What's an AS9100 and why should you (and Boeing) care?
It’s been all over the news recently. Boeing cannot find the report for who was responsible for...
It’s been all over the news recently. Boeing cannot find the report for who was responsible for...
I love guacamole. As we’re coming into Super Bowl weekend, nachos might be a thing for some. Chips...
This weekend, I received a call from my alarm company. They were calling to tell me that I had a...
Cheating is not worth it. In the short term, it may give you the “win” but in the end, it corrupts...
We talked about the impact of a single person in your organization as a strength and weakness...
On the shop floor, you don’t often talk about seasons. You have days, weeks, months, and periods of...
We’re in football season, and I’m partial to some good NCAA ball on a fall Saturday with a...
Archery is a game of skill and strength. Just looking at the size of those bow strings and the...
We’re talking about the power (and weakness) of a single individual in your organization. This team...
There are still diseases that modern medicine will fail to heal; those are, perhaps, the most scary...
If you remember air travel when you dressed up, it was a completely different experience. In the...
I’m all for innovation. I am an entrepreneur and I know that, sometimes, you have to go where no...
I love drawbridges. They always fascinated me as a child. While I don’t know of any in the...
I am all about self-improvement. I read. I have an accountability partner. I set weekly goals. I...
This week was Independence Day in the US. Most countries celebrate either independence or founding...
I remember the Ford commercials when I was younger: Quality is Job 1. It was probably the first...
We’re hearing from the customers we serve that there’s no good way to calculate a...
There are just a few things that connect all manufacturers, no matter where they are in the world...
I’m a gardener. I absolutely love the taste of anything I can grow. Warm from the sun, things just...
No matter what game you play, you need to know the rules you operate under. Rules are critical to...
You can’t get around the news that 3 major banks in the US have now failed. This is news...
I recently stopped at a chain bagel shop for a quick breakfast on the road. It’s one we all...
Every time you purchase something from a cup of coffee to a car, you decide whether the item you’re...
There’s an outdoor mall (lifestyle center) near me that has built a massive parking garage...
Tempus fugit. Time flies. A statement like this first appeared in Virgil’s Georgics but it can be...
You’re standing in line at the local donut shop (I was tempted to do coffee again but who doesn’t...
Inventory is important not just for the amount you have, but where it’s located. I’m constantly...
I miss telling stories during these pieces, as we’ve been focused on the hard and fast stories of...
“Manufacturing is all the same; it just looks different.” I’ve found this to be both true and...
We’re talking about people this month. People are likely your most expensive asset. You rely on...
Whether you build, make or stock and ship, you have three key areas of your shop that determine...
This year, we are completely focused on knowing our numbers. We’re going to be talking about it...
Do you know what number you chase? Numbers are a good way to measure things, to put things into...
We’re a learning organization. We’re also a sharing one. We have a wealth of resources available to...
We talked about the recent Notice to Air Missions system (NOTAM) failure that hit the airline...
If you were traveling by air in the U.S. on Wednesday, January 11th, you may have learned what the ...
This year is going to be the year of numbers for us. We’re talking about it, teaching it, selling...
As we move from 2022 to 2023, we’re focusing our annual trends-in-manufacturing blog on the two...
I hear everyone say that the years pass so quickly and this one, for certain, has done so. We are...
At the end of each year, we talk about trends in manufacturing. We hope to bring into focus for you...
I must figure that the guy that sent me the “we’re so happy to have you as a customer another year”...
If you had the pleasure of going home for the holidays over Thanksgiving and planned to get on an...
Last week, we talked about the importance of data to an organization. Every organization, but...
I was contacted by a salesperson the other day. He works for a major database company that sells...
We’re talking about how to stay one step ahead of your customers. How do you predict what they need...
Whether you make to order or stock to inventory, you’re always thinking of the customer. Your...
Names are important. A name can make or break you. A well-chosen name for a product or a company...
I’m a person that does a fair amount of research into companies before I buy something. I want to...
Last week, we talked about measuring the output of your people and protecting the investment that...
We’ve spent this year educating readers on the core processes in manufacturing – how they go right...
When it comes to the things that cost you money, no matter what business you’re in, people are...
Last week, we talked about the laws of physics and motion. No matter what industry you’re in and...
Newton’s law tells us that a body in motion will stay in motion and a body at rest will stay at...
More than half of the manufacturers we talk to come to the table with more than enough challenges...
We’re going way back in time for today’s blog. The year 1546 to be exact. That’s when John Heywood...
No, it’s not software. I don’t need 26 years of experience to tell you that software is not a...
We talked last week about the basic requirements for Industry 4.0 in the middle market. You need...
We were at the Advanced Manufacturing Expo (AME) show last week. The show was bigger than last year...
You may not be in the medical field or make medical equipment, but we could all take a lesson from...
This summer, we’re revisiting a series on how to buy a manufacturing software platform. We’re also...
We have been discussing the use of technology to solve errors in your manufacturing shop. For...
As we’ve progressed through this conversation about how to buy a manufacturing software tool to...
Last week, we discussed why you might need a manufacturing software system to manage and eliminate...
This week, I had to go to the car dealer for a new battery on my car. This wasn’t where my trip...
Recently, we upgraded the security system at the office (some good information in that link as to...
This week, a neighbor's landscaping project got me thinking about how important it is to have the...
Opening the garage door recently, I heard an alarm. A beeping noise coming from my car. Never a...
It’s not often that we quote ancient Greek playwrights, but this morning I’m thinking about...
You go to the morning meeting and you hear the stats. The team tells you everything’s on track. You...
Last week, we all learned about Sagittarius A-star, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way....
Manufacturers today are hurting. There's no doubt. Whether you’re growing or not, you are working...
We’re talking about how to buy a Manufacturing Software tool. Deciding you need one may be the easy...
If you have scrap, late shipments, overruns, inventory shortages, and operator workflow issues and...
We are halfway through the issues we typically see in manufacturing that we need to solve for our...
Almost every manufacturer has the bulk of their expenses tied up in facilities, people, and...
Whether you are a large, multinational manufacturer or a job shop with just a dozen people, your...
Wasted time is primarily a lack of alignment between your people, the work you need them to do, and...
We’ve talked about waste in your manufacturing facility stemming from misconnected or even...
In our previous blog, we talked about your people; this is a resource that is finite, moving, and...
Last time, we talked about how we often we waste our biggest resource – our people. If you find...
If there is anything that the challenges, problems, and disruption of recent years have taught us,...
It’s hard to believe that we’re already at the end of the first quarter of 2022. How are you doing...
In today’s highly competitive manufacturing landscape, production quality is crucial.
Quality...
Skilled labor is critical for manufacturing.
This summer, we’ve been talking about profitability. Who doesn’t want more of that? Last week, we...
Over the summer, we want to start a conversation around the tools you provide your workforce to...
We’ve all heard the news stories of employers that are not able to fill jobs. It’s been a challenge...
I heard someone in an interview the other day say consumers wanted things to return to pre-COVID...
Do you know what it costs to produce a single part, complete a single process or ship your product...
Deciding when to upgrade legacy systems is a constant debate across all IT departments....
You come to work this morning and your workforce is ready to go. Do they have everything they need...
For more than a decade, economists and experts have hypothesized about what will happen when the...
Post COVID, targets are different and work has changed for almost everyone. This is nothing new and...
In the first 3 parts of this piece on the numbers you need to know in order to be effective at your...
Machines are just a resource for your shop, right? Nope. Not even close. When you are talking the...
Last week, we talked about run rates in manufacturing: how critical and complex they are, how...
No matter what you make, there are critical numbers you have to know if you’re going to be in...
You know that manufacturing is a bear. Things never go as planned. Machines go down. Orders get...
Last week, we talked about how manufacturing has been operating under a distributed work force...
There is so much talk now about the newness of a distributed workforce model; in reality, it's been...
We’ve been talking about the business model the last few weeks. We’re determined to interject...
As we climb out of this economic fall, every company will be faced with tough decisions on how to...
Let’s Look at Where You are Now Before We Assess Where You’re Going.
We believe that all companies...
Let’s Look at Where You are Now Before We Assess Where You’re Going.
We’ve been working through a...
It’s rare to say “you should” to someone until you really know their circumstances. Even then, I...
Have you clearly identified the difference between your industry and your market? So many of us use...
We’re spending the next few weeks talking big picture. Everyone is heads down, with good reason....
Notice that we didn’t ask who else can do what you do. The question here is what else can do it....
We’ve been talking about business strategy this week. While everyone else is dealing with crisis,...
Over the last several days, we’ve talked about questions around productivity and growth when...
Yesterday, we talked about a few questions that you might ask while you’re gone from the office or...
Strategic plans aside, we’re “sheltering-in-place.” How is your business going to function without...
I almost hate to start the year off with failure, but it’s so critical that we’re going to talk...
I’m going back 20 years for this one. In 1999, sitting on the cusp of the millennium, we were all...
Over the last year, I have established a daily morning routine that includes gratitude. I wake...
In the first piece on the Decision Making Model, we focused on data acquisition. Data is critical...
SAAS – Software as a Service – is now just known as “the Cloud.” Clouds, by their very nature, are...
At CIMx, we are very thankful to work with so many terrific companies and customers. We speak to...
Trust. It’s a firm belief in someone or something. The definition even goes so far as to say it’s...
We’ve talked before about decision methodology. In brief, the theory we follow for manufacturers is...
Update 09/03/19: today, as we post this blog, Hurricane Dorian is sitting over the Bahamas. Little...
As people, we are inherently curious. Even as we age, that yearning for something new causes us to...
Pictures solidify messages. Science tells us that we forget most of what we read. (This doesn’t...
You wouldn’t allow your competitors to walk your floor and rifle through your files, so why allow...
Now that you’ve found your Visionary, Connector, Implementer and Definer...
The surest way to take the wind out of the sails of a project is to realize a...
To follow through on a successful selection and implementation of your...
In addition to the steadfast guidance of your Visionary, your team needs a...
The first step in any successful manufacturing system project is to...
You need to assemble the right team, both internally...
The latest jobs reports have come in and the findings...
In part 2 of our ERP for production series, we...
I’m going to save you some time and get straight to...
Federal Award Programs Designed for U.S. Manufacturers
You are too busy to surf through the...
Increasing Production Without Increasing Hiring
In 1987, manufacturing jobs made up 33% of all...
2018 Advanced Manufacturing Technology Show Series | 6 of 6
You’ve hired an ERP vendor. You should...
2018 Advanced Manufacturing Technology Show Series | 5 of 6
Nearly every company we talk to thinks...
2018 Advanced Manufacturing Technology Show Series | 4 of 6
We’ve spent the last few weeks talking...
2018 Advanced Manufacturing Technology Show Series | 3 of 6
I could give you all the advice I have...
2018 Advanced Manufacturing Technology Show Series | 2 of 6
Software is like a roommate. It is part...
2018 Advanced Manufacturing Technology Show Series | 1 of 6
What is the best experience you’ve had...
The majority of manufacturers schedule their daily work one of two ways: color-coded spreadsheets...
Industry standards and regulations are moving targets.
Maintaining your customer base is dependent...
Walk onto any shop floor in America and ask an Operator to tell you about all of the ways their job...
Let’s be frank, most of your customers can’t tell the...
Audits can either cost you money or make you money. The choice is yours.
In the manufacturing...
Standardized processes and machine automation are the driving forces behind modern manufacturing in...
Catch and resolve these common audit issues before the regulators do.
If you’re in the...
Production and profit had plateaued at a Midwest Composites manufacturer. Orders were consistent...
In this day and age, customer service andreputable businessesare getting harder to find. There is...
No one enjoys researching shop floor systems. You have plenty of other responsibilities on your...
When looking for a solution to manufacturing problems, it’s important that youfind the curerather...
Contracting more orders than you have the resources to complete seems like a great problem to have...
After two decades of advanced planning and production control, CIMx announces Quantum 6.0 release...
New York, NY - Saturday, May 12, 2018
Cincinnati small business owner and EO global board member...
Production Control Systems and Quality Improvement
We are all in the quality business. Wasted time,...
A midwest make-to-order manufacturer was experiencing both...
Companies often set aggressive business goals at the beginning of each year, only to find those...
There’s a critical difference between raw data and actionable manufacturing intelligence. Data is...
For manufacturers, accurate estimates are critical to managing costs and margins. If estimates are...
There’s an old saying, “If you can measure it, you can manage it.”
If you don’t know where your materials are and how many you have, you don’t know where your money...
Not long ago, we worked with a manufacturer struggling with a serious scrap problem.
Manufacturers invest millions in machines and equipment. These high dollar assets provide the...
While production requires tools, materials, parts and equipment, many manufacturers don’t track or...
To kick off the New Year, we launched an exclusive 18-in-18 promotion. CIMx will completely cover...
As 2017 winds to a close it’s time to start setting goals and preparing for success in the New Year.
Manufacturers come to CIMx Software with critical manufacturing issues and need solutions to the...
As 2017 draws to a close, businesses are planning for success in 2018. For make-to-order...
While many make-to-order manufacturers are highly successful at guiding the economic side of their...
Today, with improvements in software technology and lower hardware costs, Manufacturing Execution...
Profitable revenue growth and increasing the bottom line is the goal of every business. Any...
As we’ve discussed in previous posts, manufacturers without shop floor visibility struggle to meet...
Once you cut through the hype-cycle surrounding Smart Manufacturing you will find that, if...
Do these common complaints sound familiar?
When mistakes occur on the shop floor – a part doesn’t meet specifications or a piece is out of...
We received a lot of feedback, positive and negative, regarding our blog on market consolidation...
Last week I read a press release announcing a merger between two manufacturing software companies....
A manufacturing software solution is only as good as the data that fuels it.
Production data fuels the manufacturing industry. Putting this strategic information to work adds...
If you’re struggling with manufacturing problems – failed audits, late shipments, scrap, waste and...
Data-driven manufacturing – using facts and data rather than conjecture and guesswork to manage...
In a recent survey, Automation World and ARC Advisory found that MES systems were critical to...
When problems crop up in production, savvy manufacturers immediately search for a solution.
The internet can be a confusing place for anyone doing research – especially for manufacturers...
Recently, we’ve heard reports of manufacturers waiting to begin technology and manufacturing...
Manufacturing and engineering are both symbiotic and disjointed. While manufacturing relies on...
Every year, wire and cable harness manufacturers and suppliers descend on the Wisconsin Center in...
Every manufacturer struggles to improve quality during production. Any level of defect is...
It may be hard to believe, but we are already entering the third quarter of 2017. With every...
We regularly review the manufacturing software market. Last year, we were twice caught off-guard by...
At first glance, 2016 was a year of promise linking production priorities with emergent...
With any software system, there’s a balancing act between flexibility and standardization. Where...
Not long ago, I wrote about a concept known as “sunk cost.” The Sunk Cost Fallacy is a cognitive...
There are manufacturers out there struggling with outdated and inefficient legacy software systems...
I’m beginning to understand why so many manufacturing companies are frustrated when they work with...
The benefits of an MES go beyond just solving problems. You should also consider the increased...
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