The design team: suppliers move into the line of fire

Many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are looking to their suppliers for help in product development. The importance of early involvement of suppliers in the product development cycle can be attributed to the OEMs' awareness that supplied parts in good working condition is necessary in developing the products on schedule. This contributes to the competitiveness of the finished product.
Did the manufacturing renaissance in America begin in the wrong place--namely, the factory floor? That's what Bart Huthwaite, president of the Institute for Competitive Design in Rochester, Mich., believes. According [...]