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No matter your company’s role within the manufacturing industry, those responsible for the bottom line are constantly on the hunt for improving the business. Here are a few thoughts about how improvements can be made with your manufacturing resources to assist you in leading the pack.
Some tips for improving your manufacturing process:
Search Specifics: There is an enormous amount of data on the web just awaiting your insatiable quest for knowledge. When looking for the latest and greatest in manufacturing information data, how you search can be a real time saver. And spelling is extremely important. Enter “molding” or “moulding” and your results will not be identical. You might miss some important, critically needed information if you misspell your search term. Additionally, avoid the use of acronyms and be wary of subject name truncation ¾ if you are specifically searching for fishing equipment and you simply enter “fish*” with the asterisk truncation symbol, you may find yourself frying the wrong data.
Labor Intensive: What is the true cost of assembly in the manufacturing industry? A basic guideline for cost stipulation is to determine the total of direct material cost and direct labor costs. But, that’s not a complete picture. Other factors to consider; the total annual cost of material, the actual and related hours of project employees, transaction costs and, yes, even freight charges. Add all of these figures together; divide into the annual assemblies purchased, and that should be your true cost.
Promotional Power: Too many manufacturing departments toss away their promotional products. You don’t need to waste money! A solid plan means an improved ROI. Start your promotions giveaways with a true plan and make certain a message is sent with your promo that prompts action on the part of the recipient. Make certain your gift is one that stands out from other promos, and all the while consider your promos a trade for extremely valuable feedback. As with most promotions, the results received should be measured. When you consider most companies lose about 50 percent of their customer base every five years, your promotional plan could even halt the bleeding.
Presentation Basics: With papers to present at various meetings, conferences and trade shows, an effective manufacturing industry presenter will be remembered by the audience. If you are using a slide show, don’t block the screen image¾always face the audience. Look at your audience; for only by watching them can you determine their cues for you. Voice projection is incredibly important; try to reach those in the back row; otherwise, they’ll lose interest in you and your message. And don’t wimp out on your closing… remain strong and say something critical at the close of your presentation.
Solid consideration of new and proven ideas can help drive your manufacturing business to even more heights, especially when tempered with the knowledge and experience of past success.
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