Supply Chain Newswire Stories

As Puck Custom Enterprises, a Manning-based manufacturer of liquid transfer equipment, continues to grow, they need to ensure their business practices continue to meet their needs. Recently, this meant upgrading their quality systems and their approaches to managing their supply chain. “We are always striving to produce a higher quality product, and after being in … Continue reading Elevating Quality and Supply Chain Resilience

A version of this article was initially published in Industry Week. The Strategic Advantage of Mapping Key Products Manufacturers often face supply chain disruptions without knowing their timing or impact. Assessing risks and implementing management practices can seem overwhelming, especially without dedicated staff or tools. A practical solution exists: map the supply chain of a … Continue reading Mapping Your Supply Chains: A Guide to Risk Prioritization and Action

This blog was produced by Industry Week in partnership with the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. View the original blog post here.  As a manufacturer you understand that supply chain disruptions happen all the time. What you don’t know is when or how they will impact your operation and business. But assessing your supply chain risks and implementing … Continue reading Mapping Your Supply Chains Helps Prioritize Risks, Actions

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a program operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within the U.S. Department of Commerce, has recently granted approximately $400,000 to each of its MEP National Network™ (MEPNN) Centers across the United States and Puerto Rico. CIRAS, Iowa’s MEP center, was awarded the funding to help build … Continue reading Investing in Iowa’s Supply Chain Resilience: CIRAS Receives Funding to Expand Supply Chain Services

  CIRAS is set to welcome the 2023 summer interns to the team. CIRAS hosts interns throughout the summer, offering students professional networking opportunities that will contribute to their professional connection and interest in pursuing manufacturing. The goals of the internship program are as follows: Expose talented young professionals to manufacturing Provide students with opportunities to … Continue reading CIRAS Welcomes 2023 Summer Interns

It’s been a wild and wooly economy the past three years, but CIRAS is looking forward to the upcoming year with new ways to help Iowa businesses manage oncoming challenges. “2023 is going to be a year where we learn a lot about where the economy and industry is going in the next three to … Continue reading CIRAS Looks Forward to 2023

During the past couple of years, we have seen major disruptions and changes in how we conduct business. It’s not a stretch to claim that all of us have experienced some impact from supply chain disruptions, whether professionally or personally. In 2020, during the early stages of the pandemic, CIRAS and other Manufacturing Extension Partnership … Continue reading CIRAS Supplier Scouting Program: A Year of Reflection

The ongoing pandemic has contributed significantly to disruptions and changes in the global supply chain. Many small and medium manufacturers (SMMs) have been harder hit by these interruptions than larger companies because SMMs rarely have the leverage and market presence to access supplies and transportation when resources are constrained. While there is no single answer … Continue reading White Paper: Managing Supply Chain Risks

Fox River produces high-performance socks at a plant in Osage. The company has increased sales, invested in new equipment, and added jobs since implementing a new sales approach based on a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model. The Osage manufacturer has seen revenues increase by $1.5 million since updating their sales approach with a TCO … Continue reading Sales Grow After Rethinking Supply Chain Costs

By Melissa Burant The risks of having a global supply chain have never been more apparent. Severe weather events, the pandemic, and geopolitical issues have disrupted the global supply chain. The impacts of this are felt by every Iowa manufacturer. Finding new suppliers, especially local ones, is hard. A Google search is a great starting … Continue reading CIRAS Expands Supplier Scouting Capabilities through IEDA Partnership

Two longtime CIRAS employees are taking on new roles in an attempt to serve Iowans better.

The problems caused by COVID-19 last summer were bad enough, but what really bothered Steve Skaggs was not knowing what was coming next.

“We had been having some spotty parts shortages, which was creating some anxiety,” said Skaggs, purchasing manager for ALMACO, a manufacturer of seed research equipment in Nevada. “We just didn’t know for sure who or where the next problem was going to come from.”

So Skaggs turned to CIRAS for help in assessing ALMACO’s vulnerability to supplier problems tied to the pandemic.

Offshoring your components can come with a great deal of cost and risk. This is true now more than ever in the middle of a pandemic. Iowa manufacturers understand the difficulties that can come with managing an unpredictable supply chain.

CIRAS would like to help. Together with the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the Iowa Area Development Group, the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, and the Greater Des Moines Partnership, we’re sponsoring a one-hour webinar on December 10 explaining the benefits of bringing your production home.

Iowa companies may be well positioned to navigate the coronavirus, but experts say they should be prepared for surprises during what is likely to be a long and unpredictable economic recovery.

Business leaders shouldn’t expect to suddenly reemerge in rosy times, they warn. Instead, plan for all contingencies, and don’t count on being able to relax anytime soon.

“I think basically what’s going to happen is that the economy is going to plug along until there’s some small interruption, and then we’ll have a setback,” said Mike O’Donnell, program director for the CIRAS Manufacturing Extension Partnership. “The looming threat is that if you’re not prepared to go through a sawtooth-type recovery, then that can be dangerous. Lack of cash flow is really dangerous as a manufacturer.”

September 18, 2020 — (Final Update) As COVID-19 proliferates across our nation, the crisis continues to negatively impact our economy and spark concerns for the future of small and medium-sized businesses. Over several months, CIRAS conducted a phone survey so we could better understand the needs of Iowa companies and better connect them to appropriate resources.

Here is what we learned during 23 weeks of survey:

July 3, 2020 — As COVID-19 proliferates across our nation, the crisis continues to negatively impact our economy and spark concerns for the future of small and medium-sized businesses. CIRAS has been conducting a phone survey so we can better understand the needs of Iowa companies and better connect them to appropriate resources.

Here is what we’ve learned so far:

June 12, 2020 — As COVID-19 proliferates across our nation, the crisis continues to negatively impact our economy and spark concerns for the future of small and medium-sized businesses. CIRAS has been conducting a phone survey so we can better understand the needs of Iowa companies and better connect them to appropriate resources.

Here is what we’ve learned so far:

May 1, 2020 — As COVID-19 proliferates across our nation, the crisis continues to negatively impact our economy and spark concerns for the future of small and medium-sized businesses. CIRAS has been conducting a phone survey so we can better understand the needs of Iowa companies and better connect them to appropriate resources.  

Here is what we’ve learned so far:

April 24, 2020 — As COVID-19 proliferates across our nation, the crisis continues to negatively impact our economy and spark concerns for the future of small and medium-sized businesses. CIRAS has been conducting a phone survey so we can better understand the needs of Iowa companies and better connect them to appropriate resources.  

CIRAS exists to improve Iowa businesses by helping them identify research-proven best practices. Following are a collection of tips and links designed to point your company to the best possible information for navigating the current pandemic. For more, visit our site at www.ciras.iastate.edu/covid-19/.

April 10, 2020 — As COVID-19 proliferates across our nation, the crisis continues to negatively impact our economy and spark concerns for the future of small-to medium-sized businesses. CIRAS, with a mission to enhance the performance of Iowa industry, has been conducting a phone survey so we can better understand the needs of Iowa companies and better connect them to appropriate resources.

Here is what we’ve learned so far:

 April 3, 2020 — As COVID-19 proliferates across our nation, the crisis continues to negatively impact our economy and spark concerns for the future of small- to medium-sized businesses. CIRAS, with a mission to enhance the performance of Iowa industry, is conducting an ongoing phone survey so we can better understand of the needs of Iowa companies and better connect them to appropriate resources.

Here is what we’ve learned so far:

MARCH 1, 2020 — As COVID-19 proliferates across our nation, the crisis continues to negatively impact our economy and spark concerns for the future for small- to medium-sized businesses. CIRAS, with a mission to enhance the performance of Iowa industry, has been conducting a phone survey so we can better understand the needs of Iowa companies and better connect them to appropriate resources.  

Here is what we’ve learned so far:  

Roughly one month after the outbreak of coronavirus began, authorities now estimate that more than 75,000 people have been infected and more than 2,000 are dead. Thousands of manufacturers across China have struggled to reopen after travel restrictions prevented employees from returning from Lunar New Year holiday. With work delays still uncertain, large sectors of the U.S. economy seem to be holding their collective breath waiting for additional shoes to drop. In manufacturing, the impacts to the complex global supply of parts are not fully understood, but the slowdown seems likely to impact the demand for U.S. products in China.

Iowa State University’s Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems has begun offering an online graduate certificate in supply chain management. Prospective students have until August 10 to register for classes that begin this fall.