You spent years investing time and energy in growing your business. Like raising your children, the process had its ups and downs, its moments of joy and sadness, its triumphs and failures. And, like raising your children, you’ve reached a point where the business is...
One reason that automation has yet to be widely embraced by many small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) is project failure or the perceived risk of automating. If an investment fails to produce results, who can blame owners and executives for shying away from...
Intro A couple of weeks ago, I received a call from a large manufacturer preparing for their annual sit-down with their suppliers. They were concerned about their suppliers’ ability to keep up with demand. I’m paraphrasing, but they essentially said, “We just know...
One of the best things about the time I spent in my early career, working at a mid-sized manufacturing plant, was how simple it was to get things done. Once plant leadership and the operators were on board with a plan, the only thing holding me back was having enough...
Many manufacturers are starting to turn to automation to address increasing competition and a lack of skilled production workers. COVID and retiring Baby Boomers have exacerbated the labor shortage and made a more urgent issue. Most manufacturers do not have an...
2020 is in the books, and the deployment of a vaccine has begun. We have spent much of the last year rolling with the punches. Some organizations faced precipitous drops in volume, while others struggled to keep up with demand. We were reactionary, responding to the...