Collaboration + Diversification = How Sales & Operations Can Win More Together
Scott Tousley of HubSpot compiled a list of mind blowing sales stats, and among them are: Customers believe that sales reps are 88% knowledgeable on product and only 24% on business expertise. Nearly 57% of B2B prospects and customers feel that their sales teams are not prepared for the first meeting. A whopping 68% of […]
Bringing Technology to Your Business – Part III: Enhancing Manufacturing Performance
6 Proven Ways to Boost Your Manufacturing Performance If you are a regular reader, you might have examined two important components of growing a successful business in a technology-driven industry: a strategic analysis of your process and current technologies and the systems and practices associated with new product development. This month, we turn our attention […]
Lean Part 9: Quality at the Source
“Fix your situation before it becomes a condition.” Author Larry Winget. Mr. Winget’s warning can apply to almost anything in our own personal lives, whether it’s our financial state, our relationships with loved ones, or even the pesky orange check engine light on the dash. It also sums up precisely what is meant by Quality […]
Bringing Technology to Your Business – Part II: New Product Development
Having analyzed the importance of implementing a strategic analysis of your process and current technologies, we turn our focus toward new product development and the systems and practices associated with it. There are many uncertainties and challenges companies face throughout the development process, from conception through automation to commercialization, but solutions are usually right around […]
Lean Part 8: Visual Systems
Sometimes, the fastest and most effective way to communicate information is by using visual signals. In Lean production practices, visual control, or visual systems, is a technique that employs this very principle, designed to allow quick recognition of information being communicated to increase clarity and efficiency. The theory behind the technique is that if something […]
Value Stream Mapping: More Than Meets the Eye (Lean Part 7)
When you think of Value Stream Mapping (VSM), you probably associate it strictly with manufacturing. However, identification and elimination of waste can be applied to nearly any process within a facility and any department within a business. VSM is a powerful technique used to evaluate specific aspects of an organization’s “current state” that might not […]
Bringing Technology to Your Business – Part I: Analysis and Improvement
Inertia is defined as the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest, or the resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change. Inertia of the body, self-evidently, is a factor for poor health and promotes various chronic diseases. There are several reasons – some might say excuses – for this self-destructive behavior, […]
Lean Part 6: Demystifying Kanban
You may be put off by insider terms like Kanban. It is a cryptic expression that probably has some of you thinking you are outside the special “Lean Club” that speaks and understands the language. For the past four months, we have dismissed such Lean jargon, instead placing the focus on its common sense applications. […]
Lean: A Sales Approach (Lean Part 5)
By Chuck Kitchen, Business Betterments “How’s business”? How often do you hear or ask this? More often than not, the answer is “Good”. What does that mean? As a manufacturer, you are charged with producing a quality, competitive product just in time, while working within a set of tight parameters and being profitable. It’s not […]
Lean Part 4: Total Productive Maintenance
If you are a business owner, you know that breakdowns in the manufacturing process can make or “break” an organization. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a Lean system introduced to minimize that very issue. Its overriding objective is the reduction and elimination of waste (equipment downtime, defects, wasted energy, labor inefficiency, etc.). By maintaining and […]