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Building A Better Company Through Performance Management

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Are you hoping to improve your manufacturing plant? If you are looking for ways to improve your plant, you need to consider what type of issues you are dealing with. Many companies are dealing with issues related to the performance of their machinery and equipment. Other organizations are dealing with employee issues as their staff members are not contributing effectively to the bottom line of the company. When you use programs like performance management you will be able to have improvements in many things from the culture of the company to the way that the machinery performs.

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The Dangers With Change Management

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Manufacturing plants often need to deal with changes from time to time that allows them to boost productivity and other things. It can be hard for you to convince your employees that change is going to be for the best. People are naturally resistant to change because it's new and different and it can be scary to them. Most employees get stuck into their comfort zone and you are trying to pull them out of this zone, which is not always going to be met with promising results on their end. What is change management exactly? Change management is a great program that can help you in using tools to help your employees how to accept change but also to really understand why change is so important for the company at this time. The problem that a lot of companies find is that there is no way to recognize how employees will react to the changes and this makes it hard on them to be able to find ways to make it easy for management to know which route to go.

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The Concepts Of Risk Management

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Every company has it's own set of risks. Learning to plan for those risks is a key component to running a successful company. You must be able to have enough money set aside to pay for certain things that may come up out of nowhere and you have to be able to assess what type of risks your company will have. What is risk management and how can it help you to plan for risks so you do not end up with a company that has issues? Let's look at it a little bit deeper.

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The Concepts Of Risk Management

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Every company has it's own set of risks. Learning to plan for those risks is a key component to running a successful company. You must be able to have enough money set aside to pay for certain things that may come up out of nowhere and you have to be able to assess what type of risks your company will have. What is risk management and how can it help you to plan for risks so you do not end up with a company that has issues? Let's look at it a little bit deeper.

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Manufacturing management positions

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Each business has started from the bottom and built its way up.Within the walls of each business there are employees that are given specific tasks and duties that must be completed to allow the business to grow.As employees are placed in a business, they may be asked or hired to hold a manufacturing management position.Management positions are designated for different areas that need a manager to oversee the completion of a process or to oversee employees and their performance.As a manufacturing manager some of the items that are overseen are:

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Logistics Management in manufacturing

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Logistics management is all about measuring capacity. Capacity is defined as the capability of an object, whether that is a machine, work center or operator, to produce output for a specific time period. Many manufacturing businesses ignore the measurement of capacity, assuming that their facility has enough capacity, but that is often not the case. Increasingly manufacturing software programs like enterprise resource planning (ERP) and warehouse management systems (WMS) calculate throughput based using formulas that are dependant on capacity.

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Business process management

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Business process management (BPM) encompasses a handful of different process improvement strategies.All of these processes focus on reducing waste, and improving customer satisfaction. Manufacturers are implementing Business process management, in an attempt to curtail costs, and improve productivity and profits.There are several different methods that fall under the category of business process management. These include but are not limited to:

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Maintenance and Manufacturing

nails9917567.jpgMaintenance of the machines that keep production running is always a priority, for manufacturers. The undeniable fact for manufacturing businesses is that keeping repair costs low, can only be done through regular maintenance. The bottom line is that if the tools, computers, vehicles, and anything else used for manufacturing, maintained better, they last longer. It is important to understand that regular maintenance lowers repair costs. Ignoring maintenance of the tools, machines, vehicles etc that are used will cost you more in the long run simply, because you are looking at much more wear and tear. While there are some tools, vehicles, and machines, that require a maintenance program, there are also times that whether there is a requirement for maintenance or not, you will still want to keep the maintenance up. Because of this there are steps you can do in a manufacturing setting to keep the process of maintenance up, and repair costs down. Here is what you need to know about maintenance and manufacturing-

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Customer retention tips in manufacturing

planningmeeting32337730.jpgDespite an ever tightening economy there is no reason that any good manufacturer needs to lose customers. Customer retention is one of the most important parts of running a business.Even with cutting costs you can still provide your customers will the quality product they have come to expect from you. Because customers are the lifeblood of your business, it becomes crucial to understand how to retain them. Successful manufacturers will know that they are doing all they can to keep their customers and make them happy. Here are some tips for retaining your manufacturing customers-

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What is supply chain management?

figures19082355.jpgSupply chain management is an integral part of the manufacturing process. Supply chain management (SCM) is defined as the management of the network of processes that are involved in manufacturing. Supply chain managers will follow the production process, from where it begins with the acquisition of raw materials through the work-in-process inventory, and finished goods, and then from point-of-origin to the point-of-consumption by the customer. This entire chain of events is appropriately named the supply chain. Efficient supply chain management is crucial, for the long-term success of the manufacturing organization. When manufacturers have a clear understanding of the supply chain process, they are much more likely to produce a cost-effective and successful, product.Here is a brief overview of aspects of the supply chain management-

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Paying attention to detail with a life cycle analysis

airplane30902462.jpgMore businesses are focusing on going green and trying to make eco-friendly products. Their plants are also receiving major overhauls to try and make them eco-friendly as well. A life cycle analysis provides you with a chance to see how the products you produce are affecting the environment. Using the life cycle analysis you will map out a few different strategies that provide you with a quality product that will not have damaging impacts on the environment.

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Manufacturing accounting software

accountant37004036.jpgManufacturing is a very complex field. Like many other business entities, you need to have accounting software to keep your business running. Not only will accounting software help you track your costs, it's a great way to track the production of raw goods into finished products.

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The role of manufacturing engineers

missingpuzzlepiece19378437.jpgManufacturing is a very profitable industry. Manufacturing engineers are paid handsomely for their hard work and the skills they bring to the workplace. There are several different industries to work in and several types of jobs that are available for a manufacturing engineer. Here are some of the different manufacturing systems a manufacturing engineer will work with:

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The principles of lean manufacturing

buisnessmeeting26238539.jpgDo you want to reduce the number of errors and defects with your manufacturing processes? Lean manufacturing is one of the best ways to eliminate waste, strengthen employee morale, and generate higher profits. Lean manufacturing was originally developed by Toyota as a way to reduce waste. It is now used in thousands of companies all over the world as it allows the companies to produce better products for a lower cost.

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The Job of a Manufacturing Technician

contractor30905267.jpgThe job of a manufacturing technician requires the use of machines, tools and labor to create products for sale or to use. A manufacturing technician may do his work with just his hands and raw materials to create a product for sale. High tech machinery may be used to create finished goods. The specific requirements of a manufacturing technician depend on the products the company produces or the research being conducted by the company.A technician is usually under the supervision of an engineer.An engineer may just be around to supervise the work of the technician, or he may be the one who designed the process the technician is following. An engineer may only be around to check the materials being used or check as results are produced.

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How to start your own manufacturing business

airplane30902462.jpgA number of people are searching for new jobs to create and companies to invent. The manufacturing industry is one that has been around for hundreds of years and will continue to be around for many years to come. If you have a great idea for a manufacturing company, the first thing you must do is acquiring the right financing for it.

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Using the 5 "S" method in your process improvement strategy

gears15607918.jpgReducing waste and improving manufacturing processes is at the top of the list for many companies that are trying to save money. Most people will use Six Sigma or TQM to improve the way their business currently runs. One of the most effective tools of a process improvement strategy is the 5 "S" method.

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Understanding the 8 elements of TQM

businessmeeting33030104.jpgTotal Quality Management (TQM) helps to improve product quality using a long-term approach at improving production and customer satisfaction while decreasing wastes. TQM has been around for 60 years now and it continues to grow strong alongside Six Sigma and other process improvement strategies.

While the primary focus of TQM is on customer satisfaction, it also helps to satisfy other needs within the company. There are 8 elements of TQM, they are as follows:

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The role of Black belts in Six Sigma

ladywithpiechart.jpgThe role of a black belt in Six Sigma is for individuals who know the knowledge of the Six Sigma philosophies. A person who is certified with a Black Belt has to be able to show team leadership and responsibilities while working in a management or non management position. You have to be educated on lean management and DMAIC to qualify for the Black Belt role. Being certified as a Six Sigma Black Belts will allow you to be responsible for helping employees meet their potential and their goals and will allow you to oversee projects responsible for the Six Sigma. When you are a Black Belt, many times you will work in a management position, but often times you will be asked to use your skills on certain issues.

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Using TQM to build teamwork

coworkers23120152.jpgTQM or Total Quality Management is a great way to improve manufacturing processes and increase customer satisfaction. TQM goes one step further and it also helps to build teamwork within companies. The purpose of TQM believes that if you can fix the inputs of a manufacturing system, the outputs will be 10 times better and customer satisfaction will significantly improve. This will happen because you are removing wastes within the system.

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Building relationships with suppliers

business41865609.jpgLean manufacturing is used to uncover wastes within a company while improving production and customer satisfaction. Instead of holding inventory like other companies, lean manufacturing companies only produce what their customer demands. In order to find success with lean manufacturing, you must build trusting relationships with your suppliers.

Building a relationship of trust with your suppliers will require constant communication between the two of you. You must also provide them with access to some personal company information. Since they may need to drop shipments after hours, they will need access to the building, requiring you to meet with their drivers and trust in their reputation.

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A guide to business process management

creditreport26256311.jpgBusiness process management (BPM) encompasses a handful of different process improvement strategies that focus on reducing waste and improving customer satisfaction. When people talk about lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, TQM, and business optimization, it all falls under the category of business process management.

The purpose of BPM is to change the way you do business. If you currently have a lot of manufacturing problems, BPM focuses on stepping back and taking a look at the big picture. You need to diagnose the problems, analyze them, and look for ways to implement change. BPM holds your company to a higher standard of quality. No longer are you able to just toss aside defective products, you need to find the reason why the product is defective and stop future problems from happening.

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Ownership

businessmeeting26668385.jpgThe manufacturing business is a multi-level structure.From the owner of a manufacturing business, to the owner of a manufacturing process, machine, or product, there are owners on every level of the manufacturing business.Here are a few different types of owners in the multi-level manufacturing structure and how they are interrelated.

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Benefits of joining a professional organization

coworkers23120152.jpgJoining a professional organization for the manufacturing industry is a great way to get in touch with other people who are involved in the same type of business. Professional organizations are available for the manufacturing industry in general, but you can also find professional organizations for the specific type of manufacturing that your business is involved in. For example, if you are involved in food manufacturing, you can find professional organizations that focus on food manufacturing or you can join a professional

Here is a look at some of the benefits you will receive if you decide to join a professional organization for your manufacturing business.

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Manufacturing Process Management

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Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor that are used to make things for use or sale. This term can refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are then transformed into finished goods on a large scale. Such finished goods may also be used for manufacturing other, more complex products, such as household appliances or automobiles, or sold to wholesalers, who in turn sell them to retailers, who then sell them the consumers.

Manufacturing is known to take turns under all types of economic systems. In a free market economy, manufacturing will usually be directed toward the mass production of products for sale to consumers at a profit. In a collectivist economy, manufacturing is more frequently directed by the state in order to supply a centrally planned economy. In free market economies, manufacturing occurs while under some degree of government regulation.

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Supply chain management

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Supply chain management (SCM) is the management of the network of processes involved in manufacturing.Supply chain managers follow the production process from where it begins with the acquisition of raw materials through the work-in-process inventory, and finished goods and then from point-of-origin to the point-of-consumption by the customer.This chain of events is appropriately named the supply chain.

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Lean leadership principles

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Lean manufacturing is a revolutionary new process that seeks to eliminate waste and constantly improve efficiency. The key is mastering lean management principles and implementing them effectively.
Lean management, otherwise called lean manufacturing, is a way to approach manufacturing that cuts down on waste.Anything that is considered by the customer not to add value to the product is eliminated, as much as possible.It might be easy how to see how lean management can apply to the manufacturing process-you can start with easy things like making sure that equipment is always in the same place, cutting down on the amount of time that a product is in the manufacturing process, things like that.But lean management can and should also be applied to every aspect of your company's organization-supply chain management, customer relations, general management, product development, and more.

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Using statistical process control

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Statistical process control, also referred to as SPC, involves using statistical techniques to measure and analyze the variation in processes. Statistical process control is mostly used in the manufacturing process to monitor the product quality and to maintain processes to fixed targets. Most manufacturing plants use statistical process control to improve the quality of their processes. However, statistical process control is rarely use don its own, most of the time you will find that manufacturing plants use statistical process control in addition to other techniques, such as process improvement plans, variation reduction, and sampling plans.

Statistical process control is going to be used by most manufacturing plants as a way to monitor the consistency of the processes that they use to manufacture a product as designed. The main goal of statistical process control is to get and keep processes under control, regardless of how good or bad the design is of the product being manufactured. All that statistical process control is supposed to do is make sure that the product is being manufactured as intended, by following the design that it is assigned. Statistical process control cannot improve a poorly designed product's reliability, all it can do is maintain the consistency of how the product is made, which is only as good as its designed reliability.

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Should you use investment management services for your business

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If you are beginning investing your business, you may want to consider an investment management service. A quality service can help you determine your financial goals and objectives while helping you to manage your portfolio and your risks. This is an excellent idea for businesses that are new to investing and want to ensure their company money is being spent wisely. Even businesses experienced with investing would be wise to utilize these services.

Choosing an investment management service

There are a number of things you need to consider when choosing the right investment management service. The following are a few tips to helping you choose the right management service:

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How do I lead a 5S Project?

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A 5 S project is a big undertaking, and many do not know where to begin when asked to lead one. So, before we look at how to lead one, let's first look at what it is, and how it is helpful:

What is a 5S project?
A 5 S project is a project where you do the 5 "S"s: Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize, Sustain

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Crisis management for manufacturing

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Crisis management for manufacturing can take a number of forms and can be implemented in a number of different situations.For example, crisis management must come into play if your company has to admit to environmental quality control violations, or must answer to a lawsuit.Crisis management is necessary if a flaw in a product or a service is revealed and the news goes to the press and you must recall the product.Also, crisis management becomes necessary if you end up with a union strike, or if your equipment malfunctions, or if you are trying to wage a publicity campaign in a community that doesn't want you to move into their neighborhood.No matter what situation may arise, you must have a good crisis management plan and a good crisis management team in place so that any type of crisis can be handled, no matter what that crisis is.

For an example for our discussion of crisis management for manufacturing, let us use the example of a very important critical piece of equipment failing.Even if you have the best maintenance team in the world, machinery is never foolproof nor perfect, and so something is going to break down sometime.The problem then becomes that your machine is not producing money.You should have a crisis management position in place so that you can minimize the impact on your business, the customers' products, and your credibility.

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Contract management for manufacturing

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One of the most important and the most central parts of manufacturing has nothing to do with the actual manufacturing processes.Instead, it has to do with the contracts for that manufacturing.If you are going to be a successful manufacturer, then you have to know how to manage your contracts and how to work those contracts so that you can actually make a profit on your manufacturing processes.You may actually end up with contracts whose terms and conditions end up being a total risk and exposure that is greater than the annual revenue of your company.Because your manufacturing contracts can be entail so much risk, then you need to make sure that you know how to manage your contracts and that you are committed to negotiating a contract that is mutually beneficial.You also need to ensure that you are all committed to making sure that the contract is met, on both sides, and that all conditions and benefits and obligations are fulfilled.

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The benefits of a bilingual management staff

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There are so many different things that can be helpful to your business. One of the things that are becoming more and more helpful is having bilingual employees. Having bilingual employees help you to have better customer service. Another thing that can be a great asset to your business is having a bilingual management staff. Here are some examples of the benefits of a bilingual management staff.

The first example is if there is a conflict with one of the employees on staff and a customer. If the customer does not speak English and the employee that is helping them is bilingual they can translate but if that employee is the one that the customer is upset with it would be helpful for the manager to be bilingual so that they will know exactly what is going on and can talk to the customer. If the manager is not bilingual then you might have the issue of the employee not telling the whole truth or not translating everything correctly to the manager because they do not want to be in trouble.

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Best management systems for manufacturing

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Manufacturing management systems are different for many reasons; one such reason is that because not all manufacturing plants are alike, it does not make sense that they all be managed in exactly the same way.With that said, there are a few manufacturing management systems that are more popular than others.In order to personalize these systems, many manufacturers take concepts from various systems and incorporate them in a management style that makes the most sense for their operation.Below are some of the best manufacturing systems for manufacturing that you can refer to as you decide what changes or management techniques you may want for your manufacturing plant:

Just in time manufacturing

Just in time manufacturing is a manufacturing system that focuses to improve the return on investment that a company has on its inventory.This system is triggered to produce more goods at the same rate that these goods are being demanded by customers.So in essence, as something is being sold off of the shelf, there is a system in place that lets the manufacturers know to replace that item.This means that only enough products are made to meet the current demand.Only making enough products to meet the demand means no need for an excess of products in inventory.When there is no need for inventory or storage these costs of extra production and material storage are eliminated.

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Pros and cons of a bilingual manager in a manufacturing plant

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The pros and cons of having a bilingual manager in a manufacturing plant must be considered in order to ensure that such a manager would fit in well at any given plant.Many elements must be taken into account when choosing a manager.Adding an attribute like being bilingual to the mix of characteristics available in a candidate can make a candidate stand out either positively or negatively.

Pros

A bilingual manager will be able to convey clear instructions to employees.When employees do not understand the language that the manager is speaking, giving clear instructions can be difficult.If instructions are not followed exactly due to a language barrier, mistakes can be made and product quality or productions effectiveness could be affected.A bilingual manager who can speak the same language as employees is going to ensure that employees understand completely how to carry out specific tasks.

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Managing techniques for manufacturing plants

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Lean Manufacturing is quickly becoming a well known technique for managing manufacturing plants.Many business have experience success with managing their companies by using the techniques that can be implemented through Lean manufacturing.

Lean manufacturing is the production of goods using less of everything in comparison to mass production; less waste, less human effort, less manufacturing space, less investment in tools, and less time to develop the new product.Derived from the "war manpower commission" that led to the Toyota Production System.Its focus is to reduce waste within the company but has some key perspective on how this is done.
Lean manufacturing techniques are based on five things to make it a success:
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  • Value

  • - Value Stream

  • - Flow

  • - Pull

  • - Perfection

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Comparing lean manufacturing to TQM

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Lean manufacturing has become a popular trend among companies and especially among manufacturing companies.Total Quality Management is also a great tool mainly used in government, manufacturing, education, and service industries.So how do lean manufacturing and Total Quality Management compare?Let's take a closer look at the two.

Total Quality Management
As a definition, Total Quality Management or TQM is a management strategy aimed at the awareness of quality in all organizational processes.The hope is to provide everyone with a way to create customer satisfaction at lower costs.It consists of three paradigms:
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  • Total-which means it involves the entire organization of your company

  • - Quality

  • - Management- implementing a system of steps to achieve your goals.

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Using Business Process Improvement for manufacturing

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Manufacturing and Business Process Improvement (BPI) share similar goals. Manufacturing companies know that repeatability is a key component to their organization. BPI provides a way to measure the effectiveness and repeatability of processes. To understand how BPI can help your company in the manufacturing industry, we must learn a little bit about BPI.
Business Process Improvement focuses on helping businesses make changes in the way they are doing business. It works with three steps:

  1. Defining the organization's strategic goals and purposes (Who are we, what do we do, and why do we do it?)

  2. Determining the organization's customers (or stakeholders) (Who do we serve?)

  3. Aligning the business processes to realize the organization's goals (How do we do it better?)

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How to implement six sigma policies into your manufacturing business

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The Six Sigma process has caught fire with many top companies such as AlliedSignal, GE and Motorola. It is a process that involves a lot of time and a lot of manpower in order to achieve results. Successful implementation is done on a project-by-project basis and will result in continuous improvement of processes. Successful implementation also depends on many factors like the company's culture and the commitment and conviction of its leadership. Without these factors, the Six Sigma process can fail, however successful implementation into your manufacturing business is not as hard as it seems. Below you will find some steps for successful implementation.

The Company Culture
If this is the first process improvement program you have implemented to your company; it may be a little challenging. Organizing the process and having commitment from everyone involved is not always simple. Many times companies find themselves trying new strategies so often that employees don't take them seriously and are resistant to change. This is why the leaders of the process highly influence the company culture. The leaders need to buy in and commit themselves to Six Sigma and their examples will trickle down to everyone in the organization.

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Where to get raw materials for manufacturing


For those of you who do not know what manufacturing is, it is the use of labor and tools most commonly known and applied in industrial production where raw materials are transformed into finished goods.While some manufacturing companies use regular materials to run and manufacture their products, many of them use raw materials and have to figure out where to get them from.Raw materials are taken from the earth and then split into a form that can be stored, transported, and then used to produce a somewhat finished material to be used to produce something else in a manufacturing plant.After it has been produced it naturally is sold to customers around the world.One example of such a raw material is cotton.If you are in the manufacturing business and in need of raw materials here are some ways to obtain them.

- There are many companies that work strictly to collect raw materials such as rock quarries, or other types of raw materials.You most likely will not get these materials for free so be prepared to barter or work out some sort of arrangement with them in order to purchase the materials you will need.
- Try looking in your local phone book and yellow pages for individuals or companies that are distributors of the raw materials that you need.Or if the phone book is not helpful try looking on the internet.With so many different resources out there you are bound to find something or someone that can help you find the raw materials you need for your manufacturing plant.

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Pros and cons of a bilingual manager in a manufacturing plant

The pros and cons of having a bilingual manager in a manufacturing plant must be considered in order to ensure that such a manager would fit in well at any given plant.Many elements must be taken into account when choosing a manager.Adding an attribute like being bilingual to the mix of characteristics available in a candidate can make a candidate stand out either positively or negatively.

Pros

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Managing techniques for manufacturing plants


Lean Manufacturing is quickly becoming a well known technique for managing manufacturing plants.Many business have experience success with managing their companies by using the techniques that can be implemented through Lean manufacturing.

Lean manufacturing is the production of goods using less of everything in comparison to mass production; less waste, less human effort, less manufacturing space, less investment in tools, and less time to develop the new product.Derived from the "war manpower commission" that led to the Toyota Production System.Its focus is to reduce waste within the company but has some key perspective on how this is done.Lean manufacturing techniques are based on five things to make it a success:
- Value
- Value Stream
- Flow
- Pull
- Perfection

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How to keep costs low enough that freight charges still make your product affordable


One thing that every manufacturing company knows about is that the high cost of freight charges can actually make the final price of your product unaffordable. Basically what this means is that after you have added in all of your fixed and variable costs you are still going to need to add in your freight charges to get the final price of your product. And the way gas prices are constantly going up that means that freight charges are going to continue to increase, especially if you do your own shipping. Freight charges are actually a variable cost because of the fact that they can change depending on how many items you are shipping at one time, if you are doing your own shipping, or other factors. So in order to make sure that your final cost of your product is low enough you are going to want to look at a variety of ways to keep your variable costs down so that when you add in the high freight charges people are still going to buy your product.

Difficulty rating: Moderate to difficult

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How to handle shipping of finished products


In the manufacturing business, figuring out how to handle shipping of finished products can be difficult.You have a great company that creates a great product, so how do you get it to your consumer without it ending up in a million pieces?

Wood Crates
If you are shipping large items that may have parts and such to them you can use large wood crate to ship your products in.There are companies that actually specialize in making crates for your special needs.One such company is called "Caseworks."They provide a variety of standard and custom sizes of wood shipping and storage crates.These crates could ultimately be a dream for large manufacturing companies, especially with the option of being able to custom order them.You can order them with hinges, handles, locking mechanisms, and they come with foam encasing inside the crate to protect from breaking and so forth.If you have a product that can fit into something like a wood crate, try thinking about using one as it can ensure the safety of shipping your finished products.

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Learning to recognize areas that cost you money in your manufacturing


No matter what kind of a business you are running one of the most important things to running your business is to not waste any money. Basically what this means is that you are going to want to learn how to recognize the areas of your business that are costing you money so that you can fix the problem and save your company from making money. In manufacturing two of the areas that seem to cost you money are waste and quality. But the good news is that by implementing a manufacturing process like lean manufacturing you can use visual controls to help you reduce the amount of waste your process is producing, not to mention you can also improve your quality on the products that you are manufacturing. But most importantly if you use visual controls you will be able to spot all of the areas in your manufacturing process that are costing you money, so that you can make the needed improvements.

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Having diversity in the workplace


One thing that you need to think about when it comes to your work environment is that as times change the chances of being confronted by non-English speaking customers or potential employees is growing higher, which is making it even more important to have diversity in the workplace. In fact you would probably be surprised to know that over fourteen percent of the current population in the United States actually speaks Spanish, which in our country is actually a pretty high amount, and that doesn't even include the customers that speak other languages. So in order to stay in business and to actually continue to do business in the United States you are going to need to have a bilingual work environment sooner or later. This is particularly important if you want to stay ahead of the competition and perhaps gain an advantage. But another reason why this is important is that more and more people who are getting hired speak English as a second language, so if you have a bilingual work environment people will be able to communicate with each other which means the jobs will get done properly.

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Creating charts and graphs to improve your manufacturing process


One thing that you need to keep in mind when it comes to improving your manufacturing process is that you can create charts and graphs to help you improve your entire process. One of the most common types of charts that you will run across in improving your manufacturing process is the Pareto chart, which is actually quite similar to a bar graph and is actually used similarly to a bar graph.

A Pareto chart is actually a special type of bar chart that has values that are plotted in descending order. This chart was named after Vilfredo Pareto, but it was made popular in quality assurance by Joseph Juran and Kaoru Ishikawa. This chart is only one of the seven basic tools of quality control. The other six tools are: histogram, check sheet, control chart, cause and effect diagram, flowchart, and scatter diagram.

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Streamlining your assembly line


Streamlining your assembly line. What does this mean and how does it work? When you start the streamline process for assembly, you find that there is something that is broken that needs to be fixed.

This may not mean that the entire process is broken. However, it may mean that there is part of the process in your assembly line that is not working. The key factor that is looked at when you are looking at streamlining your assembly line is improving the overall process by improving individual parts.

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Who to hire for business management coaching

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development a 2005 study revealed that %70-%80 of companies report that they use coaching.Management coaching is provided to companies for managers who, no matter their skill level, are taught to be better at leading others and performing their technical duties.What company wouldn't like to have someone come in and do that for them?

The role of managers is central to an organization.Mangers are responsible for helping the employees that run the organization.Without properly trained mangers helping each employee to work at his full potential, levels of achievement are stunted and businesses cannot compete with more experienced management teams in the market.Business management coaching, consultation, training, and assessment services are designed to help companies to better handle today's challenges and to reach towards attaining new levels of achievement required by a rapidly changing business world.

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Small business manufacturing 101


When it comes to opening up a small business many people do not think of manufacturing as a small business opportunity. The reason for this is that when you think of manufacturing you tend to think of large companies that can mass produce a large quantity of items and large companies that ship their items overseas, also known as exporting items. People tend to think that when running a small business you can't run a manufacturing plant because of the costs that are actually involved in exporting items and manufacturing products But the truth of the matter is that a manufacturing plant can be a small business, and they can even export products, as long as things are done right.

When it comes to exporting products to other countries what many people fail to realize is that if you hire professionals to do all of the paperwork exporting products is actually as easy as marketing your products in the United States. All you are going to need to do is to make the sale, get paid and then ship your product to the costumer. But something else that people don't realize when it comes to exporting products as a small business manufacturer is that exporting products will actually help your company to grow because you will experience larger orders, limited competition, and easier financing.

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Keeping up with the latest in manufacturing


When it comes to any aspect of business there is always some kind of change going on. And with how much things are changing and with how fast the things change keeping up with the latest can be rather difficult if you don't know where to look. Like other aspects of business manufacturing also faces constant changes that can affect you if you happen to run a manufacturing plant or if you use a manufacturing plant for your business needs. In the business world it is very important for you to keep up with any and all changes in the various aspects of your line of business so that you can adapt your business to handle the changes. One thing that you need to keep in mind is that these changes can include technology changes, business changes, or changes in the laws that affect your business, the changes can be large or small but if you are not keeping up to date on the latest news than your business can actually suffer.

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How to find management that can speak Spanish


Just hiring employees you need to go through an extensive interview process before you determine if they are the right fit for your company. Hiring an employee is small time compared to the hiring a manager, employees play an important role in every company, but the role of manager is even more important because they will be acting as a figure head. But hiring a manager can get even harder when you are trying to find management that has certain characteristics, such as the ability to speak Spanish. You want to be sure that you are sending the right message to your employees with the managers you hire.

Difficulty rating: Moderate to difficult

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How to be a leader in your field on manufacturing


To become a leader in your manufacturing field you have to make a better product than your competitor's, make a product that sells cheaper than your competitor's, or market your product better than your competitors do.If you really want to lead the field, you will find a way to do all three things.

Making a better product-In order to make a better product than your competition you need to start with better raw material.Of course, better material equals materials that are more expensive so this is not always the easiest place to start.Sometimes you can use the same materials but use them better.Putting money into research and development will help you capitalize on the materials you have.Big manufacturing plants will have whole departments dedicated to research, development, and engineering to facilitate the best product possible.Even if you have just a small manufacturing company, paying attention to these areas will help you to become a leader in your field.When trying to make the best product you can, you should listen carefully to suggestions from employees and consumers.There will always be things that you can improve.

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Should your manufacturing plant consider a merger?

though the current merger movement pales in comparison to the great merger movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s, mergers have increased by more than 50% since the early 90s.This trend in mergers and acquisitions has raised political and social concerns, especially in the realm of food production.The primary political concerns about merging companies are those of price fixing, monopolies, and antitrust violations.Because of these concerns, the United States Department of Justice has the power to block mergers.

If you are considering a merger with your manufacturing plant and another plant or company, there are several things to consider.One thing to think about is whether your company is merging with a company that has a higher or lower price to earnings ratio.If you are going to reduce your price to earnings ratio through a merger, you need to consider the perspective of your stockholders.Is reducing your overall earnings per share of stock worth the benefits of a merger?

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Why location matters even for manufacturing

No matter what kind of business you are going to open where you are going to do business and how you are going to do business is a huge factor in determining if your company is going to be successful, this is also true for manufacturing. In fact the location of your business is actually even more important when it comes to manufacturing then it is to other types of business because manufacturing plants have more things that they need to comply with then retail stores. So basically the main reason why location is so important for manufacturing is that in order to be successful you are going to need to be able to meet a lot of demands from both the community and your customers, so in order to do this you are going to need the perfect location.

One of the main reasons that location matters in manufacturing is that you want your location to be big enough to accommodate your company if you decide to expand. But you also want your plant to be away from most of the residential areas because you don't want your neighbors' complaining about your factory. But perhaps the most important thing to think about when it comes to manufacturing is that you want your plant to be near main transportation, such as freeways or railroads so that you can easily ship out your goods to your customers.

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Tips for seven step quality manufacturing process improvement

Improving quality manufacturing processes can result in decreased waste, better quality products, and an overall improvement in customer satisfaction.
The following are tips for seven step quality manufacturing process improvement. Before you start, however, you will want to develop a committee that is in charge of overseeing the steps and making sure they come to fruition. It's best to involve the whole company if possible, but in the beginning a committee can help to ensure the steps are completed and taken from beginning to end.

Step one: The first step is to define the actual process. This is important as it provides a foundation for improving your processes. During this first step, you should name the process and its purpose, as well as its starting and ending points, inputs and outputs, and your overall requirements. It would also be a good idea to identify the customers and suppliers who will be affected by this process.

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What is manufacturing process management?

There are so many different things in manufacturing that you will need to know about. One question you might want to ask yourself is what is manufacturing process management? If you don't know what manufacturing process management is or you want to know more about what manufacturing process management is you are in luck. Here are some things to help you answer the question of what is manufacturing process management.

First what is manufacturing process management? According to the definition of manufacturing process management in the Wikipedia it is a collection of technology and methods used in the manufacturing of products.Which means in English terms that it is the process where manufactures will use different types of technology to help with different layouts, and different ways that an assembly line could be laid out to make a product, and it also looks at the different scheduling for production planning, etc. So, it is a look at the process, and an evaluation of it.

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Tips for expanding your manufacturing business

If you've ever owned a business, you know how good it feels to succeed.If your business is thriving, you're happy, your employees are happy, and the future seems bright.It's usually right around that time that you start thinking about expanding your business.After all, it's done well enough so far, right?Right.But it can be a bit of a leap of faith to actually start the expansion process, especially if you own a manufacturing business.So here are some tips for you if you're thinking of expanding your manufacturing business.

Before you actually make the leap into expansion, there are a few things you should consider.Sure, you've made it this far, but will you be able to keep going?Think about these points before you make any decisions:

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How to incorporate flexible manufacturing into your existing system


Incorporating a type of manufacturing system into your existing system can be a challenge.After all, we get used to doing things one way and even though it may be better to make a change, we resist that which is unfamiliar.Incorporating flexible manufacturing into your existing system is an excellent way to handle the frequent occurrence of unexpected changes.

Flexible manufacturing systems will differ from company to company.But the basic idea of flexible manufacturing is that you have the ability to use the same machines to produce new products in the manufacturing process or that you use routing flexibility to assign certain machines with performing a single task as part of the whole process of the system.Because each manufacturing system is different and the operators and employees of manufacturing firms have different training, ability and leadership skills, the steps of incorporating flexible manufacturing into your existing system are not going to be the same for everyone.

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How to turn your manufacturing set up into custom manufacturing

If you have a business and you need to produce a product then you will need the right manufacturing system.But what if you already have a manufacturing system that is no longer working for your needs? In this situation you will need to change your system to support your manufacturing needs.For instance, you have decided to make custom products for your customers, but you do not have a custom manufacturing system. Custom manufacturing is one of the oldest manufacturing systems available.A custom manufacturing system is where a product is made specific for the customer. Let's talk about the different types of manufacturing and how you can change each type into custom manufacturing.

When turning your systems into custom manufacturing you have to think of the needs and wants of your customers.The customer will be the main reason you change your manufacturing ways. The following are some examples, and the changes you will need to make:

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How to turn your manufacturing set up into custom manufacturing

If you have a business and you need to produce a product then you will need the right manufacturing system.But what if you already have a manufacturing system that is no longer working for your needs? In this situation you will need to change your system to support your manufacturing needs.For instance, you have decided to make custom products for your customers, but you do not have a custom manufacturing system. Custom manufacturing is one of the oldest manufacturing systems available.A custom manufacturing system is where a product is made specific for the customer. Let's talk about the different types of manufacturing and how you can change each type into custom manufacturing.

When turning your systems into custom manufacturing you have to think of the needs and wants of your customers.The customer will be the main reason you change your manufacturing ways. The following are some examples, and the changes you will need to make:

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How to turn your manufacturing business into custom manufacturing


There are a lot of different ways that people improve their manufacturing. Some implement different processes to help there manufacturing function better, some people put into place lean manufacturing, while others turn their manufacturing business into custom manufacturing. If you want to turn your manufacturing business in to a custom manufacturing business you might need some help. Here are some tips on how to turn your manufacturing business into custom manufacturing.

The first tip on how to turn your manufacturing business into custom manufacturing is to find how you can set yourself a part from your competing manufacturing company. Even making your manufacturing companies a little but different by adding just that extra touch will help you to become a custom manufacturing company.

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How to go green with your manufacturing

In today's economy many businesses and people alike are concerned about our environment. More and more people and businesses are recycling certain things to help save the environment, but when you think about manufacturing you don't really see any way that it can be done and still help the environment; this is where green manufacturing comes in. Green manufacturing is all about choices in manufacturing methods that support and sustain a renewable way of producing products and/or services that will not harm you or the environment.

In our current economy manufacturing is one of the biggest sources of pollution and wasted energy. In fact manufacturing accounts for about 25% of the energy used each year in the United States. But aside from all of the energy it consumes manufacturing often leads to pollution because most of the energy that is used in manufacturing is obtained via combustion processes from coal, coke, natural gases, oil, and waste which generate a lot of harmful greenhouse gases. No matter which kind of manufacturing you are doing it is going to create some type of pollution because of the amount and type of waste that is produced. But that is where green manufacturing comes in, by making a few small changes you can help make your manufacturing plant more environmentally friendly.

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How to get in on manufacturing trade shows

When it comes to manufacturing there is always the question about how to get your finished product out on the market, basically what kind of advertising you can do to make your product successful. One of the best forms of advertising is trade shows for manufacturers. These are a great form of advertising and getting your product known because numerous purchaser managers are on hand to make decisions about what it is that they will be purchasing for their company to sell.

There are numerous manufacturing trade shows available but you need to keep in mind that not all of them are successful. A great way to find out about manufacturing trade shows is to do some research online and talk to other manufacturers. Both of these places can help point you in the right direction. And the best thing about manufacturing trade shows is that it is relatively easy to get in on them, all you need to do is register for the show and pay your fees

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What do you need to know about regulatory reform as a manufacturer?

As these obstacles pertain to the field of manufacturing, reform is intended to move any stumbling blocks that may hinder manufacturers from producing the goods and services that not only keep the U.S. economy strong, but that also make products available that will aid in important political issues and concerns such as national security.The goal is for the regulations to be such that they effectively address objectives that are important to social workings of business.Naturally in this case, security is a foremost concern for every citizen, let alone business and reform in the manufacturing sector is beneficial to many more people than may realize it.

Another reason why regulatory reform is an important issue for reform is that regulatory reform is an encouraged process that is meant to ensure that the field of manufacturing remains competitive in the U.S.The government has an interest in ensuring that homeland manufacturing techniques remain superior or at least extremely competitive with manufacturing techniques that are applied abroad.Some specific reform areas that industry leaders push for include energy and healthcare cost assistance and high tax and regulatory compliance burdens.

Recent renewed interest has been taken in regulatory reform in the manufacturing sector.On March, 2005 it was announced that federal agencies would be taking administrative steps towards reducing the burdens associated with cost to manufacturing firms operating in the United States.The process of reform actions recommended could be anything from gathering data and reporting additional information to issuing modernized regulations.The agency of the government that is heading the estimated 76 reforms for manufacturers is called the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).The OMB anticipates that these reforms will greatly benefit especially the smaller manufacturing operations.

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How to implement changes to your manufacturing system cheaply

How does one go about a highly complicated and seemingly expensive process such as implementing important changes to one's manufacturing system-and do it cheaply, economically? First of all, perhaps it is best to stick with that second word, economically, as it implies intelligence rather than stinginess. The key to implementing changes to a manufacturing system without spending a lot of money is intelligence. Let's consider some factors that might go into making such changes.

1. First off, implementing changes to one's manufacturing process cheaply or economically means one doesn't want to add complexity to an already complicated situation. In other words, one doesn't want to bring in more stuff from the outside to take care of the already overstuffed inside. The tools for implementing changes to one's manufacturing system cheaply or economically are right in front of one. One doesn't need to buy anything new, in other words. Once can use one's imagination, creativity, willpower, and ability to research to implement important changes to one's manufacturing system without spending a lot of extra bucks.

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What is taylorism and what does it have to do with manufacturing?


Taylorism is an idea that was thought of by Frederick Winslow Taylor in his book The Principles of Scientific Management. Taylorism is also known as scientific management or the classical perspective. Frederick Taylor believed that decisions based upon tradition and rules of thumb should be replaced by more precise procedures. But these procedures could not be developed until the individual at work was carefully studied.

Taylorism consists of the following general approaches:
- Standard method for performing each and every job
- Certain workers would be selected for certain jobs based on their abilities to perform the job, meaning that they would be chosen for the job based upon if they had the required skills necessary for the job
- Training would be provided to each person who was hired for the job, the training would be centered around how to perform the job that they were hired for
- The work day would be planned for each employee ahead of time, this way they could eliminating most of the interruptions that occur from not having the day planned out
- If an employee out performed other employees, such as increased productivity or output, they would be given a wage incentive, such as a raise or a bonus

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How to choose a quality management system

In order to know how to choose a quality management system you would first need to know what a quality management system is and how a quality management system is supposed to work. A quality management system is defined as a set of policies, processes and procedures that are required for planning and executing production development in the main area of an organization. A good quality management system is supposed to integrate the various inside processes of a company and is supposed to provide a process approach for the company's project execution. A quality management system is designed to allow companies to identify, measure, control and improve their various core business processes so that they can eventually improve their overall business performance. Quality management systems are not just designed for manufacturing companies, they are designed for a variety of companies in numerous industries, but you will find that manufacturing companies greatly benefit from choosing a good quality management system.

Many quality management systems are based on eight quality management principles. The eight quality management principles that quality management systems are based on are:
- Customer focus - the system is based on making sure that customer requirements are being meet and focuses on the efforts needed to exceed those requirements.
- Leadership - the systems are designed to create an internal environment in which everybody in the company is involved.
- Involvement of people - this would include involving everybody who is a part of the organization, which would be all employees.
- Process approach - this part of the system is designed to bring about improvements in the efficiency of the work so that the company can obtain their desired results
- System approach to management - this part is designed to improve effectiveness and efficiency through the identification, understanding and management of the interrelated processes
- Continual improvement - this becomes a permanent objective of the organization, what it boils down to is that the company is always trying to improve
- Factual approach to decision-making - the answers to any decisions that need to be made will come from an analysis of data and information
- Mutually beneficial supplier relationships - this is derived from an understanding of the company's and suppliers dependence upon one another; basically they each depend on the other for their business.

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When to use contract manufacturing

There are many things that manufacturing plants have to take into consideration when getting started in the manufacturing business. A manufacturing business is an expensive business to get into because of all the start up costs. To make things a little more affordable sometimes manufacturers will use contract manufactures. There are many different things to look at to decide when to use contract manufacturing.

Before you will know when to use contract manufacturing you will need to know exactly what contract manufacturing is. Contract manufacturing is a process that helps to start up a manufacturing company with out having to deal with not having all the resources you might need, do to the cost. Contract manufacturing uses manufactured products or services that another production company or vendor. Then the company that is using the contracted manufacture has the products they use their customer service along with their marketing and packaging to sell the product it is also known as outsourcing. This is a cheaper route to go for some companies because they don't have to pay for all of the labor that is involved with manufacturing the product and they have fewer resources they have to rely on.

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What is a balanced scorecard, and what does it have to do with manufacturing

What is a balanced scorecard, and what does it have to do with manufacturing? The balanced scorecard is a specific measurement that is based on learning and strategic management systems. These are created for many different organizations.

The balanced scorecard or BSC is used to align business activities to the strategy, and monitor performance of goals over a specific period of time.

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Using statistics for improved quality of manufacturing

How does using statistics make for improved quality in manufacturing?Using statistics can help increase not only the quality of products that are being manufactured but also the quantity. The reason is that manufacturing companies can use the statistics to create a plan of action that will work more efficiently.

In order to be able to effectively forecast the future productivity with statistics there would need to be a program set up that can do the following functions.

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How to streamline like the major manufacturers

Here is how to streamline like the major manufacturers. Major manufacturers have had to find a way to efficiently collaborate with the suppliers, engineers, and partners in order to develop the top of the line products.

However they found that time and communication issues were causing a gap in the manufacturing, production and completion of the product, therefore causing a negative impact on profit. These issues also were a cause for timing issues for the product to be released to the market.

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How manufacturing and engineering are related.

How manufacturing and engineering are related? Manufacturing and engineering are related due to how each of there jobs works together. The main thing is that manufacturing is the process of using raw materials to create a completed item. Where engineering is the profession that uses skills, education, training and experience in order to design the items that will need to be manufactured.

So for the total process of manufacturing to take place, an engineer will need to design the product that will be manufactured. In the example of a space ship, the process takes both engineering and manufacturing. Here is how it works together.

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Fabrication versus manufacturing

Fabrication versus manufacturing, what is the difference and how does it affect us?How do these two types of creating products affect our world?

First it is a good idea to understand the difference between manufacturing and fabricating. Here is a good explanation of both.

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What is SIPOC, how is it used

The case is, a lot of businesses are in trouble these days. Disorganization, miscommunication, laziness, sloppiness, lack of vision, lack of will, lack of talent-of course, all of these things play a role. We're only human, after all. We all may perfectly human mistakes. And when you think of the difficulty of one man or women, or even a small group of men and women, trying to lead this virtual army, and you begin to understand some of the complications involved. That's where SIPOC comes in. SIPOC is an organizing force. It helps you to see your way through the dark wood.
If your business is failing, if your business is in trouble, if your business is doing OK but could be doing a lot better, then SIPOC may be just thing to you.
What happens basically is, you call in SIPOC, which sits down with your business team and attempt to come up with specific questions. Who are you really trying to reach, customer-wise. What is the purpose of your company? What does your company offer the other companies? If you don't have answers to these questions, you're employees will surely sense it. You're employees won't have answers to the questions, and will fill rudderless and lost. SIPOC can help with this problem.
Now, SIPOC is meant to answer four major questions:

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What is poka-yoke, and how does it benefit you

Poka-yoke, simply put, is a Japanese of ensuring that this or that aspect of your business is error-free. Sounds to good to be true, right? Wrong! Poka-yoke is working for lots of businesses, with increasing effectiveness. Poka-yoke is basically designed so that a system can look at another system, realize exactly how the other system is supposed to be working, and then sort of watch over it and either keep it from making mistakes or worn you if it's about to.
Imagine that you've got a system that creates plastic superheroes that sing and dance and come in different flavors. It's a complicated system. One part of the system handles the molds of the super heroes, another handles their singing abilities, aPoka-yoke, simply put, is a Japanese of ensuring that this or that aspect of your business is error-free. Sounds to good to be true, right? Wrong! Poka-yoke is working for lots of businesses, with increasing effectiveness. Poka-yoke is basically designed so that a system can look at another system, realize exactly how the other system is supposed to be working, and then sort of watch over it and either keep it from making mistakes or worn you if it's about to.
Imagine that you've got a system that creates plastic superheroes that sing and dance and come in different flavors. It's a complicated system. One part of the system handles the molds of the super heroes, another handles their singing abilities, another their dancing abilities, another their unique and delicious flavors. You don't want any part of the system going down, because these little fellows are advertised as singing, dancing, flavorful superheroes, and if a consumer buys one and it's flawed in one or more of these areas, you're going to have an angry consumer on your hands.
nother their dancing abilities, another their unique and delicious flavors. You don't want any part of the system going down, because these little fellows are advertised as singing, dancing, flavorful superheroes, and if a consumer buys one and it's flawed in one or more of these areas, you're going to have an angry consumer on your hands.

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What is kanban and how can it help you

Kanban is the art of having enough things on hand so that you can always keep the customer satisfied. There's a problem in manufacturing that's unique to manufacturing. That problem is, manufacturing consists of a lot of people working together to make a single project. A car manufacturer, for example, or a stereo manufacturer. Usually, the things manufactured a very complicated, composed of many parts, and require people with expertise to handle each part. You can say how chaos could ensure.
Let's say that Company X makes radios. Their radios require three special component, component Y, component Z, component Q. Now, all three of these components are very specialized. You can't just make them yourself, it takes specialists to do so. What happens, then, if component Z breaks down and the company in charge of making Component Z has no backup parts? Well, that means that company X can't make its radios. What if component Q breaks down after a customer has already bought herself a radio. She goes back to Company X to complain. Company X has to tell her, Look, we just don't make that part, let's call the people responsible for Component Q and see what they can do about it. You call Component Q, and they say, Sorry, all out. Well, then you've got an angry customer on your hands. She's not going to blame the people in charge of component Q, she's going to blame you. And things like that spread around. Don't trust Company X, there stuff breaks down and then they don't have the right parts to fix it.

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Ideas for your summer vacation

Everyone needs to get away sometimes.Whether it means a break from
school, work, or even just a break from the same old neighborhood day
after day, everyone needs to get away occasionally.There are so many
ways to escape the humdrum schedule of our everyday lives.There are
so many ways to go on your summer vacation.
I remember as a child my father and mother would bundle the family in
a car to go on a road trip every summer.We would travel to the coast
to camp on the beach some summers.Other times we would drive into
the mountains and go hiking and fishing.On another road trip we
traveled to all the sites on the East Coast-my father trying to
navigate the aggressive streets of New York City was a frightening
thing to behold.We always loved being together in the car, playing
road games, singing and telling jokes.A road trip is an excellent
way to enjoy a summer vacation and get away from your every day life.

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How to use SIPOC to generate higher earnings

The point of any company, aside from providing customers with much-needed items, is to generate money. The question of generating money is constantly at hand, constantly on the minds of businesspeople everywhere.
Now, recently a new phenomenon called SIPOC has been tearing across the business world like a howling wind that brings prosperity wherever it goes. What SIPOC does is help you to organize your business in a way that you never thought before. SIPOC comes in and focuses on four major areas of your business, with the ultimate goal of satisfying your companies and bringing in as much money as possible.

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How to improve your supply chain management

First, what is a supply chain? The easiest way to think of a supply chain is first to imagine a house on fire. It's in the neighborhood, blazing, burning, before the days of fire trucks and fireman. So what did the neighbors do? They formed a long, long line, and passed buckets up and down that line, waterful buckets up, empty buckets down for refilling, and so on. That's about the most primitive idea of a supply chain that we can imagine.
So, the idea, then, is that you have all these people linked together passing important items from one person to the next. Person A has something Person C needs, and person D has a delivery truck, and so forth. Neat, effective, efficient. In business, in supply chain management, timing, organization, fastidiousness, and a constant awareness of what's going on are the keys to success.
When managing a supply chain, you might want to keep one or two things in mind:

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How to implement pull-production to decrease waste

First of all, what is pull-production, and how can it help to eliminate waste? Let's go through this thing slowly. Pull-production is the idea that a company only produces something according to the demands of the customer. In other words, if Johnny X only needs one pair of sweet black shades, you only make one pair of sweet black shades, not ten. Ah! cries out the businessperson. But what if Johnny X's break in the meantime? Well, it might not be a bad idea to make a backup pair of Johnny X's shades when you make the first. Pull-production does not mean that you make a thing then break the mold. It does mean that you become more sensitive about waste, about making way, way too much of a product knowing you're not going to be using it most of it anyway.

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How to find the right application tools for your managing

A manager is only as good as his tools. The same goes for any other profession, of course-if a carpenter has a bad hammer his job is almost useless. If a soldier's gun jams, what good is he? If an alien's UFO breaks down and crashes onto the football field in the middle of Super Bowl, all his dreams of secrecy are ruined.
So, as a manager you need to find the right application tools to keep your business up and running, not down and wheezing. There's nothing worse than the sight of a staggering, drunken application tool-it means the end of your business, basically. So how to find the best ones? There are a lot of them out there.
Now, first let's get the idea of expense out of the way. Application tools can be expensive, and they're getting more expensive all the time. The reason they're getting more expensive is simple. They're able to do more things. They've got new conveniences all the time, new tricks, new ways of making a manager's life easier.

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How to convert a failing system into a profitable one

Ah, that age-old question. How to convert a failing system into a profitable one. Who to make a bad business better. How to make a good business great. Now, of course, we can't cover all of the important issues involved in this important question in a short article such as this is, but we can look at one or to things that will get any businessperson started.
1. Take a long, hard look at your business, and I mean long and hard. Have you developed a mission statement? Do you know what it is you're trying to accomplish, aside from making money. Your employees need a sense of purpose to perform at their highest levels. Give them one. Come together. Discuss what the needs of the businesses are. Come together to mixperspectives, share challenges, grow closer together. A close company is usually a more effective than a scattered one. Make a missionary statement. Be specific. Where do you want to be in the next few years? What do you see yourself doing? And so forth.

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How to implement generic process management to increase productivity

Leaders in management these days are fast discovering that generic process management is a fantastic way to increase productivity. Generic process management allows you to use multiple programs to understand better what your company needs in terms of ways to avoid waste and ways increase productivity. Now, these processes aren't simple. They're quite complicated things, the results of years of the best minds working together so that manufacturers can develop more and more effective ways of delivering goods to the public. It's understandable that every manager out there wants them, and it's even more understandable that every manager out there wants HELP in getting them. So let's take a look at some of the things you should do when considering implementing generic process management to increase productivity for your own company.
1. OK, the first step in any venture like this is to begin some research of our own. Brainsweat will get you far, far, far in life, no matter what your field; and business manufacturing is no different. Those who work, reap the rewards. In business, though, there's a danger that people will assume that most of the work involves physical work, or brainy work such as marketing and advertising and number crunching. Let the experts deal with the computer stuff, let the experts hook our system together. But when it comes to things like implementing generic process management, this is a big mistake. You, the boss, are going to have to do as much research, reading, and experimenting as anyone else. You, the boss, are going to have to work with the experts to find out what is exactly right for your company. Again, this means research. Get on line, find out who the best people are, read the best books. Keep abreast of things, know of changes to come. BUT:

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When not to use six-sigma

Businesses that do not have enough money and time to use for six-sigma will not benefit from it. In addition, six-sigma requires full commitment from all employees in the business. Six-sigma can be beneficial for companies looking for a long-term investment.

Six-Sigma- What is it?

Six-Sigma is a way for companies to strive for perfection. The word sigma actually means how far the product is from perfection. The main goal is to eliminate defects, or mistakes in whatever product you are manufacturing. It is to obtain knowledge on how to do things better, faster and at a lower cost. Six-sigma can be used for anything related to cost, timeliness, and quality of results. For example, a business will have certain standards to meet in order to have a product work to be able to sell. Six-sigma is a way to measure whether the standards of quality for the product are met. To achieve six-sigma, a company cannot have more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. There are certain people who are trained to help businesses use six-sigma. These people are called Six Sigma Green Belts, Black Belts, and Master Black Belts. A Black Belt is simply someone who is very knowledgeable in the products and services of a business that can train the employees on how to eliminate mistakes, which in turn helps the business succeed.

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