V4 — Issue 4

Using Data to Your Advantage During a Downturn

With experts
reporting that the manufacturing industry is headed toward recession, what can
you, as a manufacturer, do to mitigate the upcoming damage? In a recent article
for Forbes, Louis Columbus discusses how manufacturers can employ a
data-driven strategy to achieve growth, despite uncertainties.

Columbus recommends
that manufacturers try the following methods:

Improve their aftermarket performance by drawing
on the data …

Navigating Growth in the Face of Uncertainty

Operating a
manufacturing company in the midst of a trade war is tough. In a recent article
for Industry Week, authors Jeff Jorge and Brian Simpson offer some tips
for continuing to pursue manufacturing growth despite economic uncertainty.
They recommend the following:

Pursue supply chain partners in countries not
involved in the trade war.Search for areas where you can take …

CHANGE: How to Improve Your Supplier-Distributor Relationship

For
manufacturers, distributor relationships are key. They can have an enormous
trickle-down effect on other key relationships. In a recent article for Thomasnet,
Brittany Asciolla discusses how manufacturers can improve their
supplier-distributor relationships.

The first
step is to fully understand the issue at hand. B2B buyers want to buy online,
and they want to do their own research. As such, …

Change Starts at the Top

Change is
often key to a manufacturer’s ability to remain successful. Unfortunately,
resistance to change often starts with top management, explains Paul Vuolle in
a recent article for Industry Week.

The key to
successful change, then, is buy-in on the top level. Company leaders need to be
on board with committing to and implementing change. Vuolle offers the
following recommendations …