This article is written by Winsby.

From initial planning to analyzing the results

Marketing seems simple: you’re just spreading the word about your company, right? That doesn’t take much skill, right? Wrong and wrong.

Marketing requires more than just putting together an email or writing an ad. Marketing is a nuanced, multifaceted process that can overwhelm even the most successful business operators.

Guidepost: A post, at the intersection of 2 or more roads bearing a sign for the guidance of travelers.

It’s the year 2022. The challenges now and over the next several years in manufacturing are significant. The landscape is everchanging with much of this driven by technological and societal change that is advancing us into the new frontier of the 4^th Industrial Revolution. So just exactly how do we find our way? How do we focus and work on things that really matter? One thing is for sure, you can follow, or you can lead! And if you lead, what direction do you go and how do you stay the course? To begin, let’s think Strategic Planning and Execution.

This is an original article from NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.

Disruptions in the global supply chain have led to a new dynamic for many small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) – the need to be more strategic about “second sourcing” and reshoring. The biggest increase is in what’s referred to as second sourcing, which adds redundancies such as a second source of a supply to minimize risk while increasing options. But supply chain experts also are seeing an interest in relying long term on domestic supply sources. 

This is an original article from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.

Up and down busy streets nationwide, the same six-word banners stand outside in front of hundreds of businesses. Affixed to poles on front lawns or hanging above entrance doors, these inescapable banners, while the numbers may vary, almost always have the same wording:

In part one of this series, we discussed the importance of the Gemba walk and how well executed and thought out Gemba Walks can drive sustained Continuous Improvement. Great Gemba Walks become a focused process whereby leadership engages with various parts of the organization to observe, learn, and provide support to meet organizational goals and objectives and more importantly, the needs of its customers. Leadership is observing, learning, and engaging where value is being created, and teaching the team members to be problem solvers to achieve continuous improvement.

Cash-flow strategies are imperative in manufacturing because the cash-conversion cycle can be quite lengthy. Here are several strategies to consider for your business:

Track Your Cash Flow
The only way to know where your cash is going is by monitoring your cash flow biweekly or monthly.

This article is written by Mark Allen Roberts, CEO and Founder of OTB Solutions.

To say 2021 has been a rollercoaster ride of incredible highs and scary lows is an understatement. We have experienced market disruptions, uncertainty, new pandemic variants, and constraints none of us could have forecasted. In response to these changes CEOs and business owners adapted. A recent McKinsey study indicates more than 60% of CEOs restructured their organization in response to the pandemic.

This is an original article written by Scott Schein, Director of National Network Programs at GENEDGE, part of the MEP National Network.

The pandemic revealed potential vendor-based weaknesses for many small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs). Late deliveries have increased, materials have become scarce, quality is less reliable, and prices have ticked upward. These issues and general upheaval in global supply chains make supply chain management an urgent focus for many SMMs.

Many organizations are experiencing the full force of change. This new speed of change is creating a shift in what employee’s value and what they are looking for in an organization. And because of this, organizations are now reflecting more on their culture and considering ways to enhance employee engagement and retention. Now is the ideal time for organizations to reflect on their legacy learning approaches and ask themselves: “will our existing learning approaches to enhance employee engagement, leadership development, change management, and problem solving help us transform our culture to best meet the future demands of our customers and stakeholders?” Perhaps, if the focus is on developing the team and not just the individual learner.

October has a special place in the hearts of Illinois Manufacturers. That’s because in Illinois, October is Manufacturing Month. And while the entire month is dedicated to manufacturing and its impact on the world around us, one day in particular stands out as a sort of open house, when manufacturers throw open their doors and invite people in to see what manufacturing means in the modern world. This year, October 1^st is National Manufacturing Day (MFGDay).