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CIMx Blog

The CIMx Manufacturing Blog has hundreds of entries focused on manufacturing, solution systems and tricks of the trade. Find the insight you need to grow your business written by our team of industry insiders. Explore the CIMx blog archives for your solution today!

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...

Guacamole and your Production Operations

I love guacamole. As we’re coming into Super Bowl weekend, nachos might be a thing for some. Chips...

The Alarm Bell's Ringing in My Head

This weekend, I received a call from my alarm company. They were calling to tell me that I had a...

What the NCAA teaches us about cheating

Cheating is not worth it. In the short term, it may give you the “win” but in the end, it corrupts...

The Power of One Revisited

We talked about the impact of a single person in your organization as a strength and weakness...

A Winning Season

On the shop floor, you don’t often talk about seasons. You have days, weeks, months, and periods of...

The Scoreboard, Part 1

We’re in football season, and I’m partial to some good NCAA ball on a fall Saturday with a...

The Power of One, Part 3

Archery is a game of skill and strength. Just looking at the size of those bow strings and the...

The Power of One, Part 2

We’re talking about the power (and weakness) of a single individual in your organization. This team...

The Power of One

There are still diseases that modern medicine will fail to heal; those are, perhaps, the most scary...

Airline Travel - DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS

If you remember air travel when you dressed up, it was a completely different experience. In the...

Where Mustard Went Wrong

I’m all for innovation. I am an entrepreneur and I know that, sometimes, you have to go where no...

The Drawbridge

I love drawbridges. They always fascinated me as a child. While I don’t know of any in the...

Your Water Number: A Numbers you need to know series

I am all about self-improvement. I read. I have an accountability partner. I set weekly goals. I...

Independence : A Numbers you need to know series

This week was Independence Day in the US. Most countries celebrate either independence or founding...

Quality : A Numbers you need to know series

I remember the Ford commercials when I was younger: Quality is Job 1. It was probably the first...

A Final Count: A Numbers you need to know series

We’re hearing from the customers we serve that there’s no good way to calculate a...

Safety in the Work Place: A Numbers you need to know series

There are just a few things that connect all manufacturers, no matter where they are in the world...

The Numbers You Need to Know: Recipe for Success

I’m a gardener. I absolutely love the taste of anything I can grow. Warm from the sun, things just...

The Numbers You Need to Know: Chess Moves

No matter what game you play, you need to know the rules you operate under. Rules are critical to...

The Numbers You Need to Know: Insured

You can’t get around the news that 3 major banks in the US have now failed. This is news...

The Numbers You Need to Know: Thresholds

I recently stopped at a chain bagel shop for a quick breakfast on the road. It’s one we all...

The Numbers You Need to Know: Value

Every time you purchase something from a cup of coffee to a car, you decide whether the item you’re...

The Numbers You Need to Know: Availability

There’s an outdoor mall (lifestyle center) near me that has built a massive parking garage...

The Numbers You Need to Know: History

Tempus fugit. Time flies. A statement like this first appeared in Virgil’s Georgics but it can be...

The Numbers You Need to Know: Promises

You’re standing in line at the local donut shop (I was tempted to do coffee again but who doesn’t...

The Three Areas of Your Shop – Inventory Continued

Inventory is important not just for the amount you have, but where it’s located. I’m constantly...

The Three Areas of Your Shop – Inventory Counts

I miss telling stories during these pieces, as we’ve been focused on the hard and fast stories of...

The Three Areas of Your Shop - Processes

“Manufacturing is all the same; it just looks different.” I’ve found this to be both true and...

Your People and Production Control

We’re talking about people this month. People are likely your most expensive asset. You rely on...

The Three Areas of Your Shop in Numbers

Whether you build, make or stock and ship, you have three key areas of your shop that determine...

Y per X - The Year in Numbers

This year, we are completely focused on knowing our numbers. We’re going to be talking about it...

What's Your Number?

Do you know what number you chase? Numbers are a good way to measure things, to put things into...

The Year In Numbers - Tracking Cash

We’re a learning organization. We’re also a sharing one. We have a wealth of resources available to...

A NOTAM Failure in Your Shop

We talked about the recent Notice to Air Missions system (NOTAM) failure that hit the airline...

No Time for NOTAM to Fail

If you were traveling by air in the U.S. on Wednesday, January 11th, you may have learned what the ...

The Year In Numbers - Start with Today

This year is going to be the year of numbers for us. We’re talking about it, teaching it, selling...

Trends in Manufacturing (Part 2)

As we move from 2022 to 2023, we’re focusing our annual trends-in-manufacturing blog on the two...

The End is Here

I hear everyone say that the years pass so quickly and this one, for certain, has done so. We are...

Trends in Manufacturing (Part 1)

At the end of each year, we talk about trends in manufacturing. We hope to bring into focus for you...

What Data Tells You - or Doesn't (Part 4)

I must figure that the guy that sent me the “we’re so happy to have you as a customer another year”...

What Data Tells You - or Doesn't (Part 3)

If you had the pleasure of going home for the holidays over Thanksgiving and planned to get on an...

What Data Tells You - or Doesn't (Part 2)

Last week, we talked about the importance of data to an organization. Every organization, but...

What Data Tells You - or Doesn't (Part 1)

I was contacted by a salesperson the other day. He works for a major database company that sells...

How Your People Deliver for You

We’re talking about how to stay one step ahead of your customers. How do you predict what they need...

What the Customer Expects

Whether you make to order or stock to inventory, you’re always thinking of the customer. Your...

What's in a Name?

Names are important. A name can make or break you. A well-chosen name for a product or a company...

Truth in Advertising, Truth in Manufacturing?

I’m a person that does a fair amount of research into companies before I buy something. I want to...

Investing in your shop to save your investment in your people

Last week, we talked about measuring the output of your people and protecting the investment that...

How are you celebrating National Manufacturing Day?

We’ve spent this year educating readers on the core processes in manufacturing – how they go right...

What are you doing with your best talent?

When it comes to the things that cost you money, no matter what business you’re in, people are...

How Can A Tool Help You Stay Productive?

Last week, we talked about the laws of physics and motion. No matter what industry you’re in and...

What's in motion stays in motion. Or does it?

Newton’s law tells us that a body in motion will stay in motion and a body at rest will stay at...

Requirements 101

More than half of the manufacturers we talk to come to the table with more than enough challenges...

Can't See The Forest For The Trees

We’re going way back in time for today’s blog. The year 1546 to be exact. That’s when John Heywood...

The Quickest Decision You Make

No, it’s not software. I don’t need 26 years of experience to tell you that software is not a...

What does Data do for your Shop?

We talked last week about the basic requirements for Industry 4.0 in the middle market. You need...

Defining Industry 4.0 for the Middle Market

We were at the Advanced Manufacturing Expo (AME) show last week. The show was bigger than last year...

The Surgical Checklist in Your Shop

You may not be in the medical field or make medical equipment, but we could all take a lesson from...

Manufacturing and the Hostess

This summer, we’re revisiting a series on how to buy a manufacturing software platform. We’re also...

How to Buy a Manufacturing Software Tool to Manage Your Errors - Part 3

We have been discussing the use of technology to solve errors in your manufacturing shop. For...

How to Buy a Manufacturing Software Tool to Manage Your Errors - Part 2

As we’ve progressed through this conversation about how to buy a manufacturing software tool to...

How to Buy a Manufacturing Software Tool to Manage Your Errors

Last week, we discussed why you might need a manufacturing software system to manage and eliminate...

The Production Shop Ticket

This week, I had to go to the car dealer for a new battery on my car. This wasn’t where my trip...

The Structure In Your Shop - Part 2

Recently, we upgraded the security system at the office (some good information in that link as to...

The Structural Walls of Your Shop

This week, a neighbor's landscaping project got me thinking about how important it is to have the...

When an Alarm is not an Alarm

Opening the garage door recently, I heard an alarm. A beeping noise coming from my car. Never a...

Confirmation Bias in Your Shop

It’s not often that we quote ancient Greek playwrights, but this morning I’m thinking about...

Everything is on Target, Until it's not.

You go to the morning meeting and you hear the stats. The team tells you everything’s on track. You...

The Black Hole that is Manufacturing

Last week, we all learned about Sagittarius A-star, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way....

How to Buy a Manufacturing Software Tool - Part 4

Manufacturers today are hurting. There's no doubt. Whether you’re growing or not, you are working...

How to Buy a Manufacturing Software Tool - Part 3

We’re talking about how to buy a Manufacturing Software tool. Deciding you need one may be the easy...

How to Buy a Manufacturing Software Tool - Part 2

If you have scrap, late shipments, overruns, inventory shortages, and operator workflow issues and...

How to Buy a Manufacturing Software Tool

We are halfway through the issues we typically see in manufacturing that we need to solve for our...

Why You Need a Manufacturing Software Tool to Manage Your Inventory - Part 2

Almost every manufacturer has the bulk of their expenses tied up in facilities, people, and...

Why You Need a Manufacturing Software Tool to Manage Your Inventory

Whether you are a large, multinational manufacturer or a job shop with just a dozen people, your...

Why You Need a Manufacturing Software Tool for your Schedule - Part 2

Wasted time is primarily a lack of alignment between your people, the work you need them to do, and...

Why You Need a Manufacturing Software Tool to Manage Scrap

We’ve talked about waste in your manufacturing facility stemming from misconnected or even...

Why You Need a Manufacturing Software Tool for your Schedule

In our previous blog, we talked about your people; this is a resource that is finite, moving, and...

Why You Need a Manufacturing Software Tool for your People

Last time, we talked about how we often we waste our biggest resource – our people. If you find...

A Look at Manufacturing Trends for 2022

If there is anything that the challenges, problems, and disruption of recent years have taught us,...

Why You Need a Manufacturing Software Tool

It’s hard to believe that we’re already at the end of the first quarter of 2022. How are you doing...

7 Steps to Improve Production Quality

In today’s highly competitive manufacturing landscape, production quality is crucial.

Quality...

Strategies for Overcoming the Skilled Labor Shortage in Manufacturing

Skilled labor is critical for manufacturing.

People and Profit

This summer, we’ve been talking about profitability. Who doesn’t want more of that? Last week, we...

Inventory and Profit

Over the summer, we want to start a conversation around the tools you provide your workforce to...

Your Next Hire

We’ve all heard the news stories of employers that are not able to fill jobs. It’s been a challenge...

Being Competitive in 2021

I heard someone in an interview the other day say consumers wanted things to return to pre-COVID...

Costing and Quoting

Do you know what it costs to produce a single part, complete a single process or ship your product...

Upgrading Your Legacy System(s)

Deciding when to upgrade legacy systems is a constant debate across all IT departments....

Are You Ready to Move Your Workforce to the Cloud?

You come to work this morning and your workforce is ready to go. Do they have everything they need...

How Do You Deal with a Retiring Workforce

For more than a decade, economists and experts have hypothesized about what will happen when the...

How to Get Started Again in Manufacturing

Post COVID, targets are different and work has changed for almost everyone. This is nothing new and...

Critical Numbers in Manufacturing (Part 4)

In the first 3 parts of this piece on the numbers you need to know in order to be effective at your...

Critical Numbers in Manufacturing (Part 3)

Machines are just a resource for your shop, right? Nope. Not even close. When you are talking the...

Critical Numbers in Manufacturing (Part 2)

Last week, we talked about run rates in manufacturing: how critical and complex they are, how...

Critical Numbers in Manufacturing

No matter what you make, there are critical numbers you have to know if you’re going to be in...

How Distributed Work Gets Done in Manufacturing (Part 3)

You know that manufacturing is a bear. Things never go as planned. Machines go down. Orders get...

How Distributed Work Gets Done in Manufacturing (Part 2)

Last week, we talked about how manufacturing has been operating under a distributed work force...

How Distributed Work Gets Done in Manufacturing (Part 1)

There is so much talk now about the newness of a distributed workforce model; in reality, it's been...

What Questions Should You Ask?

We’ve been talking about the business model the last few weeks. We’re determined to interject...

How Do You Prioritize Customers?

As we climb out of this economic fall, every company will be faced with tough decisions on how to...

How Do You Prioritize Your Customer Base? Further, Why Would You Need or Want 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.

Let’s Look at Where You are Now Before We Assess Where You’re Going. 

We’ve been working through a...

Have You Considered a PEST Analysis? You Should.

It’s rare to say “you should” to someone until you really know their circumstances. Even then, I...

What Market Are You In?

Have you clearly identified the difference between your industry and your market? So many of us use...

What Power Do Companies Like Yours Have?

We’re spending the next few weeks talking big picture. Everyone is heads down, with good reason....

What Else Can Do What You Do?

Notice that we didn’t ask who else can do what you do.  The question here is what else can do it....

Where's the Power in Your Buying Model?

We’ve been talking about business strategy this week. While everyone else is dealing with crisis,...

You Have the Tools and the Questions. Now You Need a Plan.

Over the last several days, we’ve talked about questions around productivity and growth when...

Next, You Need a Tool

Yesterday, we talked about a few questions that you might ask while you’re gone from the office or...

Action Plans Start Here with a Question

Strategic plans aside, we’re “sheltering-in-place.” How is your business going to function without...

What We Learn From Failures

I almost hate to start the year off with failure, but it’s so critical that we’re going to talk...

Thinking differently in 2020

I’m going back 20 years for this one. In 1999, sitting on the cusp of the millennium, we were all...

Gratitude

Over the last year, I have established a daily morning routine that includes gratitude. I wake...

Decision-Making Model Part 2

In the first piece on the Decision Making Model, we focused on data acquisition. Data is critical...

Is The Cloud Safe?

SAAS – Software as a Service – is now just known as “the Cloud.” Clouds, by their very nature, are...

Thankful

At CIMx, we are very thankful to work with so many terrific companies and customers. We speak to...

Trust

Trust. It’s a firm belief in someone or something. The definition even goes so far as to say it’s...

Decision-Making Model Part 1

We’ve talked before about decision methodology. In brief, the theory we follow for manufacturers is...

Weather You Need Production Control (And We Did Spell That Correctly)

Update 09/03/19: today, as we post this blog, Hurricane Dorian is sitting over the Bahamas. Little...

Curiosity in Manufacturing

As people, we are inherently curious. Even as we age, that yearning for something new causes us to...

Why Pictures Matter in Manufacturing

Pictures solidify messages. Science tells us that we forget most of what we read. (This doesn’t...

Why Manufacturing Will Never Live in the Cloud

You wouldn’t allow your competitors to walk your floor and rifle through your files, so why allow...

Assembling Your Production System Project Team - The Calibrator

Part 6  |  The Calibrator 

Now that you’ve found your Visionary, Connector, Implementer and Definer...

Assembling Your Production System Project Team - The Definer

Part 5  |  The Definer 

The surest way to take the wind out of the sails of a project is to realize a...

Assembling Your Production System Project Team - The Implementer

Part 4  |  The Implementer 

To follow through on a successful selection and implementation of your...

Assembling Your Production System Project Team - The Connector

Part 3  |  The Connector 

In addition to the steadfast guidance of your Visionary, your team needs a...

Assembling Your Production System Project Team - The Visionary

Part 2  |  The Visionary 

The first step in any successful manufacturing system project is to...

Assembling Your Production System Project Team

Part 1  |  Who Should Have a Seat at the Table?

You need to assemble the right team, both internally...

Why Other People Quitting Their Jobs Matters to You

The Workforce is Changing. Are You Ready?

The latest jobs reports have come in and the findings...

The 5 Critical Requirements When Researching Production Control Systems

Which ERPs Can Manage Production? | Part 2 of 2

In part 2 of our ERP for production series, we...

What the Size of Your Shop Says about Your Production Needs

Which ERPs Can Manage Production? | Part 1 of 2

I’m going to save you some time and get straight to...

How am I going to pay for shop floor improvements?

Federal Award Programs Designed for U.S. Manufacturers

You are too busy to surf through the...

Where Can I Find Qualified Operators?

Increasing Production Without Increasing Hiring

In 1987, manufacturing jobs made up 33% of all...

The Truth about Production Scheduling Software – 2018 Edition

The majority of manufacturers schedule their daily work one of two ways: color-coded spreadsheets...

The Selling Power of a Great Manufacturing Audit

Industry standards and regulations are moving targets.

Maintaining your customer base is dependent...

Manufacturing Has Changed - Why Haven't you?

Walk onto any shop floor in America and ask an Operator to tell you about all of the ways their job...

The Margin Wars

How to Succeed in Global Manufacturing

Let’s be frank, most of your customers can’t tell the...

Turning Manufacturing Audits into Profit

 Audits can either cost you money or make you money. The choice is yours.

In the manufacturing...

The Risk of Manufacturing Automation

Standardized processes and machine automation are the driving forces behind modern manufacturing in...

Creating a Culture of Compliance

Catch and resolve these common audit issues before the regulators do.

If you’re in the...

3 Manufacturing Slow Downs that are Impacting Your Bottom Line

Production and profit had plateaued at a Midwest Composites manufacturer. Orders were consistent...

What to Consider When Selecting a Manufacturing Software Vendor

In this day and age, customer service andreputable businessesare getting harder to find. There is...

The 5 Reasons Why Everyone Hates Manufacturing Software

No one enjoys researching shop floor systems. You have plenty of other responsibilities on your...

The 9 Most Common Manufacturing Symptoms, and How to Cure Them

When looking for a solution to manufacturing problems, it’s important that youfind the curerather...

Coast to Coast Production Control

Contracting more orders than you have the resources to complete seems like a great problem to have...

CIMx Celebrates 22 years of Manufacturing Innovation with Release of Quantum 6.0

After two decades of advanced planning and production control, CIMx announces Quantum 6.0 release...

CIMx President Speaks at United Nations Small Business Forum on “Global Development of Female Entrepreneurs”

New York, NY - Saturday, May 12, 2018

Cincinnati small business owner and EO global board member...

5 More Easy Shop Floor Quality Improvements

Production Control Systems and Quality Improvement

We are all in the quality business. Wasted time,...

How one midwest manufacturer increased production by 35% while reducing scrap by 80%

Case Study: Scrap Down. Production Up.

A midwest make-to-order manufacturer was experiencing both...

Accelerate and Achieve your Production Goals with Analytics

Companies often set aggressive business goals at the beginning of each year, only to find those...

How to Turn Production Data into Actionable Manufacturing Intelligence

 There’s a critical difference between raw data and actionable manufacturing intelligence. Data is...

Use Your Data for Accurate Production Costs

For manufacturers, accurate estimates are critical to managing costs and margins. If estimates are...

How to Turn your KPIs into Profit and Production

There’s an old saying, “If you can measure it, you can manage it.”

Where’d the money go? – How to turn Manufacturing Assets into Profit

If you don’t know where your materials are and how many you have, you don’t know where your money...

The Problem with Managing Tools, Parts, and Materials in your ERP – and What You Can Do About It

Not long ago, we worked with a manufacturer struggling with a serious scrap problem.

What it Takes to Succeed with Machine Maintenance

Manufacturers invest millions in machines and equipment. These high dollar assets provide the...

Do You Know Where Your Production Assets Are?

While production requires tools, materials, parts and equipment, many manufacturers don’t track or...

Increase Production Velocity and Profit in 2018

To kick off the New Year, we launched an exclusive 18-in-18 promotion. CIMx will completely cover...

Manufacturing Trends to Watch For in 2018

As 2017 winds to a close it’s time to start setting goals and preparing for success in the New Year.

Does Your ERP Speak MFG?

Manufacturers come to CIMx Software with critical manufacturing issues and need solutions to the...

Four Tips for Delivering Manufacturing Success in 2018

As 2017 draws to a close, businesses are planning for success in 2018. For make-to-order...

Solving Problems and Improving Production with Behavior Science

While many make-to-order manufacturers are highly successful at guiding the economic side of their...

A Rapid ROI for MES and Manufacturing Software

Today, with improvements in software technology and lower hardware costs, Manufacturing Execution...

How to Lower Costs and Eliminate the High-Price of Doing Nothing

Profitable revenue growth and increasing the bottom line is the goal of every business. Any...

Accelerate Production with Shop Floor Visibility and Quantum

As we’ve discussed in previous posts, manufacturers without shop floor visibility struggle to meet...

Unlock Smart Manufacturing and Production Visibility with an MES

Once you cut through the hype-cycle surrounding Smart Manufacturing you will find that, if...

5 Critical Benefits of Shop Floor Visibility

Do these common complaints sound familiar?

How much Does the Lack of Production Visibility Cost Manufacturers?

When mistakes occur on the shop floor – a part doesn’t meet specifications or a piece is out of...

The Broken Promises of Manufacturing Innovation

We received a lot of feedback, positive and negative, regarding our blog on market consolidation...

How to Find the Best Partner for Your Manufacturing Software

Last week I read a press release announcing a merger between two manufacturing software companies....

What Can Turnkey Manufacturing Software Do for You?

A manufacturing software solution is only as good as the data that fuels it.

5 Powerful Benefits of Production Data Visibility

Production data fuels the manufacturing industry. Putting this strategic information to work adds...

Five Steps and 12 Weeks to a Manufacturing Solution

If you’re struggling with manufacturing problems – failed audits, late shipments, scrap, waste and...

The Key to Success with Data-Driven Manufacturing

Data-driven manufacturing – using facts and data rather than conjecture and guesswork to manage...

Manufacturer’s Guide to Software Implementation

In a recent survey, Automation World and ARC Advisory found that MES systems were critical to...

Defining the ERP and MES Connection

When problems crop up in production, savvy manufacturers immediately search for a solution.

What Quantum MES Can Do for You

The internet can be a confusing place for anyone doing research – especially for manufacturers...

Five Steps to Eliminating Manufacturing Tech Debt and Optimizing Production

Recently, we’ve heard reports of manufacturers waiting to begin technology and manufacturing...

Bridging the Gap between Your PLM and Manufacturing

Manufacturing and engineering are both symbiotic and disjointed. While manufacturing relies on...

The Future of Wire and Cable Harness Manufacturing

Every year, wire and cable harness manufacturers and suppliers descend on the Wisconsin Center in...

Simple Steps to Improve Production Quality

Every manufacturer struggles to improve quality during production. Any level of defect is...

Tips to Stay Focused on Production Improvement in 2017

It may be hard to believe, but we are already entering the third quarter of 2017. With every...

Manufacturing Software and Paperless Manufacturing in 2017

We regularly review the manufacturing software market. Last year, we were twice caught off-guard by...

2016 Year in Review for Manufacturing Technology

At first glance, 2016 was a year of promise linking production priorities with emergent...

Manage Change on the Shop Floor with Manufacturing Software

With any software system, there’s a balancing act between flexibility and standardization. Where...

Overcoming Failure: Simple Steps to Improve Manufacturing Software

Not long ago, I wrote about a concept known as “sunk cost.” The Sunk Cost Fallacy is a cognitive...

How to Successfully Replace Manufacturing Software

There are manufacturers out there struggling with outdated and inefficient legacy software systems...

How a Workflow System Helps Manufacturers Improve Production

I’m beginning to understand why so many manufacturing companies are frustrated when they work with...

5 Ways You Can Optimize Production Today with MES

The benefits of an MES go beyond just solving problems. You should also consider the increased...

Simple versus Simplicity: The MES App Conundrum

Some manufacturers latch onto solutions that never really address the core problems facing...

Solutions to Manufacturing Skilled Labor Shortage

Modern manufacturing requires skilled workers – a fact many companies aren’t prepared to address.

...

Good Samaritans, Guarantees and Paperless Manufacturing

The core of customer service in manufacturing software is ensuring the system works as promised. By...