Topic
The business of manufacturing
8 articles drawn from The Production Equation, its 24 industry studies and 100 companies profiles.
Guide
How to Calculate OEE: Formula, Worked Example and Pitfalls
How to calculate overall equipment effectiveness step by step, why the same line can report 65% or 86%, and how to price an hour of downtime on your own line.
8 min read
Explainer
Operating Leverage in Manufacturing: Why Profits Swing So Hard
Operating leverage explains why a 10% drop in factory volume can wipe out 40% of profit. Formula, worked examples and real cases from Boeing, Intel and Nucor.
8 min read
Guide
Reshoring Cost Analysis: China vs Mexico vs US Landed Cost
How to compare the total landed cost of making a product in China, Mexico or the US under 2026 tariffs, and why the labor gap, not the tariff, decides reshoring.
8 min read
Explainer
The Toyota Production System Explained: Lean, Jidoka and Kanban
What the Toyota Production System is, how jidoka, just-in-time and kanban work, why NUMMI proved it, and why even Toyota and Boeing lost it under pressure.
8 min read
Case study
What Went Wrong at Boeing: How a Quality Culture Broke Down
From the 737 MAX crashes to the 2024 door plug, Boeing's crisis was a failure of process capability. Here is what went wrong, what it cost and what changed.
9 min read
Case study
Why GE Broke Up: The End of America's Model Conglomerate
GE split into GE HealthCare, GE Vernova and GE Aerospace between 2023 and 2024. Here is why the conglomerate failed, and why the penny dividend mattered more.
8 min read
Case study
Why Intel Foundry Is Losing Money: Fabs Without Customers
Intel Foundry lost $1.85 billion in Q3 2026 despite CHIPS Act money and a working 18A process. Here is why a fab without outside customers cannot pay its way.
7 min read