency gains. This Aberdeen paper also highlights specific and actionable recommendations to achieve more efficient manufacturing operations.

Paper contributed by SAP

Achieving Exponential Growth: How Technology Can Support The Seven Essentials

Wonder how some companies manage to achieve exceptional growth despite the odds against it? Take a look at the seven "essentials," based on a multiyear study of the highest-growth companies in the U.S., that quantifiably identify their success patterns. These "blueprint companies" represent the heart of innovation.

Paper contributed by SAP

What's on Your Sustainability Dashboard?

If you want a successful EH&S and carbon management program, the perspective is simple. To stay ahead you must look ahead... through the dashboard, not the rear view mirror. It's about vision, not hindsight. And it's about being proactive... identifying necessary improvements and compliance gaps before they become problems.

Paper contributed by Dakota Software

The Future of Manufacturing 2009

Manufacturing leaders chart the impact of the recession and identify the opportunities and risks facing the U.S. manufacturing sector in the years ahead. A joint survey and research summary by Crowe Horwath LLP and IW Custom Research

Paper contributed by Crowe Horwath LLP

Supplier Viability and the Threat to Your Business

The threat of supply chain failure is cascading throughout the U.S. manufacturing sector. Failure of one critical supplier can cause significant disruption to business operations and even threaten your company's very survival. This free briefing paper offers insights into how to monitor key supplier information for warning signals before you get asked why you didn’t see it coming.

Paper contributed by Crowe Horwath

Fiscally Fit Facilities: A New Look at What it Means to be Lean

Get fiscally fit by cutting days or more out of your production cycle with high-throughput rapid microbial screening. Increase your profitability by reducing non-value-added time, slashing inventory requirements and increasing ROI. Invest $100k and realize a 5 year NPV of $500k to $1 million per plant. Read how leading pharma and consumer product companies worldwide quantify the value of implementing Celsis Rapid Detection systems.

Paper contributed by Celsis

Demand Planning: How to Reduce the Risk and Impact of Inaccurate Demand Forecasts

As a general rule, forecasts are always inaccurate. This paper discusses two approaches which can be used to reduce the risk and impact of inaccurate demand forecasts: 1. Collaboration between customers and suppliers to improve the accuracy of the forecast. 2. Quicker response to demand changes to reduce the cost of forecast error. By improving your demand planning and demand management processes, your organization can improve customer service (by being more responsive) as well as operations performance (by achieving inventory reductions).

Paper contributed by Kinaxis

   

Submit A White Paper

If you would like to contribute a document to IndustryWeek's Sponsored White Paper Collection, please contact Jon Burger at jburger@industryweek.com or 216-931-9355.