manufacturing Most Recent Posts

Call comes in to this support pilot fish from a production line at the manufacturing plant where he works. The problem: A thermal printer that's down -- and a young, 'technology oriented' production-line worker who insists on fixing it himself.

This IT veteran has decades of experience, but a new hire doesn't think much of a little Visual Basic application the old guy has written -- and he sets out to show how it's done.

This pilot fish is on the team implementing a manufacturing application at a big factory, and they're under heavy pressure to duplicate the old system's reports. Fortunately, there's also a new developer anxious to make a name for himself.

This developer is responsible for an automated daily report to the managers at a semiconductor manufacturing site. It's supposed to show up every weekday at 8 a.m., and it does -- mostly.

Pilot fish takes a job at a big manufacturing plant with big IT problems. But after two years of work, he has everything hammered into shape and is pretty happy with the result -- and so are his bosses.

At this electronic cash register company, the manufacturing line shuts down for four hours every Friday afternoon -- and a student pilot fish can't figure out why it should have to.

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This big manufacturer's internal phone system is getting old, and there's sometimes noticeable static on the line -- which aggravates other problems.

This company's main manufacturing plant is located in the sometimes frigid North, while another plant is in a place where it gets cold enough to snow only once every few years.

This pilot fish works for a manufacturer that uses aging automated systems that are already paid for -- and in this economy, it has no interest in trading up.

Pilot fish handles IT support for a big manufacturing plant, and part of that responsibility is taking support calls in bed at 3:30 in the morning.

Sitting at home one evening, sysadmin pilot fish gets a frantic call from a night supervisor at the manufacturing plant: "All the computers have stopped working."

The network is down on the shop floor at this plant, and the VP of manufacturing is furious -- but after 12 hours of effort, IT finally finds the root cause.

This manufacturing company decides it's finally time to start sharing inventory data with manufacturing -- and, as usual, that means two independent groups will work on the project.

Analysts at Datamonitor say IT budgets are headed south in 2009 -- except in the health care industry (thanks to aging baby boomers).

Manufacturing engineers at this plant are incredibly talented. Trouble is, they believe their talent crosses all lines, including fixing any problem having to do with computers and networks.