In 1970, tire manufacturer Firestone recalled 10 million tires. A faulty engineering design separated the belt from the tread: the rubber on the circumference that makes contact with the road.... read more →
If you're a first-time hardware creator, here's something you might not have learned: Your hardware's prototype is the key stage between idea and production (manufacturing lots of them). (more…)
“What is not on paper has not been said.” Anonymous Let's talk about customer requirements. Sometimes I find myself in a social situation where I don’t know a bunch of... read more →
It’s easy to get excited about a project that you are working on – in fact, it happens to me all the time. I start working on something and as... read more →
Let me admit something up front: I didn’t start drinking coffee until I turned 40. In our current caffeinated society, where 32-ounce morning coffee thermoses are the norm, this must... read more →
Every discipline and "domain" has its own unique jargon, vocabulary – including slang, acronyms, and more – and associated concepts. This is as true for cooking (e.g., sautee, carmelize, roue),... read more →
There's no shortage of success stories on the use of project management methods like Lean and Agile to software development (which is what Agile was formulated for) or for manufacturing... read more →
In the old days of “over the wall engineering,” all engineers had to do was throw drawings over the wall to manufacturing. That’s it. Nothing to worry about. Production planners... read more →
I’ve been fortunate having been given the chance to talk to many manufacturing companies ranging in size from small hardware startups to large manufacturing companies. In having done so, I’ve... read more →