If you watched any of the Olympic games in August, you couldn’t help but notice the advancements in technology, especially with regard to instant replays.
The difference from just four years ago was mind blowing. Beyond slowing down the action to see, with crystal clarity, just whose head crossed the finish line first in a photo finish, in events such as the high-dive competition viewers were treated to single screens broken into what were essentially frame-by-frame still shots revealing the intricate details of entire routines.
Simply put, this was sports technology for the viewer at its best.
America is a nation that thrives on the latest and greatest. We rise to the challenge of doing things faster and better – and that means more than just equipping ourselves with newest technology. As a country founded on the exploration of new ideas, this also includes analyzing the way things are currently done and identifying where and how to improve them.
Nowhere is this truer than in the manufacturing sector, where global competition has put many manufacturers on the defense rather than on the offensive.
While some manufacturers stand still and bemoan the shift of jobs overseas, others recognize the reality of the situation – manufacturers in emerging nations with lower standards of living than the U.S. pay wages relative to their respective countries’ rate scale – and have begun to do what businesspeople throughout history have done at each crucial industrial junction – adapt.
Just a decade or so ago, companies such as IBM and Xerox pinned their very existence on hardware-based product lines. Today, both companies tout business solutions and intellectual capital – a drastic difference in a very short period of time.
It is with this type of adaptation in mind that Smart Business is proud to announce its partnership with CAMP Inc. for the fourth annual eVolution in Manufacturing conference and awards, which will be held in February 2005.
This year, we’re looking to honor manufacturers who have excelled in adapting to a global economy – whether building joint ventures or establishing supplier/vendor relationships overseas, fine-tuning operations as part continuous improvement initiatives, becoming Six Sigma black belts or transforming themselves into lean manufacturers.
Nominations will be accepted through November 19th and be judged by an independent panel of manufacturing and business experts. If you think your manufacturing operations are moving forward instead of being left behind, drop us a line at [email protected] and put your progress to the test.
