Management
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Embrace Cloud Computing for Manufacturing
- December 2, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Digital Transformation, Management, Manufacturing
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A few months ago, I talked about how cloud computing may be a solution for manufacturers to embrace the latest in manufacturing technology. I wanted to dive a little deeper into the idea and talk about some of the ways manufacturers can use the cloud to save time and money and protect their intellectual property.
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How Data Collection in Digital Manufacturing Can Help Prevent Lawsuits
- November 18, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Management, Measurement
When you measure everything in a digital manufacturing facility, you get pretty good at data collection. Not only does digital manufacturing mean you can easily replicate the same piece without any deviations in quality, there’s plenty of data that tell you exactly how well you’re doing it. At our Duoline facility where we made fiberglass
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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
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Sometimes You Need to Fire Your Customers
- November 4, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Management, Measurement
I found an old email from a friend, Richard Coyner, who said: “I cannot tell you how many times I have said over my career ‘Don’t bother measuring something if you are not going to manage it.’” There’s an old saying that you can’t manage anything unless you do measure it, but it will take
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How Can You Adapt to Change During a Weird Time Like This?
- October 14, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Management, Productivity
I’ve been asked, during the pandemic-induced recession, how companies can and should adapt to change and keep up with everything that’s going on in the world. How can they pivot? How can they evolve? How can they morph into something that can take advantage of this “new normal.” Believe it or not, there is a
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Win Trust of Your Associates If You Want to Make Technology Changes
- October 7, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Leadership, Management
I recently read a story on IndustryWeek.com that has elements that should be familiar to anyone in manufacturing management. Years ago in Detroit, the author, John Sobel, and his company installed a system that used AI and machine vision to examine the tailgates for any quality problems. To spot defects, the tailgates had to be
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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
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Set a Thief to Catch a Thief: What is So Important About Cybersecurity for a Manufacturer?
- September 16, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Management, Safety
You don’t think about a manufacturer’s computer operation as being an attractive target for hackers and thieves, but many manufacturers are vulnerable to cyberattacks for any number of reasons because their cybersecurity is practically nonexistent. For one thing, hackers may just see disrupting your operation as something to do. They break into your system for
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You Don’t REALLY Need to Create a Lean Operation, Do You?
- August 12, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Management
We hear a lot about lean manufacturing and lean principles these days, but it’s kind of a catchword. I’ve never been a big fan of buzzwords because they only complicate something that’s already simple, but I don’t think “lean” necessarily means anything special. For the most part, I’ve found you don’t need to be “lean”
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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