Manufacturing Matters Blog

As we navigate 2025, global supply chains are poised to encounter a complex array of challenges and opportunities. Building upon insights from recent analyses, here are some key areas supply chain professionals should monitor:

What Is a Cleanroom?

Raw material, component and transit cost increases cause dramatic price spike. Memos announcing price increases have been arriving regularly from many of our component and materials suppliers, and at a historic cadence.

Good news, bad news: faster-than-expected increases in demand causing supply chain issues.

Shipping costs have increased significantly and are predicted to rise further in 2021 & beyond. Trans-Pacific shipping rates just popped to new all-time high. The entire domestic shipping and logistics industry is strained.

Outsourcing to contract manufacturers is routine for many OEMs. Establishing trusted partnerships is understandably a key focus since consistent product quality and performance are tied to manufacturing — and, ultimately, your brand’s reputation. ...

Very few OEMs are able to perpetually sustain the same business model. It’s a simple fact, but it also hints at the inevitability of change — and change evokes complex responses.

OEMs that deal with manufacturing electromechanical assemblies or turnkey products sold in North America or Europe are familiar with CE, CSA, RoHS, UL, and other required safety and emission certifications. As China becomes an even larger player...

It’s Not a Custom Solution; It Is a Perfect Fit Solution! Often times I hear customers tell me everything they want their new assembly to do. They want all the bells and whistles. They want it to have a certain footprint and be super quiet etc. Then...

Our New Year's Resolution As we close out another year and begin to look forward to what is to come, we find ourselves with the opportunity to reflect on the past year. With reflection we can better chart our path forward. It can be exciting and...

08/29/2018 by Hans Dittmar Are You Tariff-ied of what the future holds for the global economy? $6 billion here, $20 billion there. The continued tariff threats flying back and forth are disconcerting for the global economy, and businesses –...

Raw lumber cost increases causing higher prices for wooden shipping crates across all industries. Technical Advisory, May 2018 Overview As part of the ongoing trade discussions, the US and Canada