Small & Medium Sized Manufacturers: Take Advantage of Process Improvement Programs

For small businesses in today’s global and technologically advanced market, it is crucial to maintain competitiveness and stay aligned with larger organizations. Generally speaking, small and medium sized manufacturers, those categorized with less than 250 employees, are as much in need of process improvement programs to enhance and develop their business as those of larger firms.

In general, smaller organizations lose much more compared to larger firms when practices and operations are not constantly improved on. Many small manufacturers believe they do not have the time or money to implement new programs. Unfortunately, the biggest cost is the day-to-day dollars lost from wasted resources. Time is of the essence and smaller manufacturing firms must take advantage of all opportunities available to strengthen their daily organizational operations.

Below are the top three process improvement programs sweeping the manufacturing industry.

Energy Management Programs: Energy costs are perhaps the most significant expense of any manufacturing firm. Conserving energy directly translates into increased profitability. Manufacturing processes require huge amounts of energy from lighting, cooling, heating, equipment and the production line itself. Manufacturers now have tremendous opportunities to save energy, which in turn will help them reduce costs, grow more profitable and scale larger.

Lean Manufacturing: The adoption of lean manufacturing programs eliminates and reduces wastes in all levels of an organization. These wastes include time, money, inventory, and production motion. By reducing wastes, production becomes more efficient. Efficiency lessens the need for excess inventory, reduces costs and increases profitability.

Quality Management Systems (QMS): A process-based QMS allows manufacturers to identify, measure, control and enhance multiple core business processes which will ultimately lead to improved business performance. The most recognized quality management system is ISO 9001. There are currently over 29,000 organizations in the United States and 1.1M organizations across 178 economies who are ISO 9001 certified.

The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center is committed to finding the perfect organizational management solution for your business. To learn more about operational excellence services, click here or call 888.414.6682. 


About the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (The Center) is an organization dedicated to supporting Michigan manufacturers to work smarter, to compete and to prosper. The Center offers personalized consulting services to meet the needs of clients in virtually every aspect of their businesses. The Center is affiliated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and is part of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP Program). The Center also is closely affiliated with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) with the shared goal of making Michigan businesses vibrant, driving GDP growth, and creating new and lasting jobs. To learn more, visit The-Center.org.