Manufacturing Posts

Goals for Continuous Improvement

How committed are you to continuous improvement across multiple plants? Do you have plants that perform better than others, even though they produce the same products? Here are the things you need to begin this process:

Clear vision of how you would like things to function
Outlined path to achieving excellence
Comprehensive plan of communications
Thorough training program
Deep …

What Better Data Can Do For Your Business

 

Companies of all sizes in a variety of industries are using data to give their businesses a boost. There are a number of ways new data can give fresh insight into your company’s operations.

What do you know about your suppliers? Are they still meeting the demands of other manufacturers or are they losing clients? …

How Does Your Business Manage Risk

Developing a risk mitigation plan is essential to efficient supply chain management. Waste in the supply chain translates to higher costs and decreased revenue, as well as negative customer service experiences.

The first step is identifying risks in your supply chain. Procurement, delays, transportation, inventory, and many other forms of risk need to be considered. …

How to Improve Returns in a Capital Intensive Industry

Capital intensive industries often struggle to find a level of stability beyond satisfactory. By restructuring your portfolio, there is capital to gain. Many investors are abandoning industries that were once the cornerstones of financial security for new, more stable opportunities.

Capex and Cost Base

Capital intensive industries often forget how important having a firm foundation is …

Top Tips for Getting Continuous Improvement Approved

Innovation and capital are two items that keeps businesses turning. Finding common ground between the innovators and the financers can be a difficult task for all parties involved. Often the finance department can be perceived as blind to the needs of operations, seeing only the costs involved and not the benefits.

Strategic communication is vital …

Top 2016 Investments for Manufacturers

The constant market fluctuation of demand creates a seemingly unending state of change for manufacturing. Data is everything in modern industry, without up-to-the-minute knowledge, companies can become too out of touch with market needs and potentially fail. For manufacturers to remain viable, some retooling may be needed.

3D Printing

Manufacturing companies are often required to keep …

Capitalizing on the Fed Hike

With the new rate changes, companies stand to lose in 2016, however, these few changes could make 2016 a winning year for manufacturing. The goal is to reduce long-term costs while capitalizing on reduction opportunities afforded by the IRS. Rates have long been kept low in an effort to facilitate growth after the recession …

Using an IC-DISC to Lower Taxes

Manufacturers and distributors who export products should consider the use of an interest charge domestic international sales corporation (IC-DISC) to reduce their tax burden. Here are some frequently asked questions about this strategy. …