Articles by James (Jim) E. Swope

The various supply chain disruptions of the past several years brought into sharp focus the need to identify alternative sources for key products, including adhesives used in assembly operations.

Digital strategy and all of its semantic offshoots should serve as implementation tools for your overall corporate strategy, but it can be difficult to know where to start when developing such a strategy.

Mobility trends point to the expanded use of sensors, cameras, and electronic controls in vehicle assembly.

I hear many salespeople complain that their product has become commoditized. This can be one of those “perception equals reality” traps; that is, if you believe your product or service is a commodity, then you are helping to make it a commodity.

Business development can be defined several ways. To some people, it is a sales function. Others might see it as a marketing function, and yet others think it involves work with mergers and acquisitions.

As a supplier, imagine knowing that almost any material was bondable. How much more productive would your work be if you could focus on such factors as environmental resistance, structural strength or cure speed?

Green, bio-based, renewable, eco-friendly—no matter which label we attach, the current marketing buzz is about environmentally conscious products.

Most manufacturers are currently or have been involved in some form of lean process. Your company may be well down the path or just starting out, or your customers or suppliers may be going lean. The Lean Enterprise Institute characterizes lean as “creating more value for customers with fewer resources.”