I’m in the productivity business. At some level, we all are. We’d like to think that whatever solution we’re selling or service we’re providing will offer a benefit or make life better in some way.

So long as we’re in an organization with limited finances (which probably includes most for-profit and not-for-profit organizations these days) we need to measure “better” in two ways. One way of making things “better” means better for the organization itself, so it can do a better job of achieving its mission for its customers. The other way makes things better for the people who work in the organization. The tendency generally seems to be to focus on making things better for the organization (and therefore the bottom line), but unfortunately, as organizations go about making these types of “improvements”, it is easy to forget that “better for the people” often has a direct impact on “better for the organization”, ie. making tasks easier and faster for the individuals in a company generally leads to increasing the overall productivity of the company. Read the rest of this entry »

When I speak with distribution executives nowadays, they all say the same thing: “We are struggling to keep our heads above water because of the economy.” However, before the economy took a turn for the worse, they talked about low profit margins, high inventory levels with low turns, and an erosion of their profitability because of their warehouses. I am often forced to ask, “Is the economy really that bad? Or, is your inability to deliver what your customers want, when they want it, and at a competitive price making it seem worse to your organization?”

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Most business leaders rely heavily on their business management software for making critical decisions and for managing operations. That’s why when it becomes clear to you that your current system is hampering your ability to make those critical decisions, it’s time to start looking for something new. Read the rest of this entry »

Management of free trade agreements (FTAs) and related origin issues has never been as important for businesses as it is today. Why? Primarily because it provides a competitive advantage through lower duty rates, and allows manufacturers to keep up with the competition.

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