Dec 3 2008
A ground-breaking study to assess the global competitiveness of Wisconsin manufacturers reveals that Next Generation Manufacturing strategies are a powerful catalyst for world-class performance and success.
More than 500 manufacturers responded to the Wisconsin Next Generation Manufacturing Study, which was conducted by the Manufacturing Performance Institute (MPI), a global research firm that annually conducts the largest study of manufacturers in the U.S. Next Generation Manufacturing refers to a framework of forward-looking strategies that are driving manufacturing growth and profitability in the 21st century, said Mike Klonsinski, executive director of the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP), which commissioned the study with several partner organizations.
The next generation success strategies are customer-focused innovation, systemic continuous improvement, advanced talent management, global engagement, extended enterprise management and sustainable products and processes. John Brandt, CEO of MPI, said a key finding of the study is that top-performing Wisconsin firms are focused on deploying tactics and strategies consistent with Next Generation Manufacturing.
“The good news we see in this data is that many Wisconsin manufacturers are making progress across the spectrum of next generation strategies,” he said.
Of potential concern, however, are state manufacturers who aren’t engaged in change or transformation, as well as firms that recognize the importance of next generation strategies but are unable or unwilling to act, he said.
The study found numerous manufacturers making limited progress across key performance metrics, and that smaller firms were more likely to face these difficulties.