Transforming Manufacturing Businesses

As many readers of this blog will be acutely aware, manufacturing businesses can face a seemingly endless array of challenges. Markets and competitors can evolve. Strategies and management teams can change. Sales teams can become fractured and underperform. For some organisations, this can become ‘head-in-the-sand’ or ‘cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best’ time. But for most savvy operators, these challenges…

Read More

5 LESSONS FROM COLLABORATIVE MANUFACTURING IN 2022

I recently facilitated a workshop focusing on the fundamental concepts of collaborative manufacturing.  Now, those of you who know me well will understand that I’ve developed a ‘healthy scepticism’ toward the effectiveness of programs or initiatives presented as the ‘future for manufacturing’. I developed this scepticism over my years in steel manufacturing, where it was…

Read More

WHAT IT TAKES TO GO GLOBAL IN MANUFACTURING

Currently, only a small percentage of Australian companies are in overseas markets. However, going global can help you generate more revenue, boost sales, increase investment opportunities, diversify, lower costs and recruit new talent. In fact, many studies in Australian manufacturing have highlighted international expansion as a crucial element to sustainable success. But what does it…

Read More

HOW TO ADOPT AUTOMATION AND AI TO BOOST BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY

Technology and industry 4.0 has really changed what’s possible in manufacturing by marrying physical production with smart digital technology.  This tech includes IT systems, the cloud, machine learning, the internet of things, and the ability to capture real-time business information and data. Then there’s software as a service, which has made everything more accessible and…

Read More

THE LINK BETWEEN SPORT AND HIGH BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

As competition has increased, both in Australia and globally, it’s become more critical than ever for manufacturers to clearly understand the competitive capabilities they need to develop to achieve superior business performance.  In the latest two-part episode of my Manufacturing Mastery podcast (Episodes 8 and 9), I sat down with Chris Davey, a process and…

Read More

6 COMMON TRAITS OF A WORLD-CLASS MANUFACTURER

Australia is focused on building a world-class manufacturing industry, with this year’s budget adding a further $425 million to their existing $1.5 billion investment in manufacturing capabilities. But what does world-class actually look like at a business level? In the latest episode of my Manufacturing Mastery podcast (Episode 7), I sat down with my long-time…

Read More