Will Robots Pay Back?
Robots shouldn't be viewed as a hammer. Think about what you need to accomplish and evaluate robots as one tool / solution to a business issue.
The Impact of China’s Slowdown
January 18, 2016 It is somewhat of a coincidence that I've heard a few presentations about China recently (thanks to international attorney and China guru John Tulac as one of these experts) which synced up with the stock market plunge in China - and in the U.S. (and thus [...]
Leveraging Supply Chain Trends
Slashing lead times is one of the most pressing supply chain trends. By identifying trends early on you can devise ways to leverage them to your advantage. I spoke to ISM (the Institute for Supply Management) last night about supply chain trends, and it reminded me of the importance [...]
The Good & Bad of Using Temps, Contractors & Consultants
When facing short-term staffing challenges, supplement your needs with temps, contractors or consultants. To be successful, be clear on the purpose and staff accordingly. I find that almost every one of my clients and prospective clients are growing significantly. One complication of growth is to find, upgrade and keep [...]
An IT Roadmap
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. [...]
Types of Capacity
Businesses with growth ambitions have to gauge the current capacity of every facet of their facility to plan future productivity. Capacity is a critical element for any business – and especially those interested in growth! A good place to start is to understand your capacity, which can mean different [...]
Manufacturers See Critical Importance of Collaboration
June 15, 2015 According to a recent KPMG survey on the Global Manufacturing Outlook, executives are thinking about innovation. 81% are altering their business models to to encourage collaboration with customers, suppliers and other partners to "improve the value of their innovation investments". Speed is critical. Thus, a key [...]
Tips for Physical Inventory Success
Completing a physical inventory is a necessary part of inventory management because accuracy doesn’t just happen, it needs to be achieved. Inventory accuracy is cornerstone to success. It is a bedrock topic to improving service levels, reducing lead times, increasing margins, improving efficiencies, reducing inventory levels….and the list goes [...]
The Project Managers Skill Gap
With manufacturers and distributors finding it increasingly difficult to find top talent, bridging the skills gap has become a leading managerial task for success and even survival. According to a recent survey, 87% of manufacturers and distributors cannot find the skills required to successfully run their businesses. These results didn’t surprise [...]
How To Elevate Business Performance with Lean I.T.
Technological innovations are abundant, even overwhelming. Rather than trying to modernize at every turn seek to leverage your I.T. department to provide maximum efficiency without non-value added work. We hear a lot about lean, Toyota Production System and the like; however, I rarely hear about Lean I.T. A friend [...]