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 »
Do you dread the idea of implementing new job shop software? Have you purchased software that’s subsequently gone unused because you don’t know how to manage the transition? You’re not alone. For many job shops, the challenge isn’t in finding the right software; it’s in implementing the new software. Most job shop owners see the… Reads more »
It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about the holiday season. Rather, it’s the time of year when business owners all over the country are making end-of-year decisions to anticipate and plan for next year. Part of that “taking stock” of your business includes what kind of investments for the future you… Reads more »
What does your job shop have in common with Pike Place Fish Market, the Seattle landmark where they throw fish to customers? Hold the fishy smell jokes, please. According to Shoptech’s business development manager, Gerri Schuh, we all can take a cue from that famous fish market and learn some big lessons on how to… Reads more »
Of all the reasons I hear from job shop owners on why they’re not using a manufacturing software package, the most common one is that they think it will cost too much. Especially for the small job shop – which, by the way, represents the vast majority of the job shop market and the bulk… Reads more »
Call me sentimental, but as we approach the International Manufacturing Technology Show 2014, I couldn’t help but reflect on E2’s first time exhibiting at this giant of a trade show serving the manufacturing technology industry. My how times have changed in 18 years. Not just with advancements in job shop technology, but our goals at… Reads more »
Ever since we started writing Job Shoptalk, we’ve been working hard to share information about contract manufacturing and the make-to-order manufacturing industry. We can all learn from each other, and this forum is a great way for us to address some of the issues and topics that percolate with our market. We may not have… Reads more »
The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. – Stephen Covey As a job shop owner, you know it’s not always easy to arrange jobs for smooth transition and flow from one batch to the next. Scheduling machines and manpower can be hard enough, much less scheduling for… Reads more »
Rehtek Machine Company, one of E2’s customers, was recently featured in the ‘Better Production’ section of Modern Machine Shop, one of the top metalworking publications. The article largely spotlights how the company used software to speed job shop ISO certification. We thought we’d toot his horn some – and ours too in the process – and… Reads more »
Of the many challenges facing today’s job shop owner, scheduling has to be among the toughest. Obviously, production and manufacturing scheduling software helps take much of the guesswork out of running your shop efficiently, but scheduling is still part art, and part science. Variables such as customers changing orders, vendors letting you down, data not… Reads more »
We were at a machine shop trade show recently and I had a very direct question come from one of the conference attendees. After sizing up our booth he leaned in and asked, “So who’s got the best shop management software here at the show?” What job shop software providers wouldn’t jump at the chance… Reads more »
When it comes to shopping for job shop software, you owe it to yourself and your company to hear what others are saying about the many options out there. There are some helpful third-party sites that I’ll address in future blog articles, but for now allow me to focus on the Software Advice, and author… Reads more »
You’ve been appointed to the software selection committee for your job shop –or you’re a committee of one – and you want to know where to start. Buying an ERP platform for your small- to mid-size job shop is a monumental step. Maybe you’re replacing an existing implementation, or starting anew. Either way, be… Reads more »
A new device or piece of equipment may be dynamic and powerful. But without the user being aware of all its capability and understanding how it operates, its full potential cannot be realized. Thorough training, therefore, is critical when it comes to implementing a manufacturing software package, and more specifically, enterprise resource planning (ERP) or… Reads more »
Implementing a robust machine shop software solution offers many benefits to small and mid-sized manufacturing and fabrication shops. Foremost among these benefits is the ability to track production every step of the way. A quality shop management software package – for machine shops or any job shop – can be customized to meet the specific requirements of… Reads more »
For a manufacturing company any enterprise for that matter, controlling waste is always a top priority. During periods when the economy is sluggish, there is an even greater need to streamline processes and find ways to mitigate or eliminate value-diminishing activities. Waste does not only result from the misuse or disorganization in the handling of… Reads more »
As technology becomes more prominent in our personal and professional lives, our reliance on technical support also continues to increase. In the business world, with all the similarities existing between the many enterprise resource planning (ERP) software packages available, it is often the support aspect that makes the difference in which program a company chooses… Reads more »
