Manufacturers know that managing cash flow can often feel like navigating a relentless tide. Balancing between incoming revenues and outgoing expenses requires both skill and insight; and it’s not always clear where to begin making improvements. To help, we’re offering three potential strategies to enhance your financial agility: effective inventory management, strategic supplier relationships, and revamping your accounts receivable processes. These strategies can not only alleviate cash flow pressures but drive sustainable growth. 1. Streamline Your Inventory Management Many manufacturers suf ..read more

Small and medium-sized manufacturers with successful supply chains rely heavily on robust production planning. Optimizing the production plan, which takes into account the manufacturing process from raw materials to finished goods, can enhance a company’s operational efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction.  Using manufacturing production planning to strengthen the supply chain involves aligning production processes with overall supply chain goals. In this blog, we'll explore several strategies and practices to consider. Demand Forecasting Start by forecasting demand for the c ..read more

Global supply chains have faced significant disruptions in recent years. In fact, over 30% of global retailers experienced pandemic-related challenges, resulting in financial loss and customer dissatisfaction. While pandemics, natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts, and other disruptive events are inevitable, manufacturing managers can insulate their supply chains from their worst effects with proper preparation. This is where supply chain planning plays an important role. In this blog, we’ll explain the purpose of supply chain planning and break down its key components. We’ll also highligh ..read more

Enacted by Congress in 2021 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) aims to mitigate money laundering, tax fraud, and other illicit activities by capturing more information about the ownership of specific entities operating in or accessing the U.S. markets. Effective January 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act requires millions of small businesses to report ownership information to FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) which falls under the U.S. Department of the Treasury (DOT). So, who is impacted by CTA? How does one file ..read more

As artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have become more widespread and accessible, manufacturers have become increasingly interested in this new capacity to increase productivity (use less, waste less), precision (drive quality and specification), and performance (use workforce and equipment resources better and more flexibly).  With a focus on Smart Manufacturing (SM), it is useful to think about AI as software systems that can recognize, explain, and forecast situations, conditions, and properties for real-time human and machine control, management, optimization, and ..read more

Creating a strategic plan is as much of an art form as it is a scientific process. A great strategic plan addresses the fears of organizational members while simultaneously leveraging real-world data to identify a path toward sustained success.  One of the main purposes of a strategic plan is to allow an organization to improve its resiliency to unpredictable market conditions. The often-quoted Murphy’s Law of Combat states that “No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.” This old adage holds true in the business world, too, as a well-designed strategic plan can give an organiz ..read more

Manufacturers rely on a skilled workforce to implement, oversee, and improve their manufacturing processes. With millions of manufacturing jobs going unfilled each year, small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) are looking for ways to attract qualified candidates and capture their full potential for growth and productivity.  By focusing on the quality of the manufacturing jobs themselves, manufacturers can better attract teams of qualified job candidates.  This blog explores the importance of prioritizing job quality in the manufacturing sphere and breaks down the key factors that ..read more

Smart Manufacturing technologies are not just shaping the future; they're redefining the here and now. From the precision of sensor technologies to the intelligence of data-driven decision-making, Smart Manufacturing is forging a new era of innovation and production.  For California manufacturers, this pathway offers the chance to transform operations in order to increase efficiency, revolutionize product development, and gain a competitive edge in global markets. However, adopting a Smart Manufacturing technology ethos can't be done haphazardly. It requires a nuanced approach, detailed p ..read more

The aerospace and defense sector — a hub of engineering prowess and innovation — is a cornerstone of California’s manufacturing landscape.  More than most other industries, aerospace and defense depends on a highly skilled, specialized, and technical workforce to achieve continuous growth and success. This specialization results in a limited pool of top-tier candidates, making the competition between manufacturers intense and the stakes high.  To make matters more complicated, many younger workers are leaving the industry for jobs in the automotive and tech sectors. At the same time ..read more

The global food supply chain is the unseen undercurrent of the world economy. This logistical marvel connects farmers, distributors, retailers, and consumers in a complex, never-ending production, processing, and distribution cycle to keep supermarkets stocked and kitchens brimming with fresh foods. However, recent global events have cast a glaring spotlight on the vulnerabilities inherent to this system. Once considered a strength, global connectivity has become the supply chain’s biggest hurdle. Disruption in one region caused a domino effect that rippled across world markets, impacting oper ..read more