By Patrick Weber, MESA International Technical and Education Committee member
When management wants to make something happen, they change the structure of the organization. Whether its ad-hoc project teams to deliver a product or service, or departments developed around specific disciplines such as IT, engineering, procurement, or accounting, organizational structure provides the framework for business execution. It can also be a significant hurdle to successful change as people become entrenched within the practices of an established structure. How does this impact manufacturing and engineering technologies? This chapter examines how two organizations - Deuxieme Botte Manufacturing (DBM) and Premiere Chaussure Industries (PCI) – deal with the challenges of organizational boundaries.
With the manufacturing and IT silos that exist in some companies, it’s difficult for people to consider the bigger picture. MESA can help the two sides collaborate toward shared business objectives.
By Ann Krauss, MESA International Marketing Committee member
As we celebrate the month of romance and togetherness, it’s an ideal time to consider the many facets of relationships inherent in a manufacturing company. In particular, manufacturing and IT professionals haven’t always been on the same page when it comes to the best technologies to implement to reach business goals. In some companies, there are manufacturing and IT silos, and everyone is simply too busy or too narrowly focused to even take a moment to come up for air and consider the bigger picture.
