Manufacturing

Making Green While Going Green

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Visionary CEO Ray Anderson, who proudly boasts the moniker “radical industrialist,” says it’s imperative that we save the environment -- but business, not government, must take the lead. In this interview, Anderson explains how other companies can do what his business has done.

The Business of Sustainability

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 GMT

At age 60, visionary CEO Ray Anderson, author of Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, decided to move his company toward environmental sustainability. He’s proving that it’s possible to do well -- very well -- by doing good. In this interview, he tells how.

Engaging a Remote Sales Force

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:30:00 GMT

Salespeople in the field have the same need to emotionally attach to their workplace as other workers do, and the best companies know how to engage them regardless of how difficult it might be. Hindustan Unilever Limited in India is one of those companies.

Strengths on the Factory Floor

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Does the strengths approach work with manufacturing employees? This is a question strengths experts hear often from senior executives, and the assumption is that blue-collar workers aren’t interested in sharing who they are. Sam’s story proves that wrong.

Anticipating Failure -- Then Adapting to Succeed

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This company president's business was growing at a torrid pace -- so much so that it almost crashed and burned. So he and his team decided to slow that growth and focus on sustainability. Executives across a range of industries can learn from his experience.

Innovation the Right Way

Thu, 10 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Many companies, including those in the Fortune 500, are investing heavily in innovation but getting frustrated with their returns. They may want to stop and take notice of this small manufacturing company that has proven to be wildly successful in innovation. You may not have heard of Fabcon, but this business' approach is sure to influence yours.

Investing in Employees' Development

Thu, 10 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A Cargill manager's employees rate him exceptionally high on a crucial aspect of great management: developing his team. His leadership practices, which he says he learned as a teen, offer lessons to managers across all industries, according to the authors of the New York Times bestseller 12: The Elements of Great Managing.

Why Employees Need the Right Equipment

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A manager at Owens Corning's Rio Claro, Brazil, facility knows that equipping his employees with what they need leads to many benefits, not the least of which is worker safety, comfort, and productivity. But it also instills team spirit. In fact, the Rio Claro facility is emblematic of one of the key elements revealed in the recently published New York Times bestseller, 12: The Elements of Great Managing.

An International Paper Mill Saves Itself

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

When the nearly 900 workers at a Texarkana mill faced a weakening market and, worse, multiple rounds of downsizing, they could've given up and waited to lose their jobs. But instead of choosing to be victims of the global economy, they consciously -- and conscientiously -- set about saving their mill, and themselves. Here is their success story.

A Manager's Revolutionary Idea at International Paper

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

This supervisor in Poland had many obstacles to overcome, not least of which was being a diminutive woman in a paper plant dominated by burly men. What's more, a palpable malaise permeated the place. But by giving her employees something they hadn't received before -- large doses of praise and recognition -- she turned around this formerly government-run warehouse. Her approach was downright radical.