In an ideal world, every price you quote would be accurate and your shop would always have a high profit margin. However, that sometimes isn’t the case. Quoting jobs can be difficult to do by hand, and having a quick way to look up previous, similar jobs would make it much easier. This is where… Reads more »
Everyone can agree that ERP software makes it easier to run a shop. However, it has to be the right kind of software for your shop, otherwise, everything becomes more difficult. For example, a job shop where every order is unique would need different strengths in their ERP software than a repetitive manufacturer. E2 Software… Reads more »
Running a shop comes with all kinds of challenges. While working in a shop can help prepare you for how things work on the shop floor and how to manage the company, it’s much harder to learn how to be a great leader. Below are three practices of great leaders in the manufacturing world. Hire… Reads more »
There are many reasons that this is the most wonderful time of the year. Of course, the holiday cheer is infectious, but for manufacturers, it can mean finding unspent money in the yearly budget. In addition to this possibility, the deadline is fast approaching to make any purchases that can be used for tax deductions…. Reads more »
This is the second post in A Manufacturer’s Guide to Social Media. Read the first post here. Running a social media account for your business can be intimidating. Each social media network has its own personality and purpose, so how do you know which one to use? Don’t panic. The differences are easy to explain…. Reads more »
No matter how well your shop is doing, a growing shop is always on the lookout for ways to get more customers and build up good will. Social media can do both of these things. It might seem a little strange to put your shop on social media, but it can be a great way… Reads more »
MFG Day, according to their website, “is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers…” This celebration has happened on the first Friday in October since 2012. Manufacturers are looking for ways to close the skills gap, and that’s one of the primary goals of MFG Day. If your shop… Reads more »
Perhaps this will sound familiar to many of you. You started your shop from nothing, just you and a couple of folks to run the machines. Now your shop has gotten bigger and as your shop has grown, so have your headaches. There isn’t enough time in the day anymore to finish everything and it’s… Reads more »
If you’re like most shops, you keep yours running as efficiently as possible. However, there are some areas you could improve upon. Wouldn’t it be great if you could hire one employee to organize everything from your accounting department to the entire shop floor? This one person could instantly give you the information you need… Reads more »
You probably know that there are more manufacturing jobs than there are people to fill them now. However, you might not know how large the labor shortage will be. By 2025, the US is projected to need 3.5 million manufacturing jobs filled but only be able to fill 1.5 million. This will leave 2 million… Reads more »
Let’s see if this story sounds familiar to you… Tim is the owner of a discrete manufacturing company in the Midwest. From the start, his business has been centered around creating specialty drilling and extracting parts for the shale industry. However, in the last 5 years, the work has expanded from one-off jobs to a… Reads more »
For most job shops and small to mid-size manufacturers, your time is too precious to take a few days to attend a tradeshow. The time and the money that go into it just aren’t worth it and you won’t get anything useful out of it. Right? Actually, that isn’t true. Tradeshows are a great place… Reads more »
With some of today’s manufacturing challenges that reach across many industries, it’s a wonder if shops can see the opportunities that could be sitting right outside their front door. In shops across North America, managers are facing the skills gap, industry automation, and how to reach the full potential of internet marketing and selling. And… Reads more »
Manufacturing software expense is actually less than it appears because of a tax deduction opportunity. Two years ago, Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act, also known as the PATH Act. This piece of legislation was designed to help families and businesses through tax reductions and provisions. Within the Path Act tax break… Reads more »
How long have you been thinking about investing in manufacturing software? Do you have your finger on the button and just need that last bit of evidence to press “GO?” Successful shop owners know that holding a balance between inventory, production costs and customer service is the key to a profitable business. So, how can… Reads more »
Your shop is old school. You have good, hard working employees, loyal customers, and the same manual data entry system you put into place when you opened for business 50 years ago. While the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” motto may work for many aspects of your shop, it won’t work for data… Reads more »
With an aging workforce and health care costs continuing to rise, it’s no wonder why many industries are looking for proven ways to save on employee health benefits. Since healthy employees cost you less, increase shop productivity, and statistically stay with their current employer longer, why not consider a wellness plan? A company wellness plan… Reads more »
Three Challenges Solved with ERP Software There’s one thing you can always count on being a job shop owner — change. Over the last two decades, North America manufacturing has struggled to regain the strength it once had in the 90s. Job shops took a big hit in the early 2000s with more and more… Reads more »
How to Maximize Your Small Shop’s Resources to Get Big Results with Job Tracking Software Do you often find yourself competing for business against bigger shops who have greater resources? Perhaps you’re a small shop with dreams of becoming a large one. Or maybe you are happy with your current size, but would like to… Reads more »
There are many great aspects to being a small shop. One is that it’s easier to manage and control your shop’s processes when you only have a handful of employees, work stations, and products. Another is the shop atmosphere and culture. Often, smaller shops have more relaxed and casual environments than larger shops, which may… Reads more »
It’s that time again. A new year is here. That means millions of Americans are making resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, pursue a new hobby, or change their life in some other meaningful way. And some people are even looking for ways to improve their machine shop productivity. Make 2017 your best year yet!… Reads more »
In December 2015, Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act, also known as the PATH Act. The bill’s purpose was to strengthen certain deductions and credits and also to make a few temporary deduction opportunities permanent. Among the included tax breaks was the Section 179 deduction opportunity for businesses that invest in new… Reads more »
With the calendar recently flipping over to November, many shops are preparing for their least favorite time of the year – downtime. But this slow time may also be the perfect time to implement new shop software. Nearly every shop in every industry has some period of downtime. Some industries experience downtime in the summer… Reads more »
If you’ve recently decided to explore software options for your machine shop, that could be a wise decision. The difference between a successful shop and a shop that’s just barely making it is that the successful shop has a process that maximizes efficiency and eliminates waste. Software is often the engine that drives that process…. Reads more »
QuickBooks is the leading business accounting software platform for a reason. It’s easy-to-use, simple to learn, and compatible with a wide range of devices, platforms, and other software. If you use QuickBooks to manage your shop’s accounting process, you have plenty of company. As great as QuickBooks is, though, it can’t do everything your shop… Reads more »