I've yet to meet a manufacturer or distributor that didn't want to improve customer service and operational performance - and preferably yesterday. In today's new normal business environment, it is a tough competitive environment - you must be ahead of your competition in understanding your customers' desires and provide [...]
Stay on top of trends to stand out from the crowd. Those executives who stay on top of the latest trends and search for patterns and trends in their business are far more successful than their counterparts. In my 20+ years of experience across multiple industries and globally, I've [...]
I've seen a steady increase in ERP selection, implementation and utilization projects as executives want to fully leverage the tools available to drive business results. However, a new system can be a significant undertaking. Only those who prepare will succeed. Document business processes - Start by documenting what occurs [...]
How do we get ahead of our competition in today's new normal? What used to work will lead to disaster in these new times. Instead, we must stand out from the crowd with our customers in mind. One way to accomplish this is to be ahead of the curve [...]
As I continually find, fundamentals are often overlooked yet critical to success; thus, it seems this is a great topic to take a look at.... What matters in your operation? - Forget about Lean, Six Sigma, TQM and the rest for now. In my experience, it is a distraction [...]
Succeeding in today's new normal business environment requires thinking about supply chain strategy differently than we did ten years ago. Supply chains have become more complex - and global. Managing risk is multifaceted. Yet supply chains are the bread and butter of business success as customer satisfaction is not [...]
Resurgence of manufacturing is occurring if we choose to take hold of it! As I recently attended the Manufacturing Summit in the Inland Empire and have been preparing for my Association of Operations Management Inland Empire Chapter's 2nd Annual Executive Panel & Networking Symposium entitled "The Resurgence of Manufacturing [...]
As the cost advantages for outsourcing dry up more companies are bringing manufacturing back to North America. Re-shoring may increasingly be your best bet for improving customer service levels without going broke. GE has started to rev up Appliance Park again - and is starting to bring manufacturing back [...]
Sales & Operations Planning (sometimes known as SIOP or sales, inventory & operations planning) drives revenue, profitability and cash flow. Here are 5 tips to ensure success: Balances demand & supply – The key benefit of SIOP is to balance demand (sales forecasts) with supply (our ability to meet [...]
March 23, 201 According to CFO, Duke University and CFO Global Business Outlook Survey suggests strong optimism! In fact, the survey's optimism index for the quarter jumped to 69 (on a 100-point scale) which is the highest level in 14 years. This is also significantly higher than the long-run [...]
