The Dangerous Necessity of Relying on Bots
Algorithms and AI can help a company achieve massive scale, but they bring with them new risks.
Operations & Manufacturing
Getting Fit for Mergers and Acquisitions
The disciplines that enable restructuring of established companies are also essential levers for helping deals succeed.
The Automaker’s Dilemma: Getting More Impact from Innovation Capital
The auto industry is making massive R&D investments in safety, connectivity, and autonomy — so far without good returns.
The Next Big Technology Could Be Nanomaterials
Discoveries surrounding a new class of impossibly small and improbably powerful compounds could reshape the materials industry — and the world around us.
The Next Wave of Innovation in the Chemicals Industry
Discoveries in materials science could lead to a new era of growth. Who is best positioned to benefit — incumbent companies or upstarts?
s+b BlogsWhy the Construction Industry May Be Robot-Proof
There is something unique about building houses that inherently eschews efficiency and automation.
A Strategist’s Guide to Artificial Intelligence
As the conceptual side of computer science becomes practical and relevant to business, companies must decide what type of AI role they should play.
s+b BlogsTwo Simple Concepts for Better Leadership
Learn to operate from two observation points simultaneously and to outsource at home.
s+b BlogsYou May Be Part of a Global Supply Chain
All sorts of U.S. industries, including education and car manufacturing, sell their products and services to international customers.
s+b BlogsGetting the Leadership Basics Right
Whether they’re selling concrete or chocolate, CEOs can still look to five steadfast rules.
s+b BlogsA Silver Lining in Gray Markets? It’s Complicated.
Although manufacturers can derive some short-term benefits from unauthorized retailers, outright bootlegging is harmful to profits and reputation.
s+b BlogsDisplaced by Automation in Shanghai
The trend of manufacturers replacing human labor with machines isn’t restricted to the West.
The Demands on Auto Suppliers
As they adapt to the shifting geography of sales and technological disruption, the companies that provide auto parts, components, and systems must reevaluate their product portfolios.
The Auto Industry’s Real Challenge
While automakers pour millions into winning the autonomous vehicle race, they run the risk of ignoring the more imminent threats that could sink them before the technology becomes pervasive.
s+b BlogsHow to Bring Back Manufacturing Jobs
If U.S. manufacturers were willing and able to fill the many open positions, employment in that sector would come back naturally.
s+b BlogsWhat Whole Foods Is Learning by Trading Down
The high-end grocery company is using its newly formed 365 chain to experiment with new business practices.
s+b BlogsIs U.S. Manufacturing Really in Decline?
Although fewer people are working at factories in America, output has been rising.
A Strategist’s Guide to Industry 4.0
Global businesses are about to integrate their operations into a seamless digital whole, and thereby change the world.
Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser on the Next Industrial Revolution
The manufacturing chief describes how an industrial powerhouse founded in the 19th century is using software, sensors, and savvy to create a digital manufacturer that can thrive in the 21st century.
Danaher’s Instruments of Change
An s+b Roundtable: Highly focused and diversified, this industrial company grows through acquisition, customer-facing innovation, and continuous improvement.
s+b BlogsWeak Links in the Chain
Flexible, adaptive supply chain management is an overlooked but vital component of a company’s overall innovation strategy.
s+b BlogsFinding the “Herbie” in Your Change Initiative
Eli Goldratt’s theory of constraints can help leaders better pace and sequence change management programs.
s+b BlogsThe True Lesson of an Airbag Disaster
Honda’s practice of learning from errors had to change when failure became deadly.
