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Manufacturing & Distribution Archive
9/19/2008
Increase Cash Flow with Cost Segregation
Your business can realize the tax benefits of accelerated depreciation deductions by using this standard asset depreciation technique.
9/1/2008
Ten Myths of Global Sourcing
Are misconceptions preventing your manufacturing company from gaining a competitive advantage?
7/1/2008
Fishing for the Right Message
As the clownfish has taught us, mutually beneficial relationships can be created by managing the environment in which interactions occur.
6/1/2008
Navigating Change in a Windy World
Successful campaigning for change initiatives often boils down to making sure your colleagues understand what you’re trying to say.
5/1/2008
Getting Benchmarking Right
To make benchmarking pay off, manufacturers must seek out the right information from external sources.
4/1/2008
Does Your Workforce Have What It Takes?
Competency modeling links the workforce with business goals and identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for organizational success.
3/1/2008
Protecting IT: A Question of Risk, a Matter of Time
When security is threatened, so are your operations. What are you doing to mitigate and manage risk?
2/1/2008
End-User Adoption: The Key to CRM Success
Taking the time to determine how to drive the highest level of user adoption possible will lay the foundation for a successful CRM program.
1/1/2008
Buying? Selling? Unseen Tax Issues Can Be Deal Spoilers
With early involvement, tax professionals can help prevent costly mistakes. Here are 10 questions to ask before beginning any negotiations.
12/1/2007
When Fraud Is an Inside Job
Often the perpetrator is the last person you’d expect. Here are some ways to protect your organization from occupational fraud.
11/1/2007
Profitable Benchmarking
Benchmarking can help narrow your focus and improve your business, but making it work often requires a fresh perspective.
10/1/2007
Move Forward with Succession Planning
Getting through next month may be all that’s on your radar, but it’s time to think about the next 20 years.
7/1/2007
Does Your Bank Fit Your Business?
Here are 10 qualities that manufacturers should evaluate when choosing a banking partner.
6/1/2007
New Law Expands Tax Credit for Increased Research Spending
The 2006 Act extends the credit retroactively and introduces a new calculation method that will allow more companies to qualify.
5/1/2007
Employee Retention: How to Keep Your Best Assets
Here are five tips for protecting your workforce investment.
4/1/2007
Achieving Quick Changeover
Time is money – and quick changeovers can save manufacturers both. Here are some tips for your next changeover improvement initiative.
3/1/2007
Lean is a Mindset
In order for lean thinking to truly take root in an organization, cutting waste must become second nature.
2/1/2007
Lean Basics: Test Your Lean I.Q.
Lean has become a catchall phrase, but in actuality, it’s a very specific concept.
1/1/2007
Up and Running: Keeping IT Systems at High Availability
Address availability issues now and avoid costly disruptions caused by outages or disasters.
12/1/2006
The Practice of Finding the Right Employees
Companies can improve their hiring efforts by first consistently applying a few fundamental practices.
11/1/2006
Profitability: The Bottom Line on Performance Management
Implementing performance management results in better productivity and predictability, creating what most companies really want: larger profits.
10/1/2006
Predictability through Performance Management
By identifying challenges in real time, manufacturers can implement corrective measures before bottom-line erosion becomes a big issue.
9/1/2006
Achieve Higher Productivity Through Performance Management
Manage what matters most – and watch productivity gains soar.
8/1/2006
Policy Management in the Lean Enterprise
“Getting the right things done” is management’s responsibility – and if continuous improvement stalls out, it’s time to revisit policy management.
7/1/2006
The Performance Management Advantage
No business can afford to wait for results; with a more dynamic management approach, yours won’t have to.
6/1/2006
Great Expectations for an Accountant
If you think delays and demands from your accounting firm are the industry norm, it’s time to raise the bar.
5/1/2006
Why Value Costing Makes Sense for Lean Organizations
Unlike traditional costing, value costing is easy to understand, adaptable to different environments, and more efficient at delivering useful information.
4/1/2006
Standardized Work: The Missing Link to a Lean Culture
To create continuous improvement, workers must be engaged in standardizing the routine processes that they already perform.
3/1/2006
Don’t Skimp on Strategy
As business moves faster, strategy will be the only thing that creates a sustainable advantage in the marketplace.
2/1/2006
Worthwhile Change Demands a Champion
Many continuous-improvement efforts are derailed because they lack a “champion” with the passion, skill, and commitment to sustain the initiative.
1/1/2006
The New Domestic Production Activities Deduction
If you qualify as a “producer” under the new regulations, your tax savings could be substantial.
12/1/2005
Five Ways to Compete in a High-Speed Global Economy
Today's networked world demands speed and flexibility. Here are five game-winning ideas for domestic manufacturers.
11/1/2005
Translating Strategy into Results: A Road Map to Success
Leading manufacturers have discovered effective new ways to engage their employees -- and they have the metrics to prove it.
10/1/2005
Communication Needed to Strengthen the Supply Chain
Only a handful of companies have overcome the internal barriers to effective supply-chain management. Here are some strategies for success.
9/1/2005
Making Lean Practices Add Up for Accounting
Why not introduce shop-floor production improvement ideas to the finance office?
7/30/2005
Document Automation: The Next Step for ERP
By automating the input, sharing, and delivery of documents in both paper and electronic formats, manufacturers can achieve new efficiencies.
7/1/2005
Measuring Customer Satisfaction
Having objective measurements in place to determine the relative satisfaction of customers is essential to your business’s long-term health.
6/1/2005
How Can We Compete with China?
“Made in China” labels seem to be everywhere, but U.S. manufacturers can still defend a few unique advantages.
5/1/2005
Good Benchmarking Begins at Home
Some of your industry’s best practices could be right under your nose.
4/1/2005
Meet the New Board
In the age of Sarbanes-Oxley, board members are becoming more engaged in the operations of manufacturing companies. Here’s how to make it work.
3/1/2005
Demand-Driven Opportunity
Outperform competitors with supply chains that can respond and adapt to changing customer demands.
2/1/2005
Data Versus Intelligence: Are Manufacturers Getting What They Need?
Does information from your systems help you make sound businesses decisions, plan for the future, and save money?
1/1/2005
Successful Sourcing
Getting it right means gaining advantages your competition can’t rival, but large-scale sourcing requires big changes.
12/1/2004
IT Spending – Are Manufacturers Ready?
Manufacturers consider investment in IT to be one of the items at the top of their priority list.
11/1/2004
Quality – Your Ticket to Success?
A culture of quality may be the differentiator manufacturers need in a cluttered market.
10/1/2004
Value Planning: Build Value Every Day
Focus your strategic initiatives, employee goals, and company activities on building long-term value.
10/1/2004
LIFO Isn’t a “Four-Letter Word”
The LIFO inventory valuation method could present significant income tax deferral opportunities for your company.
9/1/2004
Managing Change for the Better Business
Look towards the future and make change a positive step for your organization.
9/1/2004
Tax Savings: Minnesota Sales and Use Tax Rules for Manufacturers
Specific tax rules and exemptions apply to manufacturers. This is a summary of the rules for Minnesota.
9/1/2004
Tax Savings: Wisconsin Sales and Use Tax Rules for Manufacturers
Specific tax rules and exemptions apply to manufacturers. This is a summary of the rules for Wisconsin.
8/1/2004
Benefits of Lean Require Dedication and Discipline
Efficiency and effectiveness are becoming key success drivers, prompting companies to undertake lean initiatives.
7/1/2004
Turn Daily Activities into Exceptional Performance Results
Performance management provides focus for the future and delivers exceptional results…now.
6/1/2004
Navigating With Confidence into the Future
It takes a leader with clear navigational routes, performance indicators, and confidence to chart the direction of a business.
6/1/2004
Pull Versus Push
A pull system, which has been described as moving forward by moving backward, uses consumer demand to drive production.
6/1/2004
How Relevant is the Costing Information You Use?
Today’s intensely competitive and rapidly-changing business environment requires manufacturers and distributors to make quality decisions faster than ever before when entering new markets, designing new products, and engineering improved processes.
5/1/2004
Today’s Market Conditions are Perfect for Lean
Lean businesses that have developed intelligent processes, reduced inventory, and streamlined flow are capable of focus and poised for strategic growth when other companies may falter.