Manufacturing

AHRLAC made its debut public flight on August 13. It is the first military fixed wing aircraft to be fully designed, tested and developed in Africa. The aircraft addresses a key industry need by performing the combined tasks that previously required four separately configured planes. It integrates designs from attack helicopters, surveillance platforms and reconnaissance aircraft with ability to carry surveillance, weapons, radar and electronic warfare systems.

The Winter Members’ Meeting of the Institute for the Study of Business Markets focused on the theme of “customer experience”. Leading academics, business researchers, and practitioners from best practice companies provided what I found to be clear evidence that attention to the many factors that determine the quality of your customer’s experience with your firm has a positive bottom-line payoff. It was remarkable how often customer loyalty and purchase decisions were influenced by “little things” that are often overlooked.

Engaged employees stay with companies for a long time. They are part of the company team, company culture, and company value. Creating company engagement drives employee retention. Retaining great employees keeps hiring and training costs low. Retaining employees can only be achieved with consistent and effective employee communication.

When a young Welshman by the name of Herbert Evans first arrived in Johannesburg in 1889 he probably would never have believed that in 2014 a company would exist that traces its history back well over a century. It was however the young Mr Evans who introduced the production of floor polish, carriage varnish and ready-mixed tinted paints to the country of South Africa.

On July 7, in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is on a state visit to China, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG and President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China, signed a joint declaration for two new vehicle plants in China together with Xu Jianyi, Chairman of its Chinese joint venture partner FAW.

Sometimes referred to by its species name, Withania somnifera, or in some circles as Indian ginseng, poison gooseberry or winter cherry, ashwagandha is a plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family. Typically identified as a short shrub sporting small green flowers and orange-red ripe fruit, ashwagandha tends to be cultivated in many of the drier regions of India and is commonly used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine.

Showing no sign of slowing down, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars  has reported record breaking results for the first half of 2014 with a 33% increase in worldwide car sales. 

China broke away from the US for the first time to take the lead for volume, with Europe showing the fastest growth with a 60% increase in sales. Asia has also performed well with 40% gains. With the predicable middle eastern market pushing 30% increases in sales.

According to a June 1 statement from the National Bureau of Statistics, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing announced that in May its monthly manufacturing index rose to its highest level this year - 50.8 points. Numbers over 50 on the 100-point scale show activity expanding. The rate was an improvement on March, when 50.4 was recorded, and the announcement confirms the trend indicated by an earlier PMI from HSBC which gave a preliminary reading for May of 49.7.

Increased concern and focus on global warming has no doubt made it necessary for countries, industries and businesses to look for growth and development opportunities in a more sustainable manner. One particular example would be the global cement industry which has historically suffered from having a high carbon footprint due to the energy requirements and chemical process involved in cement manufacturing technology.

An approach to production practices that emphasises efficiency through the systematic identification and elimination of waste, the lean approach was derived from the Toyota Production System, developed in 1948. The lean approach seeks to produce the maximum amount of value for the customer from resources expended in production.