Accelerate growth with business technology ideas and insights for job shop and contract manufacturers.
The Four Biggest Challenges for Job Shops
Sep 20, 2017By Mark Stevens
Here’s a look at what job shops and contract manufacturers deal with every day, and some simple tools to help resolve issues.
How Knowing Your Data Can Boost Job Shop Productivity
Jul 14, 2017By Mark Stevens
See how data can be integrated and made visible from various job shop departments to reveal major opportunities for improved productivity.
5 Ways to Improve Efficiencies on the Job Shop Floor
Jul 07, 2017By Mark Stevens
Use these 5 practical and time-saving steps to identify and improve inefficiencies in your job shop.
4 Steps to Get the Most Out of Your ERP Investment
Jun 23, 2017By Mark Stevens
Get the most out of your ERP system with these 4 steps and reap the results of improved efficiencies, workflows, production, and employee satisfaction.
Do ERP Best Practices Apply to My Job Shop?
Jun 08, 2017By Mark Stevens
Large manufacturers use ERP best practices, but small job shops aren’t sure if those processes will help them. Ask these questions to find out.
Debunking the Top 4 Job Shop ERP Myths
Jun 02, 2017By Mark Stevens
Smaller job shops believe ERP systems are for larger operations, or that they’re too expensive. It’s time to debunk those and other ERP myths!
Top 5 Questions to Ask When Choosing an ERP System
May 26, 2017By Mark Stevens
When a job shop can confidently answer these 5 questions, they’ll be able to choose the right ERP system to manage operations, inventory, sales and more.
5 Ways Your Customers Benefit From an ERP System
May 17, 2017By Mark Stevens
An ERP system not only improves internal processes for job shops and manufacturers, it improves customer satisfaction and sales.
Top 4 Issues Job Shops Need to Address for Success
May 08, 2017By Mark Stevens
Here are a few common missteps in job shops and suggestions on how to resolve them.
How Job Shops Can Save on Overhead Costs
Apr 28, 2017By Mark Stevens
Overhead expenses can eat up most of a job shop’s income—especially if overhead isn’t actively monitored and appropriately reduced.
How to Adapt to Customers Changing Their Minds
Apr 14, 2017By Mark Stevens
Changes from customers are inevitable. Instead of getting frustrated, focus your energy on understanding why changes happen and how you can positively adapt to it.
The Psychology of Gaining Productivity in a Job Shop
Apr 06, 2017By Mark Stevens
Psychology has proven that humans, by nature, need to feel supported, successful, and satisfied to work at peak productivity.
Process or Efficiency: Which Matters Most in a Job Shop?
Mar 03, 2017By Mark Stevens
Pursuing efficiency for efficiency’s sake and ignoring the effectiveness of the process behind it can be misleading. This is especially true in job shops where processes—not necessarily efficiencies—drive productivity and, ultimately, profitability.
What’s the Payback of an ERP System for Job Shops and Contract Manufacturers?
Feb 24, 2017By Mark Stevens
Understanding the advantages of using an ERP system will help your Job Shop gauge its actual value for your business operation.
How Can I Improve Scheduling for My Job Shop?
Feb 17, 2017By Mark Stevens
Scheduling is pivotal in ensuring all other facets of the job shop run smoothly. Revamping your system can’t—and won’t—happen overnight, but you can implement four best practices to improve the process incrementally.
The Secrets of Reducing Lead Times in Job Shops
Feb 10, 2017By Mark Stevens
Finding those small, often hidden, time thieves that increase lead times means taking a long, hard look at your overall manufacturing process from quote through payment. Understanding the entirety of your job flow will reveal opportunities for making relevant improvements.
The Pros and Cons of NetSuite for Job Shops
Feb 03, 2017By Mark Stevens
While many are, there are several perceived downsides to NetSuite, the fit, functionality and value of this ERP system must be evaluated by job shops on an individual basis.
A Roadmap to Sales Reporting for Job Shops and Contract Manufacturers
Jan 27, 2017By Mark Stevens
Creating processes that produce better results, establishing expectations around adhering to those processes and measuring and reporting on behaviors that support them can elevate performance in any field. It’s only natural that you should apply this same discipline to sales management.
Improve Sales Results by Focusing on Sales PROCESS!
Jan 27, 2017By Mark Stevens
Just like most successful athletes, successful sales pros understand that following a disciplined approach to sales planning and execution will lead to consistently better results. Most importantly, they recognize that truly great sales teams work together to build the processes that lead to sustainable success.
Marketing 101 for Job Shops
Jan 20, 2017By Mark Stevens
Marketing is something job shop owners and contract manufacturers know they have to do, but it often gets put on the back burner while more urgent matters take priority. Learn what you need to do and think about to market to the right prospect, with the right message in the right format.
How An ERP System Keeps Everyone In The Loop—and Making Better Decisions
Jan 13, 2017
An ERP system makes it possible for job shops to have an accurate, up-to-date, 360-degree view of the state of your company. Without it, companies find the process of gathering and making sense of all their information too burdensome and revert to gut-reaction decision-making and disjointed spreadsheets.
Creating Your Job Shop’s Value Proposition and Customer Strategy
Dec 30, 2016By Mark Stevens
You need to answer these questions about your value proposition, your ideal customer profile, the type of relationship the customer wants/needs, and the appropriate sales channels to put together a strategy that will deliver a pipeline stocked with quality leads.
How Job Shops Can Build A Robust Sales Pipeline
Dec 23, 2016By Mark Stevens
If you’re like many job shops and contract manufacturers, you’re working hard to sell a wider range of products and/or services to a broader customer base. To do that, though, you need a healthy pipeline of work. But how do you develop and sustain it?
Taking the Sting Out of a Tight Labor Market
Dec 16, 2016By Mark Stevens
It’s no secret that finding qualified employees is a challenge, but it is possible to manage through a lack of new workers if you provide the ones you have with the skills, technology and opportunities to help them “do more with less.”
How to Implement an ERP Without Disrupting Your Business
Dec 09, 2016
To ease disruption and ensure high productivity levels during an ERP implementation, you need to help your employees understand and manage through the change. You also need to work with a provider with significant implementation experience and proven methods for saving time and reducing stress.
How Job Shops and Contract Manufacturers Can Improve Communications
Dec 02, 2016
If communicating with people and groups within your organization has no real structure around it, you can bet there are opportunities to improve, including when it comes to profitability.
How to Engage Everyone in Your ERP Software Solution
Nov 25, 2016By Mark Stevens
An ERP system functions best when digital natives work alongside those with wisdom and a deep history with your business processes.
Job Shop ERP Implementation: What “First Steps” You Can Expect
Nov 18, 2016By Mark Stevens
Not every ERP implementation is identical, but each one comes with a common set of tasks and decisions that need to be implemented to ensure success.
How Job Shops Can Get More Hours in Each Day Using NetSuite
Nov 11, 2016By Mark Stevens
ERP systems not only integrate and optimize processes, they make it possible for job shops to take advantage of new product and market opportunities.
Before You Implement a Cloud ERP: What Job Shops Need to Know
Nov 04, 2016By Mark Stevens
Knowing what you can expect before you implement an ERP system will help ensure that you get the greatest value from it.
Six Signs You’re Ready for an ERP
Oct 28, 2016By Mark Stevens
Learn the signs that a cloud-based ERP system will help your job shop be more efficient and facilitate its growth.
How Job Shops Can Save Time in the Quoting/Estimating Process
Oct 21, 2016By Mark Stevens
Reducing the time spent quoting/estimating requires a complete, accurate view of all project costs for your job shop—something an ERP system offers.
The Strategic vs. Operations Thinker
Oct 14, 2016By Mark Stevens
When it comes to job shop growth and investment in an ERP, there’s a distinct difference between strategic- and operational-minded business owners.
How an ERP System Drives Costs Out of Your Job Shop
Oct 07, 2016By Mark Stevens
To stay competitive job shops must take every opportunity to better understand their operation and eliminate inefficiencies and unnecessary costs.
How An ERP Can Help You Grow Your Job Shop
Sep 30, 2016By Mark Stevens
An ERP system monitors and interprets vast amounts of data about your operation and turns it into actionable intelligence that helps you make informed decisions and pursue new markets.
What’s the Total Cost of Ownership for a Cloud-based Job Shop ERP?
Sep 23, 2016By Mark Stevens
One key decision related to an ERP is whether it’ll be on premise or in the cloud. There are several infrastructure and pricing factors that make cloud-based ERP a better choice for job shops.
Why Your Job Shop Needs an ERP System
Sep 16, 2016By Mark Stevens
Many job shops today use a mix of tools to manage their businesses, but newer software solutions integrate processes and provide insights that improve decision-making and company growth.
ERP Systems for Job Shops: 5 Factors That Influence Your Cost
Sep 09, 2016By Mark Stevens
While the software cost can be determined easily, it’s the “other things” that go into an ERP investment that will determine your ultimate cost. Here are five you need to account for.
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