Articles
From the factory floor.
Short pieces on the group topics: what works on the line and what is changing in the rules. Each one is a starting point for the discussion in its group.
Recent
HR & People · Practical guide
A new operator's first two weeks
How to organise a new operator's first two weeks: a named trainer, a training matrix, check-in talks, realistic targets and what to measure.
Quality & Continuous Improvement · Practical guide
An 8D that actually closes the problem
Where an 8D written for the customer portal breaks down, and the checks at each step so the complaint does not return in three months on the same part.
Energy & Utilities · Practical guide
Compressed air: where the energy goes
How to find what compressed air costs you and where it goes: compressor room measurements, leaks, pressure, inappropriate uses, controls and a monthly routine.
Digitalization & Industry 4.0 · Practical guide
First step in digitalisation, without an expensive MES
How to collect your first production data straight from the machine and use it in the shift meeting before buying an MES. Steps, IT/OT network, open protocols.
Maintenance & Reliability · Practical guide
From reactive to preventive with a small team
The first 90 days for a maintenance team of 3-6 people who only fight fires: which machines to prioritise, what routines to set up with operators, what to log.
Production & Operations · Practical guide
OEE without illusions
How OEE gets inflated without anything changing on the line, and how to define it honestly: one bottleneck line, usable stop reasons and daily review of losses.
Production & Operations
Practical guide
OEE without illusions
How OEE gets inflated without anything changing on the line, and how to define it honestly: one bottleneck line, usable stop reasons and daily review of losses.
Context
Auto suppliers and the EV shift
The shift to electric as auto suppliers in Romania face it: which parts decline, which grow, where the EU rules for 2035 stand and what a plant can do now.
Maintenance & Reliability
Practical guide
From reactive to preventive with a small team
The first 90 days for a maintenance team of 3-6 people who only fight fires: which machines to prioritise, what routines to set up with operators, what to log.
Context
Predictive maintenance, where it pays and where it does not
Wireless sensors have become cheap and vendors sell AI. Which faults can be caught early, where monitoring pays off and how to start without overbuying.
Quality & Continuous Improvement
Practical guide
An 8D that actually closes the problem
Where an 8D written for the customer portal breaks down, and the checks at each step so the complaint does not return in three months on the same part.
Context
The ISO 9001 revision
ISO 9001:2026 was published on 16 September 2026. What changed from 2015, how long your current certificate stays valid and what to do now in the plant.
HSE – Health, Safety & Environment
Practical guide
Risk assessment that gets used, not just filed
How to make risk assessment a working tool: done at the workstation with operators, covering maintenance, cleaning and jams, and revised after incidents.
Context
The EU Machinery Regulation, from 20 January 2027
What Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 changes for factories: substantial modifications, in-house integrated lines, digital instructions, cybersecurity and deadlines.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Practical guide
Safety stock without guesswork
How to calculate safety stock by ABC/XYZ segment from real demand and lead-time variation, and when to fix the cause of the variation instead of adding stock.
Context
RO e-Transport seen from the plant
Which shipments fall under RO e-Transport, who declares, how long a UIT code is valid, what the law says on GPS and fines, and where dispatch stalls.
HR & People
Practical guide
A new operator's first two weeks
How to organise a new operator's first two weeks: a named trainer, a training matrix, check-in talks, realistic targets and what to measure.
Context
The Pay Transparency Directive
What Directive (EU) 2023/970 on pay transparency requires, where Romania's transposition stands in October 2026 and what a plant's HR team can prepare now.
Energy & Utilities
Practical guide
Compressed air: where the energy goes
How to find what compressed air costs you and where it goes: compressor room measurements, leaks, pressure, inappropriate uses, controls and a monthly routine.
Context
Energy audits and the new thresholds
Directive (EU) 2023/1791 ties energy audits and ISO 50001 to average annual consumption: 10 TJ and 85 TJ. What it requires, where Romania stands and what to do.
Digitalization & Industry 4.0
Practical guide
First step in digitalisation, without an expensive MES
How to collect your first production data straight from the machine and use it in the shift meeting before buying an MES. Steps, IT/OT network, open protocols.
Context
NIS2 in manufacturing
Which plants fall under NIS2 and Emergency Ordinance 155/2024, DNSC registration, incident reporting deadlines and what it means for the production network.
Procurement & Suppliers
Practical guide
Qualifying a new supplier
How to qualify a new supplier by risk: classifying the part, desk checks, a bottleneck audit, first-article approval and monitoring after start of production.
Context
CBAM for industrial importers
CBAM in 2026 for a plant importing steel or aluminium from outside the EU: the 50-tonne threshold, the authorised declarant, certificates and supplier data.
Leadership
Practical guide
The daily production meeting
How to run the daily production meeting short, in tiers, standing at the board: fixed agenda, deviations only, actions with owner and date, clear escalation.
Context
When experienced people leave
Retirements, emigration, moves to a competitor: how to find out who holds critical knowledge in maintenance, setups and process, and how to transfer it in time.