Archive for hardware components
Great News for American Manufacturing
Posted by: | CommentsPresident Obama has appointed Ron Bloom as the White House Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy. Mr. Bloom is well known to be a strong advocate for the retention and further development of what has historically been a key element to this country’s success – our strong manufacturing know-how and base. His feeling is that we need to quit simply “jaw-boning” about retaining onshore manufacturing capabilities and start taking positive actions to maintain this valuable asset of American enterprise.
And, this is a man who actually walks the walk. After working for Lazard Freres and then starting his own investment firm specializing in restructuring North American manufacturing companies, Bloom walked away from his firm in a renewed effort to support U.S. manufacturing. He has spent the last decade working as a special assistant to Leo Gerard, the President of the United Steelworkers. As Gerard stated, “He walked away from investment banking because of his values and commitment to manufacturing…..He really believes that you can’t have a successful economy unless you have a strong manufacturing sector.”
Of equal value is Bloom’s personal history in assisting in the restructuring of over 50 companies. This has provided him with invaluable insight into what it takes for a manufacturing firm to be successful; real world experience at a time when it carries the greatest of premiums. Robert Baugh, executive director of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council stated that he felt the appointment of Ron Bloom to the position of Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy is “the best thing that could have happened for manufacturing.”
It’s great to know that we finally have a strong advocate for American Manufacturing with access to the President. Perhaps now, we will start to see positive actions out of Washington to insure the continued presence, success and growth of manufacturing enterprises within our borders along with the employment that such growth promises.
Big Changes coming to EMS Industry
Posted by: | CommentsAs the market rebounds from this historic economic downturn, expect to see some major changes in the EMS industry as companies and their shareholders try to recoup serious losses and position themselves for the future.
Look for smaller companies that focus on narrow niche specialties like medical, industrial or aerospace. By specializing, they can concentrate all their time and resources more efficiently, keeping margins down and profits up. Larger EMS providers, which dominated the market in the past, will be left to fight over the less specialized consumer, computer and communications business. Those areas make up a large core of the market, but also have lower margins.
Some larger OEMs may turn to insourcing more of their manufacturing, taking a page out of playbooks that have been very successful for both Nokia and Intel. Keeping more manufacturing in-house puts the OEM in control and reduces the costs and headaches that can come from dealing with an EMS provider.
Finally, expect the explosive growth of Original Design Manufacturers to slow as OEMs respond to concerns over design innovation and product differentiation – the driving factor in many industries, especially consumer electronics. Outsourcing the design of specific components helped cut costs. Outsourcing the design of entire products has made some OEM’s fear they are losing their competitive edge. Now more of them are talking about recapturing control of conceptualization and master design from their ODMs.
Experts predict the next five to ten years will bring big changes to the EMS industry – specialization, insourcing, and a return to in-house product design. Will you be ready?
Emerging Component Standards for Wind Energy Industry
Posted by: | CommentsWind energy is hot right now, and getting hotter. And, as the wind energy industry heats up, so is the discussion about standards for wind turbine components. Who will set standards for all the anchor bolts, lock nuts, rigging, blades, concrete, etc., and what will they be? Fastener manufacturers, for example, are all abuzz over whether the millions of fasteners needed for proposed wind farms across the country will use the American inch standard or the metric standard favored by Europeans in the industry. Will the fasteners be stainless steel or hot dipped galvanized metal? And who will decide? Will each of the nearly 100 different companies manufacturing the turbines set their own standards or will there be an International Building Code?
Questions like these were flying around the floor at the Windpower 2009 Conference in Chicago last May. And on November 3-5, the American Wind Energy Association is hosting a conference in Detroit where industry leaders, project developers, wind manufacturers and component suppliers will all gather for – among other attractions – a supply chain workshop. Topics up for discussion include things like major component sourcing, value chain services and re-tooling for the wind industry. Expected to attend are manufacturers and suppliers of a wide range of mechanical and electrical components, including generators, hydraulics, sensors, hardware, drives, power distribution, composites, cabling, big steel, castings, forgings, bearings and gearboxes. They’re all going to want to talk standards.
I, for one, am fascinated by these debates, which are going to shape the growth of the wind industry over the next decade and beyond. I’ll be keeping an eye on new standards as they appear, and hope you will comment below about any developments you’ve heard about in the Wind Energy Industry.
Welcome to the Bluefin Blog!
Posted by: | CommentsThis is the site for the latest industry news, timely technology component updates, and valuable tips from our experts on sourcing, procurement, and business strategy. But it’s more than that. We want the Bluefin Blog to be an interactive forum where people from across the industry can post comments, share insights and get fast, reliable and relevant information. When we have news you can use, we’ll share it here. And we’ll let you contribute to the conversation, too.
We’ve got a lot of folks at Bluefin ready to share their thoughts, discoveries, and some really creative solutions. Here are some of the people you’ll be hearing from, starting with myself:
David Scribner: Chief of Quality and Operations
David has been in the Supply Chain Management arena for more than a decade. His service within the U.S Army’s Intelligence Branch helped develop an attention to detail, a positive attitude and an ability to build systems with superior accuracy and efficiency that has earned him a national reputation. Over the years, he has given multiple TV and radio interviews, sharing his insights on Global Business Strategy. David heads up our quality systems and oversees the entire AS9120 SAE ISO 9001:2000 certified process.
Travis Thoman: VP Aerospace/Military Supply
Travis’ expertise stems from his service in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Nebraska 739, a Trident Submarine. During multiple tours, Travis performed duties in supply, quality assurance, and maintenance for the ship’s mechanical systems. It takes team work and a critical sense of urgency to keep a naval vessel humming at operational perfection, and Travis carries those skills into his work as the lead of all Military and Aerospace material fulfillment at Bluefin. After his military service he worked in technical sales and purchasing for the Allegheny York Company, a manufacturer, and Parker Hannifin distributor, where he traveled around the United States and South Africa helping clients solve technical issues. In 2001, he launched his own consulting firm, which he sold when he joined Bluefin. As a member of our team, he has helped take the entire Military/Aerospace materials campaign within our company to a whole new level. His goals are simple: “to establish and grow a successful client and vendor base that becomes the premier source for attaining hard to find hardware and components in the industry.”
Jeff Smith: Senior Procurement Specialist
Jeff comes to Bluefin with over 10 years of sales and customer service experience across several industries including corporate payroll and pharmaceuticals. His favorite part of working at Bluefin is “the opportunity to work so closely with my clients.” In his spare time, Jeff enjoys spending time with his 4 year old daughter.
Christine Lutheran: VP Procurement
Christine is second to none when it comes to tracking down hard-to-find and obsolete material. She taught high school for a few years in Cocoa Beach, Fla. before making a career selling milspec/aerospace materials. We’re glad she made the switch! A decade later, she holds a host of Fortune 500 clients, who rely on her to find materials that cannot be sourced elsewhere. When lines go down, Christine has a reputation for saving the day. She currently heads up our purchasing initiative from York , PA.
Tiffany Solano
Tiffany Solano has been on the Bluefin team for the past 6 years. She started in our warehouse and quality department and has consistently moved from position to position within our system. Tiff has worked along side purchasing, data entry, customer service and expediting, before finally landing in OEM Sales where she currently handles 2 dozen active accounts.
