DaveTurbide.com

Past Articles

Up, Down, Turn Around

The current global economy brings to mind the importance of solid planning in order to achieve greater levels of flexibility and responsiveness. Forecasting always is a challenge, and irregular economic cycles make it even trickier. It’s not a matter of simply projecting past trends forward; people have to guess at how much current performance will change-and in which direction-as business cycles shift up and down.    Click Here to Read the Full Article

Gold-Medal Reverse Logistics

A company’s introduction to reverse logistics typically is based on the return of reusable shipping containers or pallets, product returns handling, or recycling or reprocessing of production scrap and offal materials.  These indeed are the best places to start for company leaders not currently involved in such practices.   Click Here to Read the Full Article

Round and Round

Green concerns start in the design phase, where engineers and designers must consider the entire life cycle of the product they are creating.  Collaboration with suppliers can help reduce waste and contribute to the inclusion of materials that are recyclable and less toxic.   Click Here to Read the Full Article

A Capacity for Action

While this doesn’t seem logical, the “plan materials first, then check capacity” process has been with us since the 1960s, when MRP first was defined and computer resources were scarce and expensive.  Today, the computing power necessary to plan material and capacity simultaneously is readily available, as is the software to accomplish this feat in a relatively short period of time – mere seconds in many situations.   Click Here to Read the Full Article

A Message to the Little Guys

I saw several magazine articles recently that drew my attention to “Next Generation Manufacturing,” a survey of more than 2,500 companies conducted by the American Small Manufacturers Coalition and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers.  The survey and report reveal some rather disquieting information.   Click Here to Read the Full Article

Your Watch Says It’s ERP O’Clock

Many of you will recognize the enterprise resources planning (ERP) dilemma:  When business is good, there’s money to invest in ERP, but no time for the implementation and training.  When business is bad there are resources available, but no money to invest in solutions.  In between, there’s no urgency.   Click Here to Read the Full Article

Enterprise Systems for All

I recently have noticed several promotions, e-mails, articles, and Webinars focused on Enterprise resources planning (ERP) for small and midsized businesses (SMBs).  The overall tone of these messages implies that ERP is the domain of the big companies and is just too expensive or too complicated for smaller firms.  Nothing could be further from the truth – and we’ve seen this before.    Click Here to Read the Full Article

The Truth About Your Inventory

Having worked with hundreds of manufacturing organizations over the last 30 years, it has never ceased to amaze me that inventory control is still the number-one concern.  It can be a real issue even for those people who have “mastered” enterprise resources planning (ERP) and moved on to supply chain management (SCM), advanced planning and scheduling (APS), lean manufacturing, and other sophisticated pursuits.  Inventory control is the Rodney Dangerfield of operations management:  It gets no respect.    Click Here to Read the Full Article

Planning for Brighter Days

Does your company sell, make, and deliver products that are truly profitable?  Would you have the strength (and the insight) to refuse an unprofitable order?  You need to focus on the business that is profitable, while identifying the eliminating less lucrative pursuits.  Click here to read the full article.

Where Do We Go From Here?

As we move out of the recession, it might be helpful to think about things we can learn from our recent experiences.   Don’t make the mistake of letting down your guard.  Continue to pursue the sound business practices and attitudes that helped you survive the challenge.   Click here to read the full article.

Your Biggest Small Inventory Problems

Investing in process improvement during tough times is difficult, but it can be vital to long-term viability.  Get control of the basics.  Use education to sharpen employee understanding and skill.  Then, intelligently reduce inventory — and production, as well — through the effective use of MRP that is based on accurate records.  Click Here to Read the Full Article

Contemplating Pay As You Go

Over the last few years, the “rent it instead of buying it” idea has been finding its way into the world of enterprise software.  Early on, mainly point solutions – such as expense reporting and sales support – benefited from remote access.  Now, complete enterprise resources planning (ERP) application suites are available on a pay-as-you-go basis.  Known as SaaS, the incarnation of rental computing is an attractive option for company leaders considering an ERP system upgrade or replacement.   Click Here to Read the Full Article

Improve Processes All Year Long

Year-end close is only a once-a-year activity and it may seem wasteful to invest in expensive process changes merely to relieve stress in January.  However, information more effectively managed throughout the year can pay big dividends every day and every month, not only when it’s time to fill out tax forms.  Click Here to Read the Full Article

A Lean Approach to Lean

Lean manufacturing means shorter lead times, lower inventory, better customer service, and higher profits. But getting there can be expensive and disruptive.  Is there a quick and easy way to go lean?   Click Here to Read the Full Article

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

A system can only provide benefits to the extent that users understand what the system can do and can take advantage of its capabilities.  The users of the system have to understand what’s behind the screens – the purpose, organization (data) and processes that make up the ERP system’s functionality.  Any additional investment in education and training will pay off handsomely.    Click Here to Read the Full Article

The Workers

ERP provides the means to predict, schedule, track, and analyze production activity but it doesn’t make a single product, apply an ounce of value-adding work, or move product through the plant in any physical way.  ERP is after all, just information.  Unless that information is applied and exploited, it is worse than useless. That’s where the work force comes in.    Click Here to Read the Full Article

To Sell or Not To Sell

Not all sales are good for the manufacturer, and managers must be able to tell the difference and have the guts to make good decisions in the face of strong resistance.  Good decisions, in this case, are those that consider the good of the entire enterprise.  Any sale might be good for the sales department, but not every sale is good for the company.  Click Here to Read the Full Article

With a Little Help from Your Friends

In today’s environment, with complicated (and rapidly changing) new technologies becoming more and more important to becoming and remaining competitive, it’s nice to know that you can rent the expertise you need, when you need it.  The sticker price may be a bit of a shock, but the return is almost always well worth the investment – not only in keeping up with the competition but also in saving time and money in getting where you need to be.  Click Here to Read the Full Article

Competition

In many ways, competition is a wonderful thing.  For the consumer, a healthy competitive market means that prices are held in check while quality and value increase.  It also means technological innovation and more choice.  Competition is at the foundation of the free enterprise system.   Click Here to Read the Full Article

Is The Customer Really King

It seems that every magazine article, software brochure, seminar speaker, industry pundit and company annual report is focused on customer service — and rightly so. Without customers there would be no business, no plant, no need for ERP software, and no jobs for any of us. In today’s ever more competitive environment, gaining and retaining customers is certainly the one true road to success.  Click Here to Read the Full Article