Bench Strength
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Check back often for new articles, posts, and musings from the world of manufacturing management.
Equipping the Next Generation of Machine Shop Leaders for Success
One of the most important things any business can do to ensure smooth operations, a great culture, and healthy growth is to invest in training senior leaders on business acumen and business management.
Five Key Benefits Business Consultants Bring to Manufacturing Businesses
Manufacturing is a complex and constantly evolving industry that requires extensive knowledge, experience, and resources to succeed. Whether you are a startup, a small or medium-sized enterprise, or a large corporation, business consulting can help you improve...
What’s is the Big Deal with Culture?
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast is a phrase originated by Peter Drucker and made famous by Mark Fields, President at Ford. But if culture is such a big deal, it would help if someone were to define it for the masses. We define culture as “the experience that...
Building Values and Profit
prof·it: a financial gain, especially the difference between the amount earned and the amount spent in buying, operating, or producing something. This is a definition right out of a dictionary. From our vantage point, profit is so much more – it is the reward that...
Winning the War of Talent
There is a truth regarding talent that is so significant that it is lost on many. Part one of the truth is this – “no single company can hope to address the lack of skilled machinist in America”. And while it is important and useful for individual companies to come...
Humble Leadership
About fifteen years ago I heard a great definition for leadership that went something like this; “a leader is someone that articulates a vision of the future that is so compelling that others follow despite their current circumstances.” This made me think about Martin...
The Risk-Return Trade-Off for Small Business Owners
Let’s begin by acknowledging the tremendous amount of risk that is associated with starting a new business or purchasing an existing business. Virtually anyone that you come in contact with on a daily basis has an idea for a new business. Very few people, however,...
The Future is Bright
I was sitting on the tarmac in Atlanta when I saw the following words appear on the little television screen of the fellow traveler cross the aisle – “how far you go depends upon how far you go”. I was so struck by these words that I had to write them down and share...
Let’s Talk About Value and Vision for 2022
As Mike and I look over the last year we think of how thankful we are for all this is going on in the machining industry right now. Even in a time where we have to work against another COVID variant and whatever social tension may come our way there is so much to be...
We Need a Culture Shift
As Mike and I continue to talk about the gaps we are seeing in the machine trades, we notice one thing that is very standard, the need for more qualified personnel. Most people we talk to are looking to add a Milling specialist, a Lathe specialist, a Wire EDM...
A Customer Shift is Happening
We spend quite a bit of time traveling the Continental US, visiting machine shops and manufacturers of all kinds. Two constants I am seeing across all of these businesses are 1. A gap in supply chain where we are struggling to get materials in a timely fashion, and 2....