PIVOT INTERNATIONAL BLOG

READ THE LATEST FROM OUR BLOG

Thank you for visiting the Pivot International blog. We are a collaborative product development, design, and manufacturing firm serving clients around the world. For more information about our services, please call us at 1-877-206-5001. We look forward to working with you.


 

Is Domestic Manufacturing a Viable Alternative for Your Company?

Posted: February 17, 2022 Companies large and small are resorting to drastic measures to ease supply chain pressures. The largest enterprises are paying previously undreamed fees for private charter, mid-size companies are increasingly seeking to build private fleets, and businesses of all sizes are scrambling to find creative solutions to seemingly intractable sourcing problems. While there’s no single fix for the current supply chain crisis that will benefit every business, domestic manufacturing may be an option that is too quickly taken off the table. While resolving specific supply chain struggles is simply a waiting game, there are viable alternatives that many companies can act on now with the advantage of a domestic supply partner.

Key Findings From the Fed’s Global Supply Chain Pressure Index Report

Posted: February 2, 2022 As the global economy is buffeted by supply chain challenges ranging from the rising costs of commodities and transport to the availability of raw materials, economists at the Federal Reserve have taken action by creating a new tool for analysis. The Global Supply Chain Pressure Index draws upon 25 years of data and a diversity of metrics to map, measure, and manage the adverse impacts sustained by the global supply chain and economy. Its findings have been extensive and varied, but a unifying theme is clear: during the pandemic, supply chain pressures achieved a meteoric rise — a rise far exceeding projected trend lines which reached its presumable zenith in October of last year. And while the details of this rise across sectors are extensive, it behooves supply chain professionals, policymakers, and business leaders to be aware of the following key findings.

What if the Answer to Supply Chain Shortages Doesn’t Lie in Procurement?

Posted: January 26, 2022 To appreciate the task that U.S. policymakers and supply chain leaders are faced with in overcoming supply chain shortages, imagine trying to quickly and easily turn a ship around that’s the size of the Empire State building. (Carrier ships of this size have played prominent roles in the “Containergeddon” scenario recently seen in the LA and Long Beach ports.) Such a ship represents nearly forty years of offshoring and dwindling domestic manufacturing capability, and this ship will not be turned around quickly or easily. It will take multiple years and billions of dollars to build new chip factories and ramp up production. In the meantime, demand for new tech is skyrocketing as the wheels of the fourth industrial revolution roll inexorably on.

Ten Imposters That Can Jeopardize Your New Product Development Project

Posted: January 19, 2022 If you’re developing a new product, you already know the purpose of observing best practices is to create the conditions necessary for achieving market success. But because research-backed approaches to New Product Development can sometimes seem counter-intuitive, leaders often end up implementing "best practices" that turn out to be imposters. In this piece, we’ll call out the culprits and provide some touchpoints for helping companies course correct.

The Global Chip Crisis is Driving Investment in Domestic Manufacturing

Posted: January 6, 2022

The global chip crisis appears to have reached a crescendo. Opinions vary on how long it will last. Analysts with optimistic estimates are betting on improvement in early 2022, while those with more pessimistic outlooks are placing their bets on late 2024. Though it’s likely the reality lies somewhere in between, the forecast disparity is a testament to how uncertain the situation remains.

Surprisingly, supply chain uncertainty has spawned certainty about one thing: the dangers of U.S. dependency on China-based high-tech manufacturing. “America First” is rapidly becoming a supply chain battle cry. Incentivized by massive government subsidiaries, policymakers, and industry leaders across the political spectrum are crossing party divides and beginning to function as a unified front to drive a resurgence in domestic manufacturing. But although the U.S. appears to be headed in the right direction, not even corporate recipients of massive government subsidies can move quickly enough to stop the bleeding.

Lessons From LA and Long Beach: An Operational Experiment

Posted: December 29, 2021 Many companies are now abundantly aware that LA and Long Beach port disruption exposed potentially catastrophic cracks in the US supply network. But even as a degree of resolution is underway, it would appear that certain lessons have yet to be learned. This is concerning for two reasons. First, LA and Long Beach port disruption serve as indicators to broader supply chain risks and our ability — or lack thereof — to manage them. Second, if, as Charles Kettering maintained, “A problem well defined is half solved,” it would appear we are looking not at a problem half solved but at one further complicated by inadequately conceived solutions.

The Top Five IoT Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Posted: December 15, 2021 Whether you’re preparing to bring a consumer, industrial, or medical IoT device to market, you can count on facing five challenges. In the end, the success or failure of your product will ride largely on whether your new product development (NPD) partner possesses the three core competencies needed for overcoming them. At Pivot International, we help companies worldwide capitalize on the rapidly expanding IoT market. We are a U.S.-based global partner that leverages DFM to integrate design, engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain management under a single company umbrella. Our single-source model fosters alignment and collaboration between stakeholders and ensures a seamless, error-free, and optimized NPD process. It also delivers unmatched project visibility and quality control, increases supply chain security, and drives significant cost savings.

Seven Mistakes Risk Managers Make and How to Avoid Them

Posted: December 9, 2021 It is now apparent that we live in a world for which traditional risk models are no match. Black swan events (low-probability, high-impact events) and other complex risks are increasing, and risk models that perpetuate illusions of reliably predicting them are part of the problem. At Pivot International, we are a leading global new product development (NPD) partner with expertise across fourteen industries helping clients combat complex risks to bring successful innovations to market. We do this with a single-source model that integrates product design, development, manufacturing, and supply chain management. With in-house DFM expertise, alternative sourcing solutions (including 320,000 square feet of manufacturing space worldwide, including domestic options), and nearly fifty years of proven experience, we help clients worldwide successfully navigate complex risks.

Peak Performance Optimization vs Peak Resource Utilization

Posted: December 1, 2021 Nearly everyone is familiar with the metaphor of “running on all cylinders,” understanding it to refer to the idea of peak performance optimization — something that all companies strive to attain. But when applied to new product development (NPD), this metaphor can be dangerously misleading. Why? Because running your NPD on all cylinders (aiming for peak resource utilization) can generate the opposite effect.  

Ten Questions for Assessing Your Product Requirements

Posted: November 24, 2021 Use case — the case made for how a user interacts with a product or system — is essential to the broader product development process. But the path to building a reliable use case depends on something more fundamental: establishing product requirements. In this piece, we’ll first explain why it makes sense to look at product requirements separately from the use case. Then, we’ll provide a brief overview of the two types of product requirements. Lastly, we’ll provide ten questions to help you assess your product requirements.
Skip to content