Manufacturing 2020 is a play on two concepts. It is about what it will take for manufacturers to survive the remainder of this decade. To make it to 2020 as a profitable manufacturing company is not going to be easy. It will require using information in new and unusual ways to gain an order of magnitude improvement in productivity. The other view of 2020 is that this blog is designed to help manufacturers respond to the challenges they face with the clarity associated with 20/20 vision. Everything from how to use third party resources like analysts to emerging trends in manufacturing will be fair game. Whether it is a myth or a hidden truth, this blog will seek to open a dialogue that will enable manufacturers to craft a vision on how to reach 2020 profitably.

Author Bio:

Dan Miklovic is a 40+ year veteran of manufacturing.  He has worked for end-user companies in discrete and process manufacturing, consulting companies, software vendors and as an analyst.  After retiring from Gartner at the end of 2010, where he founded and led the Manufacturing Industry Advisory Services practice, he formed his own advisory practice, Lean Manufacturing Research.  With degrees in Nuclear Technology, Electrical Engineering and Management Science and certifications in Manufacturing Engineering and Lean, he is a recognized thought leader on the topic of manufacturing productivity.  From MAP in the 1980's to Enterprise Architecture this decade, he has written about how to leverage information technology to empower staff at manufacturing facilities.  The author of over 50 books, articles and technical papers he appeared on national TV as a cohost of World Business Review, has been a faculty member of Central Washington University, and a leader of in several technical societies.