Steven Calhoun

Steven Calhoun

Content Strategist

Recent posts by Steven Calhoun

2 min read

Survey Results: Veryable Customers Make and Source in America

By Steven Calhoun on Jul 20, 2022 1:32:34 PM

We performed a survey of our current customer base and found that our customers are overwhelmingly producing and sourcing within the United States. This is a result of our focus on our core mission of revitalizing US manufacturing. We’re resonating with a significant portion of the supply chain that wants to localize production and is ready to innovate to make it happen.

Topics: US Manufacturing
3 min read

What is Supply Chain Visibility?

By Steven Calhoun on Jun 29, 2022 1:04:17 PM

You’ve seen the comments about supply chain visibility, and maybe you’ve encountered some technology providers who want you to know all about how their solution is the best for it. But first, you’ll need to know what it is and whether it’s useful for your business.

Topics: "Benefits of" Blogs Definition Blogs
4 min read

A Recession Business Strategy for Manufacturing Companies

By Steven Calhoun on Jun 15, 2022 4:24:46 PM

You’ve likely heard the forecasts  of an impending recession. Some people might even have warned you of the possibility of a depression. We’re in no place to make a judgment on whether or not these predictions will come true, but we do know what you can do to prepare, just in case.

Topics: Operational Agility Recession Strategies
4 min read

How to Fix Manufacturing Skills Training

By Steven Calhoun on Jun 10, 2022 1:50:07 PM

The skilled labor shortage has been a persistent problem in manufacturing for some time now. What’s causing this, and how do we fix it?

Topics: Job Design "How to" Blogs
1 min read

Come and Make It - Episode 1

By Steven Calhoun on Jun 3, 2022 11:43:56 AM

 

In this episode of "Come and Make It," Steven Calhoun and Emily Tompkins discuss:
Topics: Operational Agility
4 min read

Benefits of US Manufacturing

By Steven Calhoun on May 11, 2022 10:59:59 AM

Reshoring is a hot topic due to the shocks to the supply chain over the past few years. Maybe you’re considering reshoring, but aren’t sure if it will be worth the trouble. What are the benefits of reshoring which so many people are saying you should be doing?

Topics: US Manufacturing "Benefits of" Blogs
3 min read

The Future of Manufacturing: Real-Time Agile Manufacturing

By Steven Calhoun on May 6, 2022 10:42:34 AM

The next evolution of manufacturing will be true “lot size one” and will respond in real time to customer demands. Real-time agile manufacturing will require new approaches to production, including how labor capacity is managed, how production occurs (i.e. additive manufacturing, asset-light manufacturing), and how the supply chain is arranged (i.e. decentralized manufacturing).

Topics: Megatrends Operational Agility
4 min read

The Future of Manufacturing: Asset-Light Manufacturing

By Steven Calhoun on Apr 28, 2022 1:40:13 PM

The future of manufacturing is localized, agile, asset-light, and focused on customization to meet each customer’s preference.

Topics: Megatrends
3 min read

Labor Capacity Fluctuations and How to Respond

By Steven Calhoun on Apr 22, 2022 11:00:00 AM

There are many reasons you might be lacking labor capacity to meet the day’s demand. Workforce burnout, sick employees, religious accommodations, PTO, and a tight labor market are all common causes of labor capacity fluctuations.

Topics: Operations Management "How to" Blogs Capacity
6 min read

The Future of Manufacturing: Local, Decentralized Manufacturing

By Steven Calhoun on Apr 13, 2022 1:17:59 PM

The future of manufacturing is localized, agile, asset-light, and focused on customization to meet each customer’s preference.

Topics: Megatrends Definition Blogs
2 min read

Veryable Wins MHI Innovation Award at MODEX 2022

By Steven Calhoun on Apr 6, 2022 9:45:00 AM

Veryable won the MHI Innovation Award for Best IT Innovation, awarded March 30, 2022 at MHI Industry Night at MODEX. Veryable’s on-demand labor marketplace competed with many other participants and won based on the concept, value, and impact as judged by professionals from the material handling and supply chain industry.

Topics: In The News
10 min read

The Future of Manufacturing: Additive Manufacturing

By Steven Calhoun on Mar 25, 2022 9:00:00 AM

The future of manufacturing is localized, agile, asset-light, and focused on customization to meet each customer’s preference.

Topics: Digital Manufacturing Megatrends
2 min read

How to Calculate Employee Turnover Rate

By Steven Calhoun on Feb 28, 2022 12:00:00 PM

Everyone faces turnover at some point. Knowing your turnover rate enables you to properly manage your labor capacity by taking action to address your labor needs.

Topics: Operations Management "How to" Blogs
7 min read

Blockchain in the Supply Chain: Procure or Pass?

By Steven Calhoun on Feb 21, 2022 4:11:37 PM

Blockchain has been a hot topic since 2017, although most probably know about the technology because of the craze around cryptocurrencies. However, companies have started to pursue other uses for the technology in supply chains, such as material tracing. You might have heard of big players such as Walmart using the blockchain to trace food, but what does this mean for small businesses in the supply chain?

Topics: Megatrends
4 min read

What is Kaizen?

By Steven Calhoun on Feb 11, 2022 11:00:00 AM

Kaizen is a term you’ll hear thrown out casually in conversation with many manufacturing leaders. If you’ve been using context clues to get by this far, you’ve likely figured out that it has something to do with always improving. So what exactly is kaizen, and why are people talking about it?

Topics: Lean Center of Excellence Definition Blogs Kaizen
7 min read

Andon Systems: Definition, Types, and Benefits

By Steven Calhoun on Jan 28, 2022 11:21:08 AM

You’ve probably encountered a scenario in which you needed to stop production to solve an issue causing defects. And you probably lost more productivity than you would have liked, especially if you didn't find out about it until a few hours later when someone casually mentioned the problem at the water cooler like it was common knowledge.

Topics: Lean Center of Excellence Definition Blogs
7 min read

Pull Production Systems: Push vs Pull, Types, and Tools

By Steven Calhoun on Jan 12, 2022 3:34:10 PM

Stacking inventory as a buffer is a common practice, but it often goes too far. In the worst cases, businesses produce everything ahead of time and then hope to sell it all, only to find that engineering made an urgent modification to the product or that the forecasts were way off.

Topics: Lean Center of Excellence Comparison Blogs Production Metrics
6 min read

Visual Management in Manufacturing and Logistics

By Steven Calhoun on Dec 30, 2021 10:45:00 AM

There are likely many times you’ve encountered problems that arose from something being unclear. Communication is key, as the saying goes. That’s where visual management comes in.

Topics: Lean Center of Excellence Definition Blogs Visual Management
4 min read

The Five S Methodology: A Powerful Lean Tool

By Steven Calhoun on Dec 28, 2021 12:32:45 PM

One of the first steps toward adopting the Lean methodology is implementing the five S’s. You might have heard of these before, but we’re going to make it clear what these terms are, what they mean, and how you can use the 5S methodology to set a strong foundation for future operational improvements.

Topics: Lean Center of Excellence Definition Blogs
4 min read

Why Veryable is Only for Manufacturing and Logistics Companies

By Steven Calhoun on Dec 10, 2021 10:00:00 AM

Companies often ask us why we only focus on providing our on-demand labor marketplace for the manufacturing and logistics industries in the United States.

Topics: US Manufacturing
3 min read

On-Time, In-Full (OTIF): A Key Supply Chain Metric

By Steven Calhoun on Dec 8, 2021 2:00:00 PM

Delivering on time and including everything the customer ordered are key to succeeding in the supply chain. So how should you measure your performance in this area?

Topics: Service Metrics Definition Blogs
5 min read

The Labor Shortage: What’s Changed and Why It’s Here to Stay

By Steven Calhoun on Dec 3, 2021 9:31:55 AM

You’ve seen the headlines and heard the talking points on what’s happening in the labor market in the US. But what does this mean for you as someone in manufacturing and logistics, and more importantly, how can you adapt to this reality and come out stronger on the other side?

Topics: Megatrends
4 min read

Best IIoT Platforms for Manufacturing

By Steven Calhoun on Nov 24, 2021 12:00:00 PM

It can be daunting to select an IIoT platform when you’re on your digital transformation journey. The good news is, your transformation won’t happen overnight, so there’s plenty of time to pick the right solution.

Topics: Digital Manufacturing
5 min read

What is Poka-Yoke? (Definition, Examples, and Benefits)

By Steven Calhoun on Nov 17, 2021 11:15:00 AM

Have you ever gone through the steps of a process and thought, “Wow, that was easy”? If you have, there’s a chance that poka-yoke was involved. There’s a common refrain that good design goes unnoticed. Maybe that’s why you haven’t heard of poka-yoke until just now.

Topics: Lean Center of Excellence Definition Blogs Poka Yoke
6 min read

Best CMMS for Manufacturing

By Steven Calhoun on Nov 12, 2021 9:55:21 AM

We’ve narrowed down the leaders in the maintenance management software realm and compared them to help you decide which one works best for your business.
Topics: Digital Manufacturing
6 min read

Don’t Ditch the Lean Supply Chain

By Steven Calhoun on Nov 5, 2021 10:37:09 AM

In recent months, some supply chain thinkers have all but blamed lean inventory levels for the challenges and delays the world has faced in 2020 and 2021.

Topics: Digital Manufacturing Megatrends
6 min read

Best Warehouse Management Systems

By Steven Calhoun on Nov 3, 2021 1:00:00 PM

When your warehouse is buzzing and nobody has much time to stop and analyze the situation, you need a way to quickly see where everything is and then direct the work to get it done. That’s where warehouse management systems come in.

Topics: Digital Manufacturing
3 min read

Process Lead Time and Little’s Law

By Steven Calhoun on Oct 29, 2021 10:07:03 AM

Perhaps you’ve heard of process lead time, a common metric in manufacturing that gives you an idea of how long you’ll have to wait on a widget if you start working on it right now. But you might not know that it’s closely related to a queue theory concept called Little’s Law.

Topics: Definition Blogs
5 min read

Kanban for Manufacturing: Cards, Boards, and Supermarkets Explained

By Steven Calhoun on Oct 27, 2021 11:00:00 AM

When you need to know what to produce, how much of it to produce, and what order to produce it in, you have a couple ways to approach the problem. You can push through orders and create piles of inventory, or you can pull orders continuously to keep your production flowing smoothly.

Topics: Lean Center of Excellence Definition Blogs Visual Management
4 min read

The 80/20 Rule for Operational Improvements in Manufacturing

By Steven Calhoun on Oct 22, 2021 9:40:00 AM

It’s important to know which actions will drive results, especially when there’s so much noise. Being able to narrow down your to-do list to what matters is a crucial skill for doing work that matters in today’s world.

Topics: Operational Excellence