Like workers in other industries, those on assembly lines can never afford to take the wrong things for granted. Assuming that automation will always be reliable or that just-good-enough products will keep customers coming back definitely shows a lack of foresight.

High performance is not always the only focus of production. Optimum flexibility is equally important.

Market analysts frequently point out that there is an ever-increasing demand for digital data storage. This is great news for Flexon Technology, a Bangkok-based integrator that serves manufacturers of cases for hard disk drive (HDD) data storage devices.

Ask the typical American about automobile history and you're likely to hear the name "Henry Ford." Pose the same question to a Brit, however, and get ready for an answer of "Morgan Motor Co. (MMC)."

Like so many things in manufacturing, product testing is not a one-type-fits-all-applications procedure. Among the more well-known types of testing that manufacturers regularly perform are leak, mechanical performance, material (such as tensile strength) and computer simulation modeling.

Fillers are one of the most important ingredients in an adhesive, sealant or encapsulant. Some materials contain a single filler, while others have multiple fillers. These fillers may account for up to 50 percent of the product's ingredients.

Manufacturers that design and build preassembled stairs and staircases definitely have their own market niche.

Building a piano is partly assembly and mostly art. Ever so meticulously, the hundreds or thousands of parts that go into each piano are either made by hand or produced on state-of-the-art CNC machines to a tight tolerance.

Software is both an essential and accessible tool for manufacturers, with many types to choose from.

Rulebooks are multifaceted things. On the one hand, they are intentionally restrictive to ensure the proper order of performing one or more activities. On the other hand, they eventually evolve to address new and better ways of doing something.