Displaying items tagged: Sponsored Content

Michigan took a huge step toward fortifying its place at the center of the electric vehicle (EV) revolution securing a $3.5 billion investment by Ford to establish its latest EV battery plant in Marshall, Mich. 

Almost every business leader has felt it: the sense of no control as your insurance premiums seem to skyrocket. Whether it is your commercial insurance program or your employee benefits package, it often appears there is little you can do to avoid these annual price increases. This is because the guaranteed cost insurance solution is priced based on marketplace volatility. Your business cannot control the onset of a global pandemic, an increase in weather-related disasters, or the spiking trend in plaintiff-friendly legal decisions. Yet carrier-based insurance programs must spread their losses across all insureds in an effort to minimize the impact on their loss prone clients. Essentially, the strong performing clients pay for the poor performance of their peers.

By now you’ve probably heard about accounts payable (AP) automation, but you might be wondering if it can really have a significant impact on your business. There are many reasons that companies choose invoice automation, but savings is usually at the top of the list. An ideal platform saves both time and money. It’s crucial to use both as efficiently as possible to create the biggest impact. That’s where invoice automation shines. Invoice automation can make improvements that reverberate throughout your organization. Here’s where most companies reap time and money savings with these solutions:

The pandemic’s grip on our world has finally loosened, but not without leaving permanent changes to our work lives and expectations. From this, a new challenge for businesses was born: The war for talent.

The phrase “launched by two people in their garage,” is synonymous with startup technology companies, conjuring images of people hunched over their laptops, furiously clacking away at keyboards. It’s not as often you hear a similar story for manufacturing. And for good reason. 

Michigan’s top executives have confidence in their state operations and high demand for qualified talent, even with potentially softening economic conditions, according to a recent survey by Business Leaders for Michigan.

No matter who you are, if you have an interest in the operation and performance of a building, a preventive maintenance program (PMP) is key to long-term success. The process can be compared to changing the oil on your car. On average, every 3,000 miles, you swap the oil to maintain efficiency and promote ongoing performance for your vehicle and its many components.

To compete with top-performing states, Michigan must invest in talent

“Allyship” - is a noun … the definition of allyship is the state or condition of being an ally: supportive association with another person or group.

Sooner or later, every business owner faces the question of whether or not to sell their business.  If you own a business, there are some important questions to ask yourself before considering a sale:

Whether or not we spend much time thinking about it, our lives and businesses are powered by energy. And the ways we engage with this resource can make a big difference for our operating costs – and our planet. With so many ways to manage energy, Michigan businesses are sometimes left wondering what steps to take first. 

It’s time to reframe the talent shortage. Throughout the country, companies across industry sectors struggle to find the necessary workforce. Gone are the days of a consistent deep pool of workers to draw from, and it is increasingly unlikely those days will return. A recent study from Deloitte predicted a national shortfall of 2.1 million skilled workers by 2030.

The premier business awards celebration of the region returns on Wednesday, October 19 to recognize 27 upstanding businesses in West Michigan and present awards to the top finalists from each of the nine categories.

How do we design a workplace, now that non-traditional office space, retention strategies, and remote work need to be taken into consideration? How we view workplaces and the needs of current and future staff has shifted. The perspective toward remote work has pivoted to a more accommodating mindset as employees have increased productivity and work-life balance has tilted toward the positive. With restrictions lifted, market forces have pushed for maintaining at least some form of hybrid schedule as a talent attraction and retention strategy.

There’s a misconception in manufacturing that only large companies can successfully implement Industry 4.0 technology. For everyone else, the technology is too complex. Too time consuming. Too expensive. But a growing cadre of small and medium-size manufacturers are bucking that misconception and proving advanced manufacturing technology can be implemented by all companies, regardless of size. All it takes is an open mind, a champion, and a healthy dose of strategic thinking. 

Michigan is more than just a venue for the Detroit Auto Show – it is a place where the next generation of transportation and mobility is being designed, created and revealed. The automotive industry built its foundation and laid its roots here in Michigan; now, led by innovations in electric vehicles (EV) and assisted driving, we are witnessing a transportation mobility revolution. 

If you’re not adapting, you’re failing. That was the message during this year’s Michigan Contractor of the Year (MCOY) Awards, hosted yesterday evening at the LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park. 

With more than 4.3 million registered nurses in the United States, nursing staff are most often the front-line caregivers in every aspect of the healthcare industry. In 2022, nationwide nursing levels and staffing at health systems are in crisis. 

Inflation is the highest it’s been in decades, which impacts our entire Michigan business community. But while costs on nearly everything else seem to be rising, Consumers Energy is here to help businesses reduce energy waste, lower energy costs and even cash in on rebates that can be invested back into your bottom-line. 

As businesses gather an increasing amount of consumer information, consumers’ concerns about who knows what about them are becoming more pronounced and businesses’ legal obligations regarding that data are becoming more complex.

There is no shortage of information available regarding industry 4.0 technology. Small and medium-size manufacturers curious about these technologies can often find themselves drowning in a sea of whitepapers, blogs, vendors, sales calls, and other information – making it too overwhelming to even begin their journey. While each of these pieces of information has its place, sometimes it’s most effective for manufacturers to cut through the murk and hear a fellow company’s story. 

Michigan summer has arrived, and so have opportunities to save on your business’ energy bill. So, let’s talk about them! I’m Charles, your friendly hometown energy expert - and I’m here to talk about energy as a strategic resource. 

Building a house is expensive. Buying a house is expensive. Maintaining a house is expensive. It’s all just expensive. And what’s worse is that on top of it all sits an expensive insurance policy that can be difficult to understand. 

The practice of education is ever-changing. New technology, pedagogy and demands for a trained and educated workforce continue to change and evolve. But the combination of demographic declines and post-pandemic challenges – and opportunities – are radically shifting the way K12 school districts and higher education campuses are thinking about space and where, when and how learning best occurs.

If a new coworker asked you what experiences are the epitome of Grand Rapids, what’s the first thing you’d recommend?

Though it may have revolutionized production, the “just in time” mentality does not extend to talent. In the current labor market, manufacturers are finding that many workers are not walking through the door with all the necessary skills they may need. With that in mind, many companies are enhancing their training and development efforts to prepare their workforce for the factory of the future. 

On August 31, 2022, the American Subcontractors Association of Michigan (ASAM) will celebrate the 12th Annual MCOY Award Celebration at the home of the Whitecaps, Lake Michigan Credit Union Ballpark. MCOY recognizes Michigan’s general contractors and construction managers with a track record of best practices, professionalism, and collaboration within the trade contracting community. 

From cobots to data collection and analysis, Industry 4.0 is changing the way small and mid-size manufactures think about and grow their businesses. 

Regardless of industry or seniority, virtually every member of the workforce shares one commonality: onboarding.

Making room for new buildings often involves tearing down old facilities. At Rockford Construction, we drive sustainability in all our projects, and reclaiming and recycling building materials is an important aspect of building demolition.