Solar Roadways Prototype Now Built April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: energy, green, new products and technologies
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The Department of Energy gave Solar Roadways a $100,000 grant, which they in turn used to develop a solar-powered road sign prototype. When a pedestrian steps on a panel to cross the street, the sign displays “slow down” messages. It is hoped the technology will cut down on accidents.
Check out the Coolest Gadgets review here.
Solar Roadways Prototype Now Built April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business, new products and technologies.Tags: energy, green, new products and technologies
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The Department of Energy gave Solar Roadways a $100,000 grant, which they in turn used to develop a solar-powered road sign prototype. When a pedestrian steps on a panel to cross the street, the sign displays “slow down” messages. It is hoped the technology will cut down on accidents.
Check out the Coolest Gadgets review here.
Alcoa, National Renewable Energy Lab, Test New Solar Technology April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business.Tags: energy, green business
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Alcoa and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab are jointly conducting a test on Concentrating Solar Power technology in order to make it more affordable in the United States. Alcoa has created a design solution which would help high-volume manufacturing to help lower installation costs. The simplicity of the design would likewise help with installation costs.
Check out the Industry Week article here.
Alcoa, National Renewable Energy Lab, Test New Solar Technology April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business.Tags: energy, green business
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Alcoa and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab are jointly conducting a test on Concentrating Solar Power technology in order to make it more affordable in the United States. Alcoa has created a design solution which would help high-volume manufacturing to help lower installation costs. The simplicity of the design would likewise help with installation costs.
Check out the Industry Week article here.
Tropical Frog Inspires New Way to Convert Solar Energy to Biofuel April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business.Tags: energy, green business
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Engineers from the University of Cincinnati have developed an artificial photosynthetic material from foam. The foam, using plant, bacterial, frog and fungal enzymes, can produce sugar from carbon-dioxide and sunlight. The design, however, is not quite revolutionary, as inspiration for the foam rests with the semi-tropical Tungara Frog. The Tungara Frog creates foams for developing tadpoles, which in turn inspired the engineers.
Check out the GizMag article here.
Tropical Frog Inspires New Way to Convert Solar Energy to Biofuel April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in green business.Tags: energy, green business
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Engineers from the University of Cincinnati have developed an artificial photosynthetic material from foam. The foam, using plant, bacterial, frog and fungal enzymes, can produce sugar from carbon-dioxide and sunlight. The design, however, is not quite revolutionary, as inspiration for the foam rests with the semi-tropical Tungara Frog. The Tungara Frog creates foams for developing tadpoles, which in turn inspired the engineers.
Check out the GizMag article here.
Economist Urges US To Invest In Manufacturing April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, manufacturing.Tags: economy, manufacturing
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The deteriorating state of U.S. manufacturing is dangerous for the health of the U.S. economy, and not enough people are realizing that. The majority of U.S. trade is in products, but the trade deficit cannot be fixed by relying on services. Too many people have failed to understand the complexities of manufacturing, with multi-tiered supply chains and clusters of facilities, etc. Manufacturing policies must support more than just research, but the entire lifecycle of production –including manufacturing’s complex nature.
Read the Industry Week article here.
Economist Urges US To Invest In Manufacturing April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, manufacturing.Tags: economy, manufacturing
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The deteriorating state of U.S. manufacturing is dangerous for the health of the U.S. economy, and not enough people are realizing that. The majority of U.S. trade is in products, but the trade deficit cannot be fixed by relying on services. Too many people have failed to understand the complexities of manufacturing, with multi-tiered supply chains and clusters of facilities, etc. Manufacturing policies must support more than just research, but the entire lifecycle of production –including manufacturing’s complex nature.
Read the Industry Week article here.
Ten US Senators Want Administration To Adopt National Manufacturing Policy April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, government, manufacturing.Tags: economy, government, manufacturing
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A bipartisan group of ten United States Senators want President Barack Obama to adopt a national manufacturing policy. With six million manufacturing jobs lost in the last ten years, the Senators envision a “21st-Century manufacturing strategy” which entails greater public-private cooperation that engenders the sought-after growth in manufacturing. Such cooperation requires more investment, providing “for communities in transition”, and “improving market access.”
Check out the Connecticut Plus article here.
Ten US Senators Want Administration To Adopt National Manufacturing Policy April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, government, manufacturing.Tags: economy, government, manufacturing
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A bipartisan group of ten United States Senators want President Barack Obama to adopt a national manufacturing policy. With six million manufacturing jobs lost in the last ten years, the Senators envision a “21st-Century manufacturing strategy” which entails greater public-private cooperation that engenders the sought-after growth in manufacturing. Such cooperation requires more investment, providing “for communities in transition”, and “improving market access.”
Check out the Connecticut Plus article here.
New Definition of Comparative Advantage April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, government.Tags: economy, government
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President Barack Obama’s “Economic Report of the President” sent to Congress last month did not clearly enough define the term “comparative advantage,” not that many do these days. Bill Waddell, over at Evolving Excellence, has decided to set things straight in one of his blog posts. The president’s report defined comparative advantage in terms of “cheapness” and not “quantity of labor,” as the original and genuine definition maintains.
Check out Mr. Waddell’s excellent post here.
New Definition of Comparative Advantage April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, government.Tags: economy, government
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President Barack Obama’s “Economic Report of the President” sent to Congress last month did not clearly enough define the term “comparative advantage,” not that many do these days. Bill Waddell, over at Evolving Excellence, has decided to set things straight in one of his blog posts. The president’s report defined comparative advantage in terms of “cheapness” and not “quantity of labor,” as the original and genuine definition maintains.
Check out Mr. Waddell’s excellent post here.
The Training Imperative April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in manufacturing, workforce.Tags: manufacturing, workforce
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The drive to resuscitate American manufacturing is on. But for manufacturers seeking workers, the unemployed field is daunting. It is difficult to find qualified workers, with the right skills for the right positions. Indeed, 1/3 of all manufacturing companies are experiencing qualified worker shortages. So the drive is on to train individuals to master the skills that will qualify them for the work they seek. A system of certification is also in the works.
Read the Industry Week article here.
The Training Imperative April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in manufacturing, workforce.Tags: manufacturing, workforce
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The drive to resuscitate American manufacturing is on. But for manufacturers seeking workers, the unemployed field is daunting. It is difficult to find qualified workers, with the right skills for the right positions. Indeed, 1/3 of all manufacturing companies are experiencing qualified worker shortages. So the drive is on to train individuals to master the skills that will qualify them for the work they seek. A system of certification is also in the works.
Read the Industry Week article here.
Putting a Face to a Name: The Art of Motivating Employees April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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Wharton management professor Adam Grant maintains that a simple five-minute interaction with another person could dramatically improve one’s productivity. Grant has extensively studied what motivates employees. In many situations, employees who know their work has a positive impact are likelier to have better morale, and better productivity. Grant gives the example of callers seeking donations, who can easily lose heart after suffering frequent rejections on the phone. The solution, says Grant, is to introduce them to someone who will benefit from the donations the callers collect. Even in industries that don’t directly help others, employees within the same organization may take heart when seeing how their work helps others work.
Check out the Wharton article here. (registration required)
Putting a Face to a Name: The Art of Motivating Employees April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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Wharton management professor Adam Grant maintains that a simple five-minute interaction with another person could dramatically improve one’s productivity. Grant has extensively studied what motivates employees. In many situations, employees who know their work has a positive impact are likelier to have better morale, and better productivity. Grant gives the example of callers seeking donations, who can easily lose heart after suffering frequent rejections on the phone. The solution, says Grant, is to introduce them to someone who will benefit from the donations the callers collect. Even in industries that don’t directly help others, employees within the same organization may take heart when seeing how their work helps others work.
Check out the Wharton article here. (registration required)
Work Smart: Stop Multitasking and Start Doing One Thing Really Well April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity.Tags: personal productivity
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Multitasking is not always beneficial. There is a difference between listening to music while eating, and going between instant messaging and writing a research report. Writing and messaging shifts attention back and forth between the report and the messaging. When that happens, you end up juggling instead of concentrating. It then takes time to reorient from one task to the other. A recent study shows that interrupted employees took an average of 25 minutes to get back to what they were doing.
Read the FastCompany article here.
Work Smart: Stop Multitasking and Start Doing One Thing Really Well April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity.Tags: personal productivity
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Multitasking is not always beneficial. There is a difference between listening to music while eating, and going between instant messaging and writing a research report. Writing and messaging shifts attention back and forth between the report and the messaging. When that happens, you end up juggling instead of concentrating. It then takes time to reorient from one task to the other. A recent study shows that interrupted employees took an average of 25 minutes to get back to what they were doing.
Read the FastCompany article here.
Work Smart: Avoid Office Distractions With Time Blocking April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity.Tags: personal productivity
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Gina Trapani, in a FastCompany article, says that it’s important what to pay attention to, and what to ignore. Interruptions are everywhere- from cell phones to fellow coworkers –and a study found that the United States lost $650 billion in productivity each year due to unnecessary interruptions. When tackling a project, block your time, and set aside interruptions –like your cell phone.
Check out Ms. Trapani’s article here.
Work Smart: Avoid Office Distractions With Time Blocking April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity.Tags: personal productivity
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Gina Trapani, in a FastCompany article, says that it’s important what to pay attention to, and what to ignore. Interruptions are everywhere- from cell phones to fellow coworkers –and a study found that the United States lost $650 billion in productivity each year due to unnecessary interruptions. When tackling a project, block your time, and set aside interruptions –like your cell phone.
Check out Ms. Trapani’s article here.
How to Write a Mission Statement That Doesn’t Suck April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in strategy.Tags: strategy
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People tend to get too fancy or ambiguous writing mission statements. Dan Heath explains that when writing a mission statement, the statement should be concrete. They should also talk about “the why”: Too many mission statements are “all statement and no mission.” Companies need to say why they’re doing what it is they’re doing to attract customers.
Check out the article, and more tips, here.
How to Write a Mission Statement That Doesn’t Suck April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in strategy.Tags: strategy
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People tend to get too fancy or ambiguous writing mission statements. Dan Heath explains that when writing a mission statement, the statement should be concrete. They should also talk about “the why”: Too many mission statements are “all statement and no mission.” Companies need to say why they’re doing what it is they’re doing to attract customers.
Check out the article, and more tips, here.
Better Call the Waaaahmulance! April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, government, Lean Thinking, manufacturing, supply chain.Tags: economy, government, Lean Thinking, manufacturing, supply chain
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More and more companies are beginning to realize the drawbacks of outsourcing, and are beginning to look back to America for production. But many manufacturers are still heading overseas, and Kevin Meyer at Evolving Excellence looks at the case of Evergreen Solar, which is outsourcing to China. Too many companies throw their hands up if there is no governmental solution, when internal solutions can make government intervention or incentives unnecessary.
Read Mr. Meyer’s post here.
Better Call the Waaaahmulance! April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, government, Lean Thinking, manufacturing, supply chain.Tags: economy, government, Lean Thinking, manufacturing, supply chain
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More and more companies are beginning to realize the drawbacks of outsourcing, and are beginning to look back to America for production. But many manufacturers are still heading overseas, and Kevin Meyer at Evolving Excellence looks at the case of Evergreen Solar, which is outsourcing to China. Too many companies throw their hands up if there is no governmental solution, when internal solutions can make government intervention or incentives unnecessary.
Read Mr. Meyer’s post here.
You CAN Have Your Cake and Eat It Too April 20, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, quality.Tags: lean, quality
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The Project Management Triangle asserts that three factors affect quality: cost, scope, and schedule. Lowering cost will alter and erode quality, for example. The Triangle maintains projects are static circumstances, but Michael Lombard at Lean Builder disagrees and says circumstances can be improved – by reducing waste. Attacking waste means more quality.
Check out Mr. Lombard’s article here.
