Creating an IT roadmap shouldn’t be all about the bells and whistles of the system, but rather on the technology that supports the strategy and business objectives. Ever heard about 1's and 0's as it relates to computers? That level of detail is often what I see with systems. [...]
Systems transactions are often treated as an afterthought but are critical to building a stable foundation for your business. As mundane as system transactions seem, I continually find that whether or not they are deemed a priority can make the difference between a successful operation or not. The bottom [...]
Being a systems pragmatist is critical in not making assumptions about your processes, but rather review every production step to uncover any issues that were not being addressed. When the idea of The Systems Pragmatist service line popped to mind, I was thinking about the critical importance of systems [...]
Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) offers companies a chance to partner with customers to better manage inventory and costs. Once the partnership proves fruitful, expanded business opportunities occur. I recently participated as a panelist with Michael DeCata, CEO of Lawson Products, for Industrial Distribution magazine's VMI (vendor managed inventory) webinar. [...]
Several of my clients are in the aerospace industry. In that industry, supply chain readiness audits are commonplace. These are especially prevalent today as growth in that market is substantial. Companies must be prepared for significant growth to support the doubling of the world's fleet in the next 20 [...]
One of those frequent and frustrating problems with growth can be space. Who has heard, "I've run out of space! What should we do?". Unfortunately it is not uncommon. The problem with this situation is that there are numerous causes and solutions - including this is exactly the problem [...]
Strategic planning has long been hailed the business cornerstone for projecting profit and growth. Oftentimes, the strategy, “what”, gets mixed up with the tactics, or the “how”, which leads to failure. Although almost everyone uses the term strategic planning, it doesn't make sense. Setting strategy is a clear; however, [...]
Develop your business vision with an eagle eye to see further out into the future creating clarity and purpose for your company. In thinking about an eagle's eye (in concert with my Eagle Eye service line), it comes to mind that vision is a key contributor to success. An [...]
Manufacturing and distributing product to meet customer demand can be like a puzzle unless you start using SIOP as a core process to run your business. SIOP (sales, inventory, & operations planning) taken to the best practice degree is often associated with integrated business planning. In some circles, they [...]
August 31, 2015 I was thinking about my dog, Abby (see below) - no matter whether I leave the house for 2 minutes or 2 weeks, she is absolutely thrilled to see me. Do your customers feel like that as well? Who doesn't like to be greeted like a [...]
