Hey everyone, supply chain student here.

We spend a ton of time in class studying lean systems, automated scheduling, and perfect workflow charts, but every time I talk to someone who actually works in a plant, it sounds like real floors run mostly on edge cases, rush orders, and random workarounds.

I'm working on a project about operational friction, and I'd love to hear some real field perspectives instead of just reading case studies. what’s a process or daily task in your shop that’s still surprisingly manual or clunkylike stuff still tracked on whiteboards, clipboards, or messy Excel sheets? Or places where time constantly gets wasted outside of obvious machine breakdowns? Also curious how much critical stuff in your shop relies purely on "tribal knowledge" from one veteran worker who knows how to fix things when stuff goes sideways.

Would love to hear any daily annoyances or war stories from the floor. Thanks in advance!

I inherited spareparts manufacturing firm for aftermarket

VW stopped increment for all its workers , there exports are all time low

Chinese cars are flooded to the market with cheaper prices and more features

They have made more cars than demand

I saw there autoparts manufacturers are not being paid from past 8 months

Where is the world heading towards and how do I keep track of it

Please show some lights of expertise and experience.

Why does 3M put their branding on everything they make. I know a lot of their business is B2B (Business to Business) I don’t get why the need to add their branding if a manufacturer uses one of their products. There has to be a thousand companies that manufacture the same things as 3M. from adhesive for sticky notes, to insulation for gloves / beanies. Surely 3M doesn’t need branding as they mainly rely on the business from other businesses. The only thing I can think of is if a customer sees 3M in quality products, the customer will think 3M is good and will buy more 3M cerated products. Even if 3M only have a small part in production of the final product .

I only kinda realised I’m might be on track for the answer in the last sentence. Let me know your thoughts!!