Do you have a question or concern? With an average of 18 years of manufacturing management and engineering experience, our staff can answer a lot of technical and business questions. If we don't know the answer, we can find it through our extensive national network, and keep it confidential in the process.

Give us a try! Below are examples of questions we've been asked in the past. To give us your question please click here.

• What improvement investments yield the best results?
• How do we save costs during the economic downturn, but keep our work force?
• Can we get funding for training and equipment?
• What are the costs and benefits of ERP systems for small manufacturers?
• Do we need to follow the ISO 9000:2000 standards?

We have a very limited budget, especially with the economy currently in a decline, so where should my company spend our resources to get the most measurable improvement results?

The answer is different for every company, but we do recommend that you invest in eliminating the biggest bottleneck in your business. Take a look at your company: Where are your bottlenecks or constraints? Where are your workers spending overtime? Where are you falling short on throughput? You can pinpoint the problems through Value Stream Mapping or even just by looking for areas where your inventory is backed up.

One of the advantages of constraints management is that it offers the opportunity for immediate payback simply by identifying where the most serious bottlenecks are and eliminating them. If you eliminate that constraint, you can get more throughput. And reducing inventory and work-in-process can give you more cash to manage other aspects of your business.

Costs are getting pretty tight during the current economic downturn. I don't want to cut staff, but am not sure of what else we can do to stay healthy. What do you recommend?

We believe that it's best to look for ways to improve your efficiency and productivity during a downturn, so you can improve your bottom line without cutting things that may actually hurt your income potential when the economy rebounds. Employees are a valuable resource - and it can actually be more expensive to re-hire and re-train your work force at a later time than to keep them during times of low business. If you can, now is the time to focus on training to enhance future productivity. Sometimes, some of these costs may be shared with government agencies interested in maintaining employment. It is also a good time to invest in productivity improvement techniques such as Lean Manufacturing, so that you'll be stronger down the road. Many of these programs free up savings very quickly to pay back your initial investment.

Think of it this way: Your company and employees are likely to have more time for training and improvements now than any other time. Some of your competitors will be making improvements and getting training for their workforce, so you may be behind later unless you think smart now.

Is it true that there are programs that will pay for training of employees at my company or new equipment? How do we get the money?

Yes, all three of our states - Kansas, Wyoming and Colorado - offer a variety of grants, tax credits, low-cost loans and other programs to encourage the growth of business and high quality jobs. The programs, requirements, and application processes are different by state, but MAMTC has had considerable success in accessing some of these funds.

In particular, we have helped clients access programs that support up to half of the training costs for employees through the Colorado First Program, the Kansas Industrial Training (KIT)/ Kansas Industrial Retraining (KIR) programs, and Wyoming's Work Force Development Training Fund. MAMTC staff have also helped these firms design their training and in some cases, our experts have conducted the training. In Wyoming, we have worked arranged for the Department of Environmental Quality to pay for environmental audits conducted by our environmental specialist on a confidential basis.

My CEO is interested in installing an ERP system in our company. Before we get into a new system, how much do they cost and what real benefits do they provide for a smaller firm?

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems can be excellent tools for many manufacturers, providing real-time information from and between all departments - from shop floor to design to accounts receivable, and sometimes with suppliers. The right system can translate into a long list of financial benefits, with enhanced efficiency and better customer service among them.

The key, though, is selecting the right system for you, and understanding that the costs for ERP systems go beyond the software. For smaller manufacturers, ERP software costs range from $10,000 to $250,000 plus (while larger, more sophisticated systems can often run in the millions of dollars). Software investment is about one-third of the implementation costs, since hardware, infrastructure and training can boost the price tag.

We recommend a ten-step process for implementing ERP:

1. Set up a project team with representatives from every major department
2. Establish a budget and schedule
3. Define your needs - where does the company want to go and how could an ERP system help you get there?
4. Develop a list of potential vendors
5. Evaluate the packages, based on functionality and how the vendors will partner with you
6. Do demos of the packages
7. Compare and analyze the different packages, and consider getting outside help to get an unbiased opinion
8. Check references of the software and vendors
9. Do a cost-benefit analysis
10. Select a package, negotiating a service contract that includes full training, implementation and trouble-shooting

MAMTC has helped many companies go through this process, often being involved in every step at the customers' request. The right system has yielded quick paybacks for many manufacturers.

The ISO 9000 standards were updated in 2000. What were the major changes involved, and do we need to follow the revisions?