As we start getting geared up for the new year, it’s always a good thing to briefly look back at the previous year and see where we have been to see where we are going. Cerasis, although we are a logistics service provider, writes manufacturing blogs for a few core reasons. 1. The more we research and keep up with the manufacturing industry trends and what issues face manufacturers in North America, the better we can collaborate with our customers, who are manufacturers, and truly build long term solutions which truly meet our customers needs. 2. Manufacturing is the driver of our economy and has many affects on the other industries we support such as those who work as supply chain managers, logistics managers who are users of our technology and services, are own employees, our carrier partners, and more. The more educated we all are, the more we can stay focused on innovation and moving this country forward.

As stated in our top logistics blogs of 2013 post, we don’t write this post purely to gain customers, we want to be a thought leader in the space and a little area of the internet which brings value to those around manufacturing. We hope you find our blog posts helpful! If you are in manufacturing, we always welcome guest bloggers to get YOUR perspective. In fact, we have had many in the space as guest bloggers, and some of those have made it into our Top 10 manufacturing blogs of 2013. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, simply send us an email or leave a comment in the comment section below. Without further ado, please enjoy these top 10 manufacturing blogs from the Cerasis blogs by way of how many views each blog received. They are in order from most popular first.

NOTE: We will continue bringing great manufacturing blogs to you in 2014. If you have any ideas on what we should write on, please let us know as well in the comments section below.

Top 10 Manufacturing Blogs of 2013

Here are the top manufacturing blogs of 2013. Please read each one and let us know your thoughts by commenting!

Top 4 Manufacturing Issues in America – Part 1 of 2: We are at an interesting time in American Manufacturing. There are so many manufacturing issues in America which should be on the forefront of every manufacturing executive. We felt compelled to compile the top 8 pressing manufacturing issues and trends in American manufacturing to share with you. Read more. The Reshoring Trend is Good for U.S. Engineers and America: As a proud “Made In America” company and with the vast majority of our customers as manufacturers, we try and bring light to the importance of bringing back manufacturing not only for the benefits of more jobs, adding to the GDP, and strengthing of the economy, but also as a smart business decision as the beauty of closness to your suppliers and vendors makes a lot of sense. Read more. Advanced Manufacturing Technology: The New Face of Manufacturing: Currently, the US ranks as the largest market, accounting for nearly 60% of the overall market. The global 3-D printing market is estimated to reach $2.99 billion by 2018, according to a new global strategic business report from Global Industry Analysts (GIA), spurred by the increasing user adoption, ongoing technological advancements and benefits the technology allows. Read more. Value Analysis Technique to Achieve Cost Reduction in Manufacturing: The Initial Process: It is an orderly and creative method to increase the value of an item. This ” item” can be a product, a system, a process, a procedure, a plan, a machine, equipment, tool , a service or a method of working. Value Analysis, also called Functional Analysis was created by L.D. Miles of General electric Company… Read more. Obamacare in Manufacturing: Will Obamacare Quicken the Death of the 8 Hour Work Day?: The Affordable Care Act, a.k.a “Obamacare” in manufacturing, creates a sense of urgency for savvy manufacturing employers to take a look at how the 8 hour work day may decrease productivity and how increasing employment may tackle the Skills gap and also decrease the cost burden of health care costs. This post was written as an additional point of how Obamacare will impact the traditional work hours of manufacturing employees and employment hiring practices after reading “The Death of the 8-Hour Shift” which was published in IndustryWeek on October 17. 2013. Read more. Manufacturing Infographic: Report Calls for Greater Flexibility to Improve Revenues, Production, and Labor Efficiency: Who doesn’t love a good infograhic? Even better, who doesn’t love an in depth manufacturing infographic put out by one of the world’s biggest consulting firms regarding “How Leading Manufacturers Thrive in a World of Ongoing Volatility and Uncertainty?” Read more. Manufacturing Industry Trends in America: The Final Four of 8: Those four are some of the TOP pressing manufacturing industry trends in America which affect large swaths of the economy. Today, we will address 4 more manufacturing issues and trends with a more narrow focus on manufacturing operations. If you feel we left out a pressing trend, feel free to leave a comment below! Read more. Safety in Manufacturing: Learn the Top 5 Safety Manager Responsibilities & Never Take Safety for Granted!: The following post on safety in manufacturing is applicable to most businesses, not only manufacturing facilities. However, there is an important role safety plays in manufacturing facilities to ensure your company is maintaining the highest levels of output. Read more. Product by Value Analysis Method to Realize Cost Reduction in Manufacturing: The Execution Process: Ultimately, once you then execute past the information and gathering steps, you will output information which will allow you to realize cost reductions on current products, and learn how to work towards developing new products which help grow revenue and reach new customers and keep current customers. Read more. Manufacturing Trends 2014: Top 10 Predictions from IDC Manufacturing Insights: As the year comes to end, manufacturing ends on a roll with 6 consecutive months of improved Manufacturing PMI Index increases, and with many reports pointing towards a steady, although not stark, increase in manufacturing output and confidence throughout 2014. Read more.

What are you favorite manufacturing blogs of the year? Please share with us what you like to read in the comments section below! Here is to a great year for manufacturing in 2014!