Business
-
5 Manufacturing Predictions for 2021
- January 6, 2021
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Digital Transformation, Innovation, Manufacturing
No Comments
Sometimes we’re so close to the trees that we can’t see the forest. We’re so focused on this one tree, not realizing that the forest is growing and changing all around us. I feel that way when I think about all the manufacturing technology changes that have been going on around us in 2020 and
-
Dealing with the Fallout of Bad Managers
- December 23, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management
I’ve always said, “Hire slow, fire fast,” and that’s served me well on a number of occasions. It helps me avoid hiring people who will be bad for an organization, and in those rare instances that someone slips through the cracks, I don’t spend weeks and months agonizing about the problem as they slowly infect
-
Manufacturers, Focus on Recovery and Grooming the Workforce for 2021
- December 9, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management
I recently read an article in the Hartford (Connecticut) Business Journal (as one does, when you live in Central Texas) recommending that manufacturers should focus on recovery, technology, and grooming the workforce in 2021. While the numbers are specific to Connecticut, they represent a larger trend in the United States. Their big concern in January
-
Building Relationships and Partnerships are More Important Than a Transaction
- November 11, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management
An email from my friend, Richard Croyner, reminded me about some advice I had given about how building relationships and partnerships are more important than transactions. He said, “I have spent 35 years in the transportation and supply chain industry and so many people look at this segment of business as a transaction — you
-
How Do You Make Data-Driven Decisions for Manufacturing?
- October 28, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Manufacturing, Measurement
There’s a big push in a lot of different industries, especially in marketing, that they have become solely data-driven. They look at all their past performances and make decisions about new initiatives based on what their old efforts did. They either throw more resources at a flagging campaign (or product) or drop something that just
-
3 Places to Cut Costs That Won’t Hurt Your Bottom Line
- September 30, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management
Companies looking to save money and trim the fat without affecting salaries can cut costs in a few key areas that can help you reduce your overall costs without hurting your bottom line or the people who work for you. There are a few places where you can make cuts to your outside expenses without
-
Why You Should Keep Marketing in an Economic Downturn
- August 5, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Innovation, Management
One of the biggest mistakes executives make during an economic downturn is to make cuts to their sales and marketing staff. Those are the two departments that actually make the money that your company runs on, which means there are fewer people helping you make money, which means you make less money. Sales have to
-
How Do You Replenish a Decimated Workforce?
- July 22, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management
With unemployment up and the economy facing some serious difficulties, many companies have furloughed or laid off their workforce, if only to protect their assets and hope for a recovery when they can bring those associates back. In the meantime, one of two things has happened: 1) the furloughed staff have been receiving unemployment for
-
Employers May See Lawsuits Filed by Associates Who Become Sick
- June 17, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Safety
We’re going to see a surprise growth industry as employers being calling their associates back to work: I think we’ll see more lawsuits filed by people who become sick. Given the litigious nature of our society, I have absolutely no doubt we’re going to see more plaintiff lawsuits and retaliatory lawsuits. Because of our tort
-
Five Strengths Every Leader Needs as We Resume Operations
- June 10, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Leadership
I read a recent article in Industry Week — Five Strengths Every Leader Needs as We Resume Operations — that discussed what leaders at every level need to bring back to their manufacturing operations even as states open up and try to return to normal. As the author, Jay Richards said, “where some see doom