|
|  |
|
|
People & Processes
The Starting Point - successfully manage change!
Best Practice for managing change
http://www.rainmkrs.com/starting.html
by Jon C. Liberman
One common denominator for all of Rainmakers client's is the need to successfully manage change. (Success = realistic expectations met, on time & budget). The following article discusses how to start any initiative that will involve change to maximize the probability of realistic expectations getting met, on time and on budget
|
Supply Chain: Extranet your Sole-Source Vendors
Off-Shore production process optimization
by Mike Tulig, Infoware, Inc.
Serving the Chicago area Midrange for over 20 years
Application Integration and Business Systems Improvement
Vendor Collaboration
In the manufacturing and distribution industries, opportunities abound for saving money and improving customer service through improvements in business systems.
When information concerns high-value products, with long production lead-times and even longer shipment times, inaccurate or untimely information can lead to the costly and wasteful production and movement of goods.
By providing accurate communications to and from offshore manufacturers, $millions are saved by:
- Eliminating the production of unwanted products;
- Eliminating the time-lag and exception processing due to retransmission of information;
- Allowing for timely and consolidated shipments to retail locations, and eliminating expedited charges and express shipping.
Click on the Full Story below for details
[FULL STORY]
|
American Express's Leading Edge Leadership
Synthesis Consulting Case Study
by Ralph Jacobson
Dear ,
Effective leadership is undoubtedly one of the most critical requirements for a business to be successful. Developing your people’s leadership skills and capabilities is an often overlooked strategy to employ to improve your firms decision making capabilities and bottom line!
This Case Study: American Express’s leading edge leadership explores how American Express uses Synthesis Consulting's methodology to build leaders and teamwork. The founder of Synthesis Consulting, Inc., Ralph Jacobson, has a unique approach at “coaching” people and providing “tools/methodologies” to develop leadership and manage change. Read the Full Story below and explore your options.
SMOKE SIGNAL Contributor:
Ralph Jacobson, President of Synthesis Consulting, Inc.
Ralph Jacobson helps people with organizational growth and change. He offers innovative leadership development programs that help leaders see a new way to lead and provides them with practical and powerful tools to create employee commitment and organizational success. He is the author of Leading for a Change: How to Master the Five Challenges Faced By Every Leader, published in June 2000 by Butterworth Heinemann and nominated by mgeneral.com as one of the best business books in the year 2000.
For additional information call Rainmakers at 847/251-3327
[FULL STORY]
|
Case Study: National Casein, Inc. Business Process Improvements as Part of preparing for ERP
by Big Orbit Solutions
Dear Reader,
Horror stories abound about companies investing in ERP technology with grandiose expectations at the front-end, to be replaced with the horror of reality at the back end. In fact my experience suggests most firms original expectations are not met on time or budget in the majority of ERP/MRP implementations.
The reasons for this fall into several consistent categories:
- Those firms who had poorly conceived business cases with little consensus around expectations or means of measurement. They thought selecting technology was most important factor and shopped based on budget constraints.
- Those firms who, after being forced by factors beyond their control (Y2K, upgrade or lose support, merger, etc.), approached the process like a cost to be minimized – often assuming business processes would easily adapt (or the software would easily be adapted) to accommodate existing business practices.
- Those firms, who did not prior to attempting implementation, spend the time upfront in “sweating out” the details. They did not establish an effective project team, staffed with cross-function project members with management sponsorship squarely behind them. Most often business processes and the human acceptance issues take a back seat to the technology factors.
- Those firm who selected “Vapor Ware” products that were full of bugs and unexpected problems. I have never seen in my 23+ years a situation where the software selected by a firm was full of bugs and at least two of the above mentioned factors were not also present.
Regardless of the reasons for failure lessons can be learned and substantial gain delivered when learning from other people's mistakes. This SMOKE SIGNAL article describes one such Case where a mid-market manufacturer was able to learn from others travails and partner with Rainmakers Consortium member – Big Orbit Solutions.
National Casein, Inc. understands that technology automates business processes. If they streamline inefficencies they repeat common mistakes of others. They wisely choose to redesign their critical business processes prior to selecting or deploying ERP packages. Learn more by clicking on the Full Story below.
Let me know if you have any questions or I can be of service to you or your firm. Thanks for your time.
Jon C. Liberman
Rainmakers
847/251-3327
jon@rainmkrs.com
www.rainmakers.us
[FULL STORY]
|
Medela Strategic Sourcing Case Study
Transforming a Purchasing Department to a Strategic Sourcing Organization
by Form + Function Consulting
Dear Reader,
Overall, executive management tends to fall into one of two categories with regard to improving their business and managing change: proactive or reactive.
I’m not suggesting being proactive is always good/right choice. It depends on the particular situation at hand. For instance, what proactive activities are being considered, what marketplace conditions are, and how the changes associated with the activities are managed. The attached Case Study describes one example of what I consider a very intelligent approach that your company should emulate (if not already in process).
Medela, Inc., a high growth mid-market manufacturer of breast pump and breastfeeding accessories is an good example of a proactive business making intelligent decisions: Scott Baxter, VP of Operations, desired a means for accelerating new product time-to-market, gaining operational efficiencies and optimizing unit costs. After much consideration he decided to transform his purchasing department into a Strategic Sourcing organization.
Given the economy, and major investments in new ERP software, Scott needed the project to be self-funding. Rainmakers introduced a Strategic Partner with a unique approach - Form + Function's Supply Chain Management Team. A unique feature of their approach was a Risk Free guarantee on the deliverables they provided Medela. They also structured the project to leverage limited Medela staff, yet still facilitate the transfer of knowledge required to execute and support the initiative.
Click on the Full Story below for the details. Call me if you have any similar issues or opportunities Rainmakers Consortium may help you with. Thanks for your time.
Jon C. Liberman
Rainmakers
847/251-3327
jon@rainmkrs.com
www.rainmakers.us
[FULL STORY]
|
Case Study: Edlong Flavors uses Business Simulation to Accelerate Growth; Creates Employee Excitement for Generating Production Efficiencies.
by Denniston Consulting Group
Dear Reader,
Getting an edge in today's competitive world often time requires "thinking out of the box". Especially in regards to strategic thinking and building the leadership skills required to create prosperity.
One of Rainmakers Strategic Partners, Denniston Consulting Group, has helped Edlong Flavors http://www.edlong.com/ accomplish their objectives by utilizing business simulations to achieve measurable results in a full day “free market” simulation.
Can your company benefit by enhancing your people’s customer service and leadership skills? Edlong Flavors, in particular needed to accomplish the following
- get each member of their organization excited about their contribution to the overall goals
- enable people to make decisions in the best interest of the company as a whole
- improve efficiencies in production
Learn more by clicking on the Full Story below.
Rainmakers helps our client’s prosper by the intelligent use of Best Practices, Technology and Human Resources. Give me a call to discuss how we can be of service to you. Thanks for your time.
Jon C. Liberman
Rainmakers
847/251-3327
jon@rainmkrs.com
www.rainmakers.us
[FULL STORY]
|
E-Learning for Human Resource Departments
Good ideas for business!
by Dr. Daniel Farb
Dear Reader,
Managing Human Resources in a mid-market business in today’s world is very challenging! In fact the “lean & mean” nature inherent in mid-market businesses guarantees nimble professionals are a necessity to meet the needs of a business while keeping out of “harm's way” (legal and governmental obligations).
This SMOKE SIGNAL article is created by Dr. Daniel Farb, founder of UniversityOfHealthCare/UniversityOfBusiness, and discusses how E-Learning Best Practices can be used by human resource departments to:
Ø Determine whether E-Learning is right for your company
Ø How to determine Return-On-Investment implications for your firm
Ø How to evaluate the options available to deliver E-Learning solutions
A simple litmus teat Dr. Farb explains to determine if E-Learning can provide a viable return for you is if your firm fits these qualifiers…
- A company that has compliance and safety needs,
- Geographical separation of business units, and
- Training related to growth needs with at least 150 employees
Below 150 employees a firm might need to evaluate additional alternatives that require lower investments such as vendor web sites or CD’s.
UniversityOfHealthCare/UniversityOfBusiness offers advice, content development and a rent-to-use ASP service that minimizes investment and risk on deploying E-Learning solutions for your firm. Click on the FULL Story below for details.
Thanks for the opportunity to be of service. Call me if you have any questions.
Jon C. Liberman
Rainmakers
847/251-3327
jon@rainmkrs.com
www.rainmakers.us
[FULL STORY]
|
Automotive supplier uses "Best of Breed" approach to optimize Estimating processes
Seamless integration with CAD/CAM and 3rd Pty ERP
by OnCourse Technologies
Dear Reader,
Middle market companies are challenged by the same factors affecting fortune 500 –
“Get more done with less, increased customer demands, complexities of continually improving performance, increased government regulation”
– only they don’t have the staff to adequately handle everything.
Mid-market manufacturers especially, are finding it takes quite an effort to maintain profitable margins! This SMOKE SIGNAL article discusses how Canadian Automotive supplier – Anchor Lamina, Inc. utilizes a “Best of Breed” approach to optimizing critical customer focused processes – estimating, quotation and order processing.
By utilizing packaged tools from OnCourse Technologies Corp. subsidiaries: Micro Estimating Systems and TekSoft Inc., Anchor Lamina has optimized these critical processes to “get more done, at higher quality, with less”. These tools have integrated estimating with CAD/CAM and seamlessly integrates with their 3rd Party ERP system.
Your firm may benefit by exploring how “Best of Breed” technology can be profitably deployed by Clicking on The Full Story below.
Thanks for your time. Feel free to contact me if we can be of use. Take care.
Jon C. Liberman
Rainmakers
847/251-3327
jon@rainmkrs.com
www.rainmakers.us
[FULL STORY]
|
|
| |
|
|
|
