March 2010
Industry News
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Atlanta tops Hotwire's top 10 list for best-value cities, trumping Orlando; Phoenix No. 3
from USA Today, March 9, 2010
Hotwire's fifth annual "Travel Value Index" study of best-value cities for travelers ranks Atlanta No. 1, bumping perennial family favorite Orlando from first place to second. In other years, Denver, Phoenix and Orlando have taken the title for varying reasons.
Hotwire compiles the study to give consumers an idea as to where their travel dollars can stretch farthest. Read more . . .
Developing A Machinery Maintenance Program
In the March issue of Woodworking Magazine
When it comes to machinery maintenance, proactive beats reactive any day. Regular maintenance can mean the difference between an efficient production line and one that is frequently interrupted or down.
When it comes to maintenance, here are a few things to consider.Read more. . .
A Piece Of The Pie Is Better Than Nothing
Written by Dan Alleger in Woodshop News
Building cabinets here and doing some finishing there - diversifying can help you meet the needs of your local market
The economy has been rough on all of us, from small-shop owners to larger operations. The fluctuations in the new home-building market have no doubt affected not only those who build homes, but also those of us who outfit the inside with custom cabinets and other items including furniture. If you're feeling the pinch, you have company.
It is not always easy to get the edge on your competition because there are often multiple shops bidding on the same job. Read more . . .
A Lean Journey 10
by Ralph Bagnall for the I-Channel
I hope that you have been following JFP’s Lean Journey with interest. As you may or may not know, I will be presenting a Lean seminar at IWF 2010 in a few months time. I encourage you to register and attend the show and the seminar, it will be interactive and, I trust, highly useful to you.
Further, I hope that you have been inspired through the reading of this series to begin making some changes in your shop. Have you re-organized tool storage? Have you cleaned up work areas? Thought about new ways of doing tasks? Lean Manufacturing, in its essence, is nothing more than ongoing improvement. Read more . . .
Improving Quality and Eliminating Waste Using Simple Statistical Methods
by Davis Woodruff, PE, CMC Management Methods, Inc.
Quality: Understanding the Definition
"How do you define Quality?"
Everyone has an opinion. Some would refer to quality as goodness or customer satisfaction. Since quality can mean different things to different people, the definition of quality could be confusing. So let’s go to an internationally accepted definition. The ISO 9000 standard defines quality as: “The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements.” This definition of quality is very specific, and can be applied to any job, product or process, since all must have requirements.
"So where do simple statistical methods fit?" Read more . . .
Mississippi upholstery manufacturers to receive $2,000 tax credit
Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, March 26, 2010
Applies to newly created cut-and-sew jobs
JACKSON, Miss. — Furniture manufacturers in Mississippi will get a $2,000 tax credit for each new cut-and-sew job they create in the state under legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Haley Barbour. Industry and political leaders were relieved and encouraged that the measure passed, according to a report in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
Barbour had vetoed a tax credit that Mississippi lawmakers had passed last year, which would have given manufacturers a tax credit for each existing cut-and-sew job in addition to new ones. The new credit would only apply to newly created jobs, which is where Barbour said the emphasis should be.
The Mississippi Furniture Assn. had backed the bill. Ken Pruett, the group's president, thanked legislators and supporters for their help.
Read more . . .
New training helps furniture manufacturers
By Karen Brasher, MSU College of Forest Resources, in Cabinetmaker+FDM online, February 2010
Supervisors learn management, communications in Mississippi State program and help their companies become more competitive.
Furniture manufacturers have indicated their need for formal manager education and training within their organizations, and Mississippi State University has responded by designing specialized training.
In the furniture industry, first-line supervisors are responsible for managing workers and coordinating all of the activities to make, ship, sell and deliver thousands of pieces of furniture, but there is little formal education and training available to them.
Do Your People Know The Score?
by Ken Rolfes for the I-Channel
The NCAA March madness is in full swing. Some teams have celebrated their tournament entrance and some exciting ‘upsets’ have already occurred. For the avid college basket ball fan the play is exciting to watch and follow the progress to the final four. However, can you imagine how interested you would be if the scores were not posted? A ref calls a foul and free throws made, but you don’t know the number of fouls the player has or how much time is left on the shot clock. There have been baskets made, but you don’t know who is winning or by how much. By now you have forgotten which half it is. How long do you think you would stay with the game?
The situation above may not be so different in your company. Take a walk through your workplace. Look at the work areas. Read more . . .
Dow 11,000: How significant?
By SmartMoney on MSN.com, March 29, 2010
The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) appears to be a bullish session or two away from crossing 11,000. It's a benchmark that carries less symbolic weight than Dow 10,000, a milepost the index crossed for the first time in more than a year on Oct. 14. But analysts say investors are right to pay it some attention.
Let's take a closer look at 11,000.
Read more . . .
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