A light turns green, so you go. The sun shines, so you grab a hat. The dog sees a squirrel, so it runs. These are instinctive, common-sense responses to everyday occurrences.
When you learn of a modern, industry-specific platform that will streamline your operations and unlock production data to action (and maximize your profits!), what do you do? You dive in.
Let’s take a look at five red flags that signify it is time to upgrade your processes to a digital solution.
5 Red Flags for Job Shops
1. You Want to Grow
Congratulations. The blood, sweat, and tears you have poured into your business have enabled it to grow. You have gone from 15 to 30 to 60 to 120 employees, and the opportunity exists to grow again.
How to Facilitate Growth:
Build Better Systems. Systematized processes and streamlined operations are paramount to scaling a business, just as a house needs a sound foundation. Easy-to-use software, built around your business, enables you to digitally capture the processes that have allowed you to grow up to this point. Digitization unlocks scaling.
Improve Communication. Break down communication barriers with modern technology to provide a centralized communication hub for the entire team. Historical information is easily referenced, and questions are answered in seconds. A central hub allows for extreme visibility, transparency, and awareness for all facets of the business.
Maximize Profits. Job shop production data is seamlessly collected, and automated custom reporting allows for efficient analysis. Acting on this data (i.e. price increases, operator changes, station utilization, etc.) will ensure you are operating at the peak, and with healthy profits to reflect.
2. You Are Tied to the Plant
A boat or beach, a national park, or even the grocery store… anywhere BUT the plant, and your phone rings. Your biggest customer is urgently scrambling for information on their order. Avert the crisis by pulling out your phone, searching for a part number or order number, or customer (or, or, or…), and finding parts and info in a matter of clicks. And in under 30 seconds provide them with all information they need to get on with the day.
How to cut the plant tether:
Promote Mobility. Modern, cloud-based job shop software enables you to keep tabs on all facets of the business without the hassles of VPN, remote connections, phone calls, etc. Remember your landline? After investing in modern software, you will say the same about your servers (and if you contract with Steelhead, you can lock in little to zero upfront costs!)
Encourage Flexibility. As we have seen in the past two years, workplace dynamics have changed. Enable those whose jobs allow the flexibility to work from anywhere. This will assist in your attraction and retention of dependable labor.
3. Workforce Squeeze
Seemingly permanent ‘Help Wanted’ signs have been hung in the windows of local businesses for some time. It is obvious there is a shortage of dependable, skilled labor, and we hear it daily from our friends in the industry. This is compounded by the reality that turnover in manufacturing job shops is naturally high.
How to Fix Labor Challenges:
Train employees at lightning speeds. Modern job shop software is designed and built to flow like any contemporary digital human interface. If you can use a smartphone, you can operate with modern software. Instant operator instruction (pictures, videos, text) at the user’s fingertips, coupled with the easy-to-learn and intuitive qualities, make training a breeze.
Schedule your workforce accordingly. Use production data to identify who your best rackers, maskers, blasters, dippers, inspectors, and packers are. Be smart with your limited resources and have the data to confidently adjust to constantly drive efficiency.
Shiny objects attract people. Recruit and retain your employees with exciting technology. Time savings realized will open the door for personal development through additional training, conference and expo attendance, and networking events.
4. Combat Inflation and Supply Chain Issues
The talk is there. Inflation is soaring and the stock market is down. Typically, these are signs to tighten the belt, so spending on new technology sounds like an expense. It is literally quite the opposite. An investment now is paramount in preparing the ship for rough seas and bigger profits ahead.
How to Navigate any Economic Downturn:
Use Production Data. Confidently identify your high and low-margin jobs, processes, and customers. Confirm your intuition regarding your highest and lowest-performing personnel. React accordingly with purpose.
Boost Transparency. Data, coupled with custom job shop reporting, allows you to view the enterprise through a picture window…not a peephole. This extreme transparency will enable you to guide, course correct, and navigate through the heaviest of financial headwinds.
5. You Are Thinking of the Plant’s Future.
Want to sell your business? Or perhaps you want to pass along to your kids and leave your legacy? Business transition, regardless of your exit strategy, requires careful and meticulous planning. Consider the following:
hj1sfha3jsdkfnaj4sdlfh7ds
vs.
ABCD EFG 123 456
Which are you drawn to? The scrambled and random, non-defined, assortment of numbers and letters? Or the organized and logical data sets? Make sure the structure in your business is the latter, it will be quite clear to your successor.
How to Prepare for Your Job Shop's Future
Promote Accessibility. Digitally build out your plant’s infrastructure; the stations, processes, treatments, and all the pertinent relationships. This will streamline operations and turn your shop into a well-oiled machine. Significantly more attractive than an operation that half exists on paper (or antiquated system) and half in the seller’s head.
Fuel Future Success with Data. A robust infrastructure, as defined in #1 above, and established processes and practices will increase the value of your business. The negotiations will be easy when you can simply show them the data.
Ensure a Smooth Transition. Be as involved or as hands-off as you desire after the transition. Either option is feasible if you have the infrastructure in place to support.
It is natural instinct to stay in your lane, stick with what’s comfortable, and set bounds and stay within. Be the drive for change. Make the conscious decision to better yourself, your team, and your business.
For a demo of Steelhead’s job shop technology, contact us today.
About the Author
Chet Halonen is a Sales and Deployment Engineer at Steelhead Technologies. His experience, from technical roles at vehicle and large machinery OEMs and interpersonal roles in officiating and sales, allows him to personally connect with people from all backgrounds and efficiently work with them to identify where Steelhead will streamline their operations. Chet is passionate about getting our customers the actionable production data they need to maximize their profits. Connect with Chet on LinkedIn.