Additive manufacturing continues to grow. The number of applications are on the rise, along with additive research. At this time last year, Paul Brackman was the only person working in the Zeiss Knoxville lab—today, he’s one of four full-time Zeiss staff at the lab, along with a team working in additive software applications at the Minneapolis headquarters, and a dedicated hardware team in Germany working on additive.

Today’s manufacturers are managing more complex supply chains, with tighter and more critical turnarounds than ever before. Fortunately, cloud-based quality management solutions take the guesswork out of managing supplier quality—at home and around the globe.

For medical parts manufacturers, quality inspection is critical. Liability for defects, inconsistent quality, fluctuating supplier costs, increased globalization and device regulations all pose challenges for the industry.

To remain ahead of the competition, operational managers can implement strategies to support strong operations management, including cost, quality and delivery.