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 »
How do you manage your shop schedule? Do you use scheduling software? Or do you have a simpler system, such as a whiteboard, a spreadsheet, or maybe even a bunch of post-it notes on the shop wall? If you have resisted the urge to invest in scheduling software, now may be the time to reconsider…. Reads more »
Your ERP software can make all the difference between delivering on-time and being profitable versus missing customer deadlines and losing money. And it’s not just enough to have ERP software. You also need the right software for your shop, and you need to utilize it to its fullest capabilities. The good news is you… Reads more »
You see an email come through from a new customer. They have a job they need filled, and it’s a big one. They want to know what your best price is, as they’re in the process of collecting quotes from a few different shops. You need to give them your most competitive price because you… Reads more »
How often are you hitting your customer’s delivery deadlines? One-hundred percent of the time? Ninety percent? Less than 80 percent? If hitting deadlines are a problem for you, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Many machine shops struggle with the challenges of meeting customer demands. And let’s face it – customers can be pretty demanding. They… Reads more »
Do you feel like your machine shop is in a rut? There’s plenty of work and you and your team are always busy, but still, you never seem to get ahead. It feels like there’s always a cash crunch looming or there’s always a crisis that you have to deal with. Sometimes you may even… Reads more »
You sit down at your computer and see a familiar sight. It’s another email from another frustrated customer. They want to know when their job will be complete. When will it ship? What’s taking so long? How much longer? Do these questions sound familiar? Are you getting complaints from customers about your long turnaround time… Reads more »
What do you see when you go out to the shop floor? Tools everywhere? Materials and parts laying around? Team members milling around, having casual conversations? Work piling up? You’re not alone. One of the things that makes running a shop so difficult is that you have to straddle the line between the office and… Reads more »
Ernest Hemingway once wrote about losing money that it, “happens at first very gradually, and then all at once.” If you run a shop that’s losing money, you probably know what he meant. Small losses slowly accumulate, turning into big losses. Eventually, there’s nothing left to lose. Far too many shop owners get stuck in… Reads more »
Every business wants to grow, but sometimes it feels like only a select few have figured out the formula for how to do it. The truth is there isn’t one single formula for achieving growth. Rather, there are a lot of different things you need to focus on. Putting out high quality products helps because… Reads more »
There’s no doubt that job shop software can improve your shop’s efficiency, productivity, and overall profitability. However, just having the right software isn’t enough. You also need to make sure your team members are using it properly. Even the best software won’t produce results if your workers aren’t implementing it to its fullest capabilities. Most… Reads more »
