Michelle LaVery
Recent posts by Michelle LaVery
What can make or break a manufacturing company? According to Eric Larkin, co-founder and CTO of Arena Solutions, the answer is “how well it handles its product data.” In the early 1990s, as CTO of an underwater video equipment manufacturer, Eric and his team used spreadsheets to manage their product data. But their market demanded [...]
This Valentine’s Day we are giving part numbering schemes a big juicy KISS. Parts are the heart of your product. You have to manage (um, treat) them just right, otherwise you could have product heartache on your hands. Assigning a part number is a way for a manufacturer to reference a part. Some may employ [...]
How do small and mid-size manufacturing companies operate today? And do these firms anticipate growth over the next five years? Last December more than 200 small to mid-size manufacturing firms (thank you!) participated in the Arena Product Development Survey. The respondents represent a range of industries—high-tech electronics, medical device and diagnostics, automotive supply chain and [...]
The goal of most manufacturing organizations is the same: build great products in a repeatable way. That requires good manufacturing processes — which obviously takes more than just having the appropriate gauges, fixtures and training in place. In a recent blog post, we shared 5 steps manufacturers can take to prepare for growth. Here we [...]
In the business biography The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It, Tilar J. Mazzeo tells the story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin who, after her husband’s death, took control of the family wine business. The story takes the reader on a journey through the process of making the [...]
In our many years of working with medical device manufacturers, we’ve seen the rigorous work these companies do to pass a regulatory audit. Preparing for an audit is a time-consuming process that involves gathering, reviewing and updating process documents and ensuring that employees are fully trained on all company procedures. Needless to say, with their [...]
