How to Reduce Lead-Time?

Learn how small and medium manufacturing companies can analyze and reduce quoting, sales, production, and process lead-times to win more jobs and build stronger customer trust.

Thu Aug 28 2025 | Jeison Eccel

How to Make Impactful Changes to the Status Quo

Using the story of cleaning a sand-filled room, this article explores a step-by-step approach to making lasting business changes, drawing parallels between removing sand and tackling inefficiencies in an organization.

Tue Aug 26 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Standard Work - The Secret Weapon of High-Mix, Low-Volume Manufacturing

Many small manufacturers avoid standard work, thinking their operations are too custom. But even high-mix, low-volume shops benefit from simple SOPs that improve training, consistency, and quality while reducing daily chaos.

Thu Aug 21 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Lean Manufacturing Without the Buzzwords

Lean manufacturing doesn't have to be complex or expensive. Discover how small manufacturing teams can apply lean principles with simple, real-world actions that reduce waste and boost productivity.

Tue Aug 19 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Why Job Costing is Always Wrong

A fun but honest take on why job costing is often inaccurate in small manufacturing environments, with practical tips to improve it using real production data.

Thu Aug 14 2025 | Jeison Eccel

How to Prepare Your Manufacturing Company for ISO

ISO principles like traceability and corrective actions can improve your manufacturing operations — even without certification. Learn how to apply them simply and effectively.

Tue Aug 12 2025 | Jeison Eccel

What Is an ERP?

Learn what an ERP is, how it works, and why it can make a real difference in small and medium manufacturing companies.

Thu Aug 07 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Inventory is Not an Asset If You Can’t Find It

Many manufacturers treat inventory like money in the bank—until they can’t find what they need. Here’s why simple, real-time stock control is key to avoiding costly mistakes and missed deliveries.

Tue Aug 05 2025 | Jeison Eccel

The Limits of Excel in Growing Fabrication Shops

Many small manufacturing companies rely on spreadsheets to manage operations, but as complexity grows, Excel becomes more of a burden than a tool. Learn when and why it breaks — and how to take the next step.

Thu Jul 31 2025 | Jeison Eccel

The Hidden Cost of Undocumented Processes

In small and medium manufacturing companies, it's common to rely heavily on key individuals to keep things running smoothly. These are the people who know how to get a quote done quickly, who remember the right settings for that tricky machine...

Tue Jul 29 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Why Small Manufacturers Struggle with Scheduling

Production scheduling is one of those things that seems simple, but they are not. For many small manufacturers, keeping track of what needs to be built, when, and in what order quickly turns into a daily fire drill.

Thu Jul 24 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Traceability Without Bureaucracy - Lessons from Real-World Fabrication Shops

In many small and mid-sized manufacturing companies, traceability often swings between two extremes. On one side, there's the shop that tracks nothing — no work-in-progress updates, no real production logs, not even timestamps.

Thu Jul 17 2025 | Jeison Eccel

How to Bring Shop Floor Discipline Without Micromanaging

In any small manufacturing environment, keeping the shop floor organized and productive is a constant challenge. Not because people don’t care — quite the opposite.

Thu Jul 10 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Useful Naming Conventions - With or Without an ERP

Running a company means handling a lot of moving parts: products, quotes, orders, invoices — you name it. ERP systems are great at helping you manage all of this, but there’s one thing they don’t fix...

Thu Jul 03 2025 | Jeison Eccel

How to Categorize Products in Your ERP

When you’re setting up an ERP - or any software to manage products - how you organize your products into categories plays a bigger role than most people expect. It might seem like a basic setup task, but if you don’t do it thoughtfully...

Thu Jun 26 2025 | Jeison Eccel

How to Build Insightful Reports

In the previous articles, we explored the difference between KPIs and reports—and how to define KPIs that actually help you make better decisions. But reports deserve their own spotlight.

Thu Jun 19 2025 | Jeison Eccel

How to Define Meaningful KPIs

In the previous article, we explored the key differences between KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and reports. But knowing the difference is just the start. The next step is making sure you’re actually measuring what matters.

Thu Jun 12 2025 | Jeison Eccel

KPIs vs Reports - Understanding the Difference That Drives Smarter Business Decisions

In many growing companies — especially those embracing digital tools — the distinction between KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and reports is often blurred. This confusion leads to dashboards cluttered with...

Thu Jun 05 2025 | Jeison Eccel

The Hidden Costs That Reduce Your Profit

Every business needs information to make smart decisions. Reports, metrics, and insights all depend on one thing: accurate and timely data. But managing this data — especially in a business...

Thu May 29 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Do You Know Your Company’s Processes?

We are currently experiencing another world shift with the advance of AI technology. It’s not the first and certainly not the last impactful invention. For example, the industrial revolution ...

Thu May 22 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Is your ERP Implementation successful?

If you’re using an ERP in your organization, how do you know if your implementation was successful? While many companies fall into the 75% with incomplete or inefficient systems, there are clear indicators to determine whether your ERP delivers real value.

Thu May 15 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Executing your ERP Implementation

In previous articles, we explored the planning and controlling strategies essential for a successful ERP implementation. Now, it’s time to put your plans into action, execute the software rollout, and start using your new ERP system.

Thu May 08 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Preparing and Controlling the ERP Implementation

ERP implementations can be lengthy, so tracking tasks, assigning responsibilities, and involving key people early are all essential for a successful rollout.

Thu May 01 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Planning for ERP Implementation

An ERP implementation should be treated like any critical business project — properly planned, controlled, executed, and measured. The planning phase is the longest and most important part...

Thu Apr 24 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Overview of ERP Implementation

Every growing business eventually reaches a stage where **management software becomes essential; either to keep up with a rising workload or to handle increasing complexity. Yet, many companies hesitate...

Thu Apr 17 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Tracking Data on ERPs - Change Log

In this article, we will focus on another type of data that ERPs need to track: Change log.

Thu Apr 10 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Tracking Data on ERPs - Operational Data

This is the data that helps keep your daily operations moving smoothly. It’s not about financials or long-term forecasting — it’s about knowing what’s happening right now.

Thu Apr 03 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Tracking Data on ERPs - Actual Time Data

One of the biggest goals of any ERP is to provide real-time data. It’s what allows businesses to understand what’s happening as it happens — from tracking orders to planning production...

Thu Mar 27 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Do ERP Softwares Deliver What They Promise?

ERP systems are often presented as the answer to every operational headache. They promise faster processes, better visibility, fewer errors, and more time for real work. And to be fair, a good ERP can make a big difference...

Thu Mar 20 2025 | Jeison Eccel

Why Small Businesses Should Consider an ERP

Over the past decade, business software has become more accessible and flexible for small business. What used to be offered only as part of large, complex ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems is now available in smaller, standalone tools...

Thu Mar 13 2025 | Jeison Eccel