by Ed Wiley | Feb 27, 2019 | 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing, Future of Metal Fabrication, Manufacturing Business, Manufacturing Technology
General Motors got a lot of attention recently when they unveiled a 3D-printed seat bracket. With its weirdly organic shapes it looked like something that might have been grown rather than made, but it was in fact produced from stainless steel. GM noted that this one...
by Ben Wiley | Feb 13, 2019 | Future of Metal Fabrication, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Business, Manufacturing Technology, Uncategorized
Walk through our shop, (or take the Wiley Metal drone fly-by,) and you’ll see we’re a high variety, low volume operation. Yes, we take on longer runs but we’re not the kind of high-volume business that uses a lot of automation. It just doesn’t...
by Ben Wiley | Jan 30, 2019 | Manufacturing Business, Manufacturing Technology, Metal Fabrication, metal fabrication business, Metal Fabricators, OEM, Parts Supplier, Supplier, Supply Chain Integration
Smart manufacturing has been described in various ways ranging from the overly-simplified to the complex. It is part of an evolving way in which manufacturers respond to current market and technological conditions with a goal of maximizing profitability. In that...
by Ed Wiley | Jan 16, 2019 | Family Business, Future of Metal Fabrication, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Business, Manufacturing Technology, Metal Fabrication, metal fabrication business, Metal Fabricators, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Skills Gap, US Manufacturing
There was a time when many manufacturers and metal fabricators viewed the future as either “bullish” or “bearish”. We all like to think we are positive by nature, but after the harsh economic lessons of a decade ago, more of us who have been traditionally positive...
by Ed Wiley | Dec 19, 2018 | continuous improvement, Family Business, Future of Metal Fabrication, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Business, Manufacturing Technology, Metal Fabrication, metal fabrication business, Motorhome Manufacturers, RV, Sheet Metal Fabrication
This is the time of year to look back and prepare for the future. There is value in reviewing the successes and mistakes of the past year and in looking at where opportunities may lie in the future. This has been a good year in metal fabrication and manufacturing and...
by Ben Wiley | Sep 20, 2018 | 5s, Future of Metal Fabrication, Lean Manufacturing, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Business, Manufacturing Technology
Have you ever walked around a shop floor and thought to yourself “Someday, somebody’s going to hit their head on that” or “…trip on that” or “bang their knee on that”? Yet, far too often if it doesn’t happen to 99.9% of the people, the...
