In part one of this blog, we discussed time management techniques for your team to get out of firefighting mode. If you missed that blog, you could find it here. In this part, we will discuss some sustaining management practices that will help you monitor and continue to improve your departments efficiency, here are a few things that you should be tracking:

The reality of small and medium sized manufacturers is that you spend all your available time chasing deliveries and emergencies instead of working proactively to improve your company’s overall performance. This is the reality that most companies find themselves in because they do not have enough staff, time, or training to improve their situation.

In the modern global economy, supply chains are the backbone of almost every industry. They are intricate networks of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors that ensure products flow seamlessly from conception to the hands of consumers. However, supply chain stability, or rather the lack of it, has been under the spotlight in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic only accentuated the fragility of these systems. In this blog post, we will delve into the importance of supply chain stability and explore strategies to achieve it in an ever-changing world.

On September 29, 2023, CHIPS for America unveiled its second funding opportunity, aimed at fortifying the resilience of the semiconductor supply chain, bolstering U.S. technological leadership, and fostering robust domestic semiconductor clusters.

We are thrilled to share the exciting news of the launch of the IMEC innovative Supply Chain Center! In the short time that the center has been alive and active, we have been actively fostering and nurturing meaningful business partnerships between manufacturers and suppliers. The center aims to become a one-stop shop for manufacturers who are in search of an easy-to-use and effective platform designed to find your business new opportunities or suppliers!  

Inventory control practices are one of the best ways a company can stay organized - and is an area that companies in any industry can and should practice to ensure long-term growth. Inventory management refers to the process of ordering, storing, using, and selling a company's inventory. This includes the management of raw materials, components, and finished products, as well as warehousing and processing of such items. 

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

By: Art Thomas

Credit: iStock/Yuri_Arcurs

Many manufacturers have had to make significant changes in suppliers in recent years because of various disruptions. Small and medium-sized manufacturers are often resource-challenged and do not have supply chain specialists to focus on vetting suppliers.

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. 

Global supply chain disruptions pose unique, unprecedented problems and opportunities for small manufacturers.

The problems are bigger for small manufacturers than large companies and the worst case is production disruption. At the very least, increasing costs lead to compressed margins or even outright losses; yet opportunities abound. Disruptions make small U.S manufacturers more valuable to big companies that are pivoting to domestic sourcing.