Aerospace manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus are using 3D printing to quickly and economically produce parts that were previously impossible with traditional manufacturing processes. The technology is also leading to lighter parts that reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Manufacturers can succeed in direct-to-consumer sales without damaging existing distributor relationships by offering products or services that support downstream partners or hook consumers in ways distributors can't ignore, write Ned Calder, Shahriar Parvarandeh and Michael Brady of Innosight. They also suggest reaching out to consumer segments that are underserved or ignored by most distributors.

Radio frequency identification tags are a low-cost, highly accurate way to keep track of inventory at every step of the supply chain, writes Gary Wollenhaupt. Enterprise resource planning systems and other management tools are now able to scan 100 RFID tags at once in real time, adds Jason Ivy of Impinj.

Digital supply chains streamline business processes required for product sales, and the disruption they have brought to the industry means businesses need to adapt. From a logistics point of view, it is about improving forecasting accuracy and enabling process automation across the company, writes Hans Thalbauer of SAP.

Unexpected downtime, capacity issues, worker delays and rising field-servicing costs are signs that a manufacturer may need to improve its strategy for managing industrial internet of things devices, writes Bsquare Vice President Dave McCarthy.

Cybersecurity attacks on industrial assets put workers at risk and should be addressed in safety programs, write Tony Baker and Pat Barry of Rockwell Automation. They champion a three-pronged approach to risk management based on compliance, culture and technology.

A group of 43 organizations, including brands such as Target, H&M and Adidas, have vowed to reduce the climate impact of their supply chains through a new effort called Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. The group will identify strategies to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Siemens has changed its process for recruiting, onboarding, training and retention in recent years, taking a proactive approach that entails identifying specific skill sets and subsequent talent pools, writes company executive Mike Brown. Siemens has hired more than 2,5000 veterans over the past five years, thanks to its partnership with Orion, and the initiative has helped the company meet a need in federal markets.

Retail sales softened in November, up 0.2%, with reduced gasoline station sales (and lower prices) serving as a bit of a drag on the headline number. Despite the smaller increase for the month, consumer spending remained strong overall, continuing to be one of the bright spots in the U.S. economy. Over the past 12 months, retail sales have risen by a relatively healthy 4.2%. On a year-over-year basis, the clear winner was nonstore retailers, with retail sales growth of 10.8% since November 2017. In contrast, department store sales decreased 0.2% year over year. As such, the brick-and-mortar versus online retail dynamics continued to play out in the sales data. Read more.