Making Sushi or Cars: Continuous Improvement Needed

  • Date: May 29, 2018
  • Posted by:John Hindman, Director of Learning Services, Tooling U-SME

On a recent trip, I watched an in-flight video about Masaki Saito who started studying to be a sushi chef at age 18. This year, his New York restaurant Sushi Ginza Onodera received a second star for the 2018 MICHELIN Guide New York City. Despite being at the top of his game, Chef Saito said in the video, “I am still a student now.” Read More.

After the Grant: How to Sustain Your Manufacturing Program

  • Date: May 23, 2018
  • Posted by:Michael Freed, Manager Manufacturing Solutions, Workforce Development, Sinclair Community College, Dayton, OH

Mr. Freed discusses how Sinclair Community College was able to sustain its Industrial Maintenance Program long after grant funding was over. Read More.

Students and Parents Should Consider Vocational Schools

  • Date: May 22, 2018
  • Posted by:Jeff Krause, Chief Executive Officer, SME

Over the next few weeks, high school seniors across the country will graduate and receive their diploma. Nearly 70 percent of those graduates will move on to college or a four-year university, while few choose vocational or trade school; in 2015, 20 million Americans attended degree-granting postsecondary institutions, while only 412,000 attended non-degree-granting institutions or those that offer career and technical programs. Read More.

Building a “Smart” Workforce

  • Date: May 15, 2018
  • Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

While still early stage, manufacturers are seeing the necessity of implementing a Smart Manufacturing strategy for benefits including increased efficiency, improved quality, shorter cycle times, increased innovation, and cost reduction.

As explained in SME’s first of three Smart Manufacturing Reports, Smart Manufacturing: A Competitive Necessity, the same technical revolution underway at home—with smart devices like Amazon’s intelligent personal assistant Alexa to play a favorite song or change the temperature—is taking place in the manufacturing facility. Read More.

Developing a Custom Lean Program for a Nontraditional Audience

  • Date: May 07, 2018
  • Posted by:Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer, SME

Lean has long been associated with manufacturing, and in particular, the automotive industry. But since it was first introduced decades ago, industries of all types have begun to understand that the basic premises of lean — continuous improvement and delivering maximum value while minimizing waste — are beneficial in manufacturing and far beyond. Read More.