I have worked for and with many manufacturing companies — some big and some not so big. Something nearly all of them do is spend many hours and dollars looking for the silver bullet. That one technique, practice or discipline that once adopted will cure all their ills, solve all their problems on the line, in the market, with revenue degradation and with personnel. I can say with certainty, there is no one answer. There is no silver bullet.
Manufacturers, in their effort to improve their position, will bring in a seemingly endless parade of well-meaning consultants, advisers and coaches; everything from Six Sigma training to personal life and executive behavior coaches. All have some level of value. All have something, some nugget of truth in their advice that can help in some way. The trick becomes finding those nuggets and applying them to your specific situation.
Finding answers in stakeholders
Applying those nuggets means getting out of your office, into the market and on the floor, asking questions of your customers and employees. When was the last time you visited your biggest customer? Your top 10? What would they tell you about your products?
Many times the answers to the problems a business faces come from the people who work in the business every day: Your employees. Lots of leaders don’t think their people have the answers. But they do have what you need, and they truly care about your business, especially in this economy. It’s in their best interest for the business to not only survive, but thrive. Try asking them what’s wrong with the process and how to fix it.
Another common paradigm I see with manufacturers is in the way they use interns. Many have expressed frustration in finding interns who can both offer and gain value from the relationship.
First and foremost, pay your interns. They are paying for their educations and need the money. The more reasonable the pay, the better the results.
Second, have a plan for their participation. What do you need? Is it help with social media? Marketing? Communications? Sales analysis? The better you can define their role, the easier it is to find a match.
Invest in yourself
A final observation: Manufacturers — and again they are not alone — expect the government to somehow provide funding for their growth. Though there are low-cost loan programs, intern cost share, research and development and job creation tax incentives available, don’t depend on any level of government to come to your rescue. The government doesn’t have that silver bullet either. The funding merry-go-round is strained and broken in many places. You have to be willing to invest your own money in your business. After all, if you won’t invest in your business, why would someone else?
There is no silver bullet for manufacturing today. It’s like it has always been: hard work, open eyes and ears, and an open mind. Would you really want it any other way?
