MRPeasy Manufacturing Podcast

Industrial equipment and machinery manufacturers are the cornerstone of the manufacturing industry. Building the technology used to increase efficiency in other businesses, industrial machinery builders have always been at the forefront of industrial innovation. Today, these changes are especially profound.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Push systems and pull systems are supply chain management strategies that are used depending on the uncertainty of the demand for a product. While push and pull are very different approaches, many companies also adopt a hybrid push-pull strategy.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Excel and other spreadsheet applications have been used for production planning for decades. Even though they are a viable first step solution for micro-companies, a growing business should already look for something more scalable.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Even with an ERP/MRP system in place, it might be difficult to keep tabs on inventory requirements, production plans, and other important areas of the business. This is where low stock alerts and other manufacturing and inventory notifications come to your aid.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Recent years have seen unprecedented disruption in the global economy. Large-scale events such as trade wars, tariffs, COVID-19, and port throughput issues have created massive pressure on the company’s supply chains.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Just-in-Time manufacturing is a business methodology that is targeted towards minimizing lead times, inventory, and the costs associated with the production and storage of goods. JIT also helps companies uncover inefficiencies that are being masked with excess inventory.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Determining which products to continue selling and which ones to discontinue is a challenge most businesses need to face at some point. Because there are many aspects to consider before cutting your product catalog, the process of SKU rationalization is here to help you find a balance between too many and too few SKUs.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Production control is the process within manufacturing whereby the production operation is monitored, and actions to control processes are undertaken. This may include demand planning, capacity planning, scheduling, work center assignment, inventory control, costing, and shop floor monitoring, and many more.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

The goal of every manufacturing business is to be as efficient as possible. But without being able to accurately gauge your efficiency, it is hard to know where you stand and what goals to set. Here is where manufacturing KPIs come into play.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Lean warehouse management is a methodology that takes the lean principles widely used in manufacturing environments and applies them to warehousing. Putting an emphasis on removing waste, lean warehouse management helps companies optimize and continuously improve their inventory processes.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

A stocktake is the act of counting and recording the quantities of goods in stock to compare the results with available inventory data and find discrepancies. It is a crucial part of any business that holds inventory and that is why the process of performing a stocktake needs to be rigorously organized.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Inventory costs make up a substantial part of any manufacturing or distributing company’s total expenses. To ensure the good financial health of your business, it is necessary to know how to make sense of these expenses and how to balance them.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Agile manufacturing is an approach to manufacturing that aims to increase product quality and service while reducing cost by implementing feedback-based design, planning, and production practices. Digital technology is at the heart of this modern manufacturing methodology.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Cycle inventory is the stock that is used to respond to regular sales and demand forecasts, as opposed to the safety stock used when there are fluctuations in demand or supply. Properly managing cycle stock is therefore a crucial part of any well-functioning business.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

The bullwhip effect is a supply chain phenomenon related to sudden changes in demand signals, when a slight movement in demand can cause large swings throughout the supply chain. To avoid a destructive “whip crack” at the end, companies need to be prepared to mitigate the effect.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Lot tracking, also known as batch tracking, is an important process for ensuring quality, most commonly for traceability and recall purposes. It is a crucial part of doing business in highly regulated industries, but it has its advantages regardless of the product.

Vendor-managed inventory is a supply chain management method wherein a supplier is responsible for replenishing the inventory of the buying company. This approach can lead to better inventory optimization, reduced costs, and stronger relationships between companies.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Batch production is a type of manufacturing process where products are made in batches, meaning that goods go through production steps in groups. Batch production allows for manufacturing goods flexibly in large quantities while reducing manufacturing costs and improving quality.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Vendor management is a set of tools that companies use to ensure profitable and efficient relationships with their suppliers. Coming a long way from traditional phone calls, faxes, and emails, today even small businesses have started to utilize software to manage their communication with vendors.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.

Even though MRP systems are quickly becoming the norm even among SMEs, manufacturers need to be aware of their advantages and disadvantages before deciding to implement new software. Apart from the general benefits and downsides that can be applied to most MRP systems, there are also aspects that can drastically vary from provider to provider.

You can learn more about it from this episode or read the article here.