Snarled supply chains throughout 2021 had industry hoping 2022 would be smoother, yet analysts said it would last into 2023 or longer. Lisa Anderson offers her insights about how 2023 is looking.

Lisa Anderson’s webinar discussing the upcoming challenges and opportunities in the supply chain was featured in Aerospace Manufacturing and Design and Today’s Medical Developments.

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According to Statista Research Department, the global market for robots is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 26% to reach close to $210 billion by 2025. For example, according to Automation World, almost 45% of respondents currently use robots in their assembly and manufacturing operations and almost 25% expect to add robots in the next year. Clients and colleagues are starting to see the value in robots, and they believe it has become critical to think about how this type of automation could help scale the business successfully. It is no longer people vs. robots; it is people and robots.

Robots have been gaining in attractiveness for several years. For example, one key client started down the robot journey over 25 years ago, seeing it as a cost reduction project. Certainly, robots can save labor costs in certain situations, but it is not the only or even typically the most compelling reason to pursue the strategy. Other clients have installed robots to speed up the production process to increase throughput while several others have installed robots to take over repetitive, dirty or hazardous tasks, thereby improving safety and working conditions. Robots have also improved quality, increased consistency, and enhanced flexibility. Thus, even pre-pandemic, many executives were investing in robots.

The pandemic made robots even more attractive. First, robots could stand within 6 feet of employees. Clients with close quarters without robots struggled during the pandemic whereas those with robots (or manufacturing processes not requiring the close proximity of people) thrived. Also, if the robots could take on extra tasks, when employees were out due to COVID, manufacturing and distribution didn’t have to stop. Lastly, most clients had to scale up and/or down rapidly during the pandemic, and those clients with robots were more quickly able to adapt to changing conditions by ramping up or down as needed.

One aerospace manufacturing client had a bottleneck in their EDM (electrical discharge machining) production area. They had several steps prior to EDM and several steps following EDM in their production process. Unfortunately, because EDM required highly skilled resources for complex setups and fine tuning, a bottleneck built up in front of EDM. They tried running overtime, prioritizing jobs, and catching up on Saturdays but they could not increase the output to the level required to meet customer demand. Training another resource would take months, if not years. Then an idea arose to purchase a robot and customize the robot to suite their unique needs. Soon, they were running highly customized jobs and performing all setups on first shift so that the robot could run on 2^nd and 3^rd shift unsupervised. They tripled their output, the bottleneck disappeared, and customers were thrilled. They have continued to expand the use of robots in EDM to scale the business quickly and profitably.

Do robots always make sense? Absolutely not. Another client described the robots on his production floor as both beneficial and wasteful. In this situation, if the production line broke down prior to reaching the robot, there was excess waste because the robot kept running and didn’t realize there was a mechanical failure. It was a bit reminiscent of the “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy and Ethel couldn’t keep up with the chocolate line and started eating the chocolate. If highly skilled resources are not available, robots could be restrictive rather than flexible, and down more than up. Robots are also not appropriate to all situations. Before wasting time and resources on a poor return on investment, perform a quick evaluation and trial. On the other hand, what is common across every client is the need to consider robots in your technology roadmap. Post pandemic, successfully scaling the business has risen to the top of the executive’s priority list. Thus, evaluating robots must be a top priority.

As originally published in Brushware Magazine on May-June 2021

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As destructive as COVID-19 has been, from a supply chain perspective it’s simply the latest disruption manufacturers must face.

Lisa Anderson, MBA, CSCP, CLTD, president of LMA Consulting Group Inc., will address these disruptions and explain how manufacturing and supply chain executives can successfully navigate this latest challenge in the free webinar, Future-Proofing Manufacturing & the Supply Chain, taking place June 25, 2020 at 1 pm EDT.

Customers’ expectations are newly defined and ever-changing. The un-normal that’s emerging requires rapid customized products and services arriving at a customers’ doorstep prior to them realizing the need. Is your manufacturing and supply chain network geared to surpass customers’ expectations and prepared to be resilient to ever-changing conditions while growing profit and accelerating cash flow?

In this webinar, Anderson will discuss strategies to navigate, successfully emerge, and position your company to thrive post COVID-19. Attendees will be walked through key insights and proactive approaches to consider across the end-to-end supply chain, as well as strategy and tactics across all organizational functions

Click here to read more.

Published in Aerospace Manufacturing & Design on June 13, 2020

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“Baby Boomers with a significant knowledge base are retiring at the rate of 10,000 a day.”

No manufacturer can ignore the urgency of that figure.

The quote comes from manufacturing and supply chain expert and president of LMA Consulting Group Inc. Lisa Anderson. She has Boomer retirements topping her list of reasons for the widening skills gap.

Making matters worse is the gap in skilled trades such as CNC operators. Anderson bemoans the lack of focus on high school and community college career paths into manufacturing, citing industry leaders’ unwillingness to invest in solving the problem.

“Those that find a way to bridge this gap have a leg up on the competition,” she observes.

She advises partnerships to counter the skilled-jobs deficit. “Successful executives have set up programs with local community colleges, partnered with trade associations such as the Association for Supply Chain Management (APICS), [and others].”

Further evidence of the problem’s severity is revealed in the 2020 Ohio Manufacturing Survey, conducted by the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET), a resource to help manufacturers grow and compete in Northeast Ohio.

The survey of more than 670 companies statewide represents more than 128,000 of the state’s 700,000 manufacturing workers. Almost 6 in 10 report the skilled worker shortage is hampering their growth, with more than 1 in 4 indicating they are challenged by current worker retirements. While manufacturers are concerned about finding and hiring skilled workers, only about one-third of companies are actively innovating the way they recruit and retain employees.

Hiring strategies continue to focus on traditional sources: 88% use employee referrals, 83% use job postings, 62% use staffing agencies, 44% work with high schools, and 37% work with community colleges.

Click here to read more.

Published in Aerospace Manufacturing & Design on Feb. 25, 2020

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CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA – July 27, 2018 –  Manufacturing and Supply Chain Expert,  Lisa Anderson, MBA, CSCP, CLTD, president of LMA Consulting Group Inc., presented the 2018 LMA Advocate Award to Aerospace/Defense executive, Kelly Ford. 

“It is a pleasure to recognize Kelly Ford with our 2018 LMA Advocate Award.  We have worked on many projects together at three separate aerospace firms.  I appreciate the relationship we have built and the collaboration that has made our projects successful” Ms. Anderson commented. LMA Consulting Group works with clients on manufacturing strategy and end-to-end supply chain transformation that maximizes the customer experience and enables profitable, scalable, dramatic business growth.

“Kelly and I have achieved significant results together – improved customer service levels to support business growth, expanded capacity and efficiencies, and right-sized inventory levels to maximize the use of cash and capital. Most importantly, we engaged and valued the opinions of the most important asset of the firm – the people. It turns a project into a fascinating puzzle, making it fun” she continued.

Inspired by the outcomes of client projects, LMA Consulting solicits client feedback, ideas and trend information.  In turn, the firm adopts and incorporates key learnings, makes continuous improvements and expands service offerings to continually raise the bar in meeting evolving client needs. Advocates, partners and centers of influence are key to LMA Consulting’s continued growth and success, as they work together to advance manufacturing and the global supply chain.

“Over 13 years, I have learned that it takes more than hard work and intention to affect growth.  It takes focusing on innovation every day.  LMA Advocates help us do just that and more. I am so grateful to be able to call Kelly Ford one of our LMA Consulting Group trusted advisors” she concluded. 

About LMA Consulting Group – Lisa Anderson, MBA, CSCP, CLTD

Lisa Anderson is the founder and president of LMA Consulting Group, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in manufacturing strategy and end-to-end supply chain transformation that maximizes the customer experience and enables profitable, scalable, dramatic business growth Ms. Anderson has been named a Top 40 B2B Tech Influencer by arketi group, a 50 ERP Influencer by Washington-Frank, ranked in the top 46 most influential in Supply Chain by SAP and named a top woman influencer by Solutions Review. She recently published, I’ve Been Thinking, an inspiring collection of 101 strategies for creating bold customer promises and profits. A regular content contributor on topics including supply chain, ERP and SIOP and innovation, Ms. Anderson is regularly interviewed and quoted by publications such as Industry Week, tED magazine and the Wall Street Journal.  For information, to sign up for her Profit Through People^TM Newsletter or for a copy of her book, visit lma-consultinggroup.com.

Media Contact

Kathleen McEntee | Kathleen McEntee & Associates, Ltd. | p. (760) 262 – 4080 | KMcEntee@KMcEnteeAssoc.com

Originally published on Expertclick on July 27, 2018

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More and more can be achieved with additive manufacturing – it is the wave of the future.  The latest feat is an aircraft engine.  GE’s new turboprop engine shows what can be achieved with 3D printing.  More than a third of the components of this engine can be produced through additive manufacturing which will power Textron Aviation’s new Cessna Denali.  Although additive manufacturing isn’t taking over the world yet, it is certainly a big part of our future. Are you evaluating 3D printing? 

What Should We Consider and/or What Impacts Could Arise?

Undoubtedly, whether you relate to aerospace or not, 3D printing is something to think about.  However, don’t just stop with 3D printing.  What else is coming down the pike?  Are you thinking ahead?  Whether you wish to leverage these new technologies and techniques in your manufacturing or supply chain organization, you should be paying attention!  Your smart competition will be.

Aside from the dramatic impact it could have on your growth strategies and profitability, there are many other considerations.  Are you partnering with suppliers who are thinking to the future or just running assets to get the longest life with no thoughts of disruptive forces that are likely to arise?  Are you prioritizing innovation?  It is not a topic to be dictated.  Instead, it is a culture change – both inside your organization and throughout your supply chain.

February 22, 2018

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