Manufacture Smarter Blog

5/17/2013 - THE CENTER
Michigan is known for a lot of things…beautiful lakes…automobiles…college basketball…but many people out of state would be surprised to learn that Michigan is prominent in another key area – food and agriculture!

5/10/2013 - THE CENTER
You read that right – this is about Sales Headlights not Sales Highlights. Tracking Sales performance is an area of the business filled with numbers you can highlight.  Like baseball, you can watch your team’s overall win/loss record, your team’s batting average (wins as a percent of quotes), and the same for individual salespeople on your team.

5/3/2013 - THE CENTER
Training provided by experts ensures that you are using proven systems to accomplish your goals of eliminating waste, reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction. It’s also beneficial from a marketing standpoint.

4/26/2013 - SOFTWARE ADVICE
Industrial buying activity is moving online. A Thomas Industrial Network survey of more than 3,000 industrial executives and managers found that 90 percent of industrial purchases are now researched, evaluated and selected online. The uptick in online activity means that manufacturers need to step up their online game.

4/19/2013 - THE CENTER
If you’re a manufacturer in Michigan, there’s a pretty good chance you’re looking for ways to appeal to new customers and increase sales. A lot of this has to do with your position in the market and your audience’s perception of your credibility. You need to demonstrate that your company is reliable and manufactures products in an efficient and safe way.

4/12/2013 - THE CENTER
On Monday, April 15th, as many scramble to finalize last minute tax returns, manufacturers from across North America will be gathering in San Antonio for the “Revitalization of North American Manufacturing Conference,” sponsored by the Association for Manufacturing Excellence. AME’s literature indicates that manufacturing is ‘facing a critical period in domestic history’.

4/5/2013 - THE CENTER
If you’re a manufacturer in Michigan, you’ve probably heard the phrase “going green.” Going green used to be a trendy thing for celebrities to talk about, but this is more than a trend for the manufacturing community.

3/29/2013 - THE CENTER
​Family-owned businesses are a hot topic in our offices right now. A conservative estimate of 22,800,000 (or 95% of the 24 million small businesses in the U.S. today) are family-owned and they provide employment for at least 60% of all workforce. According to the Small Business Administration, Family-owned businesses are also responsible for 78% of all new jobs created. That’s a chunk of workforce. And

3/22/2013 - THE CENTER
Both Lean and Six Sigma are powerful tools, but when combined, they have the ability to transform a process and company culture, and catapult your company into a better way of doing business. As Michigan’s manufacturers see a “comeback” in American manufacturing, it’s crucial to implement initiatives that increase efficiencies.

3/15/2013 - THE CENTER
Manufacturing is a key industry in the revitalization of the U.S. economy and job creation. Something we have long said and believed and the Department of Commerce agrees. The United States is the world’s largest manufacturing economy, employing nearly 12 million Americans in 2012.