To stay profitable as a manufacturer, you have to run a tight ship. I’ve been lucky enough to visit with owners and key people at thousands of manufacturers all over the world. My main goal during these visits is to listen and learn what makes them so good at what they do.

It turns out that the most successful ones, no matter what they make, all share a few key ideas. They get the basics right. Think of it as the ABCs of manufacturing:
• A for automation
• B for business intelligence
• C for customer care

Let’s break down what that really means for you.

A is for automation: Let your systems do the heavy lifting

Automation is the engine of efficiency. To compete on a global scale, you must keep your costs under control.

Automation is absolutely about cutting costs. But it’s also about unlocking your team’s true potential. It’s about eliminating the wasteful minutes spent on repetitive, manual tasks so your people can focus on innovation, problem-solving, and proactive management. When you let your systems handle the busywork, you empower your people to do their best work.

Put scheduling on autopilot: Many manufacturers feel like they’re constantly juggling schedules. As one manufacturer put it, “We used to spend too much time on scheduling.” Lean manufacturers do it automatically. This saves an incredible amount of time and frees up your schedulers to become strategic planners, looking for efficiencies instead of just plugging in data.

Take the guesswork out of purchasing: Knowing when to buy parts and in what quantity shouldn’t be a guessing game. Automation removes the uncertainty, allowing your purchasing team to focus on negotiating better prices and improving delivery times, which directly affects your bottom line.

Make it your own: True, effective automation isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Every manufacturing business is different. That’s why automation, from quoting to shipping, requires a flexible system that can be tailored to meet your specific processes, machines, and philosophies.

When you fully embrace automation, it becomes a powerful engine for growth.

B is for business intelligence

Your business produces a massive amount of data every single day. Business intelligence harnesses data to make smarter, faster, and more profitable decisions. This starts by breaking down information silos and creating a single source of truth for your entire operation.

Get everyone on the same page: The most successful manufacturers manage their entire business, from quote to cash, with a single, integrated ERP system. Juggling separate software for accounting, sales, and production is a recipe for errors and inefficiency. When all your data live in one system, your team can trust the numbers they’re seeing, and everyone from the shop floor to the front office is working with the same real-time information.

‘Knowing where we stand with inventory at any given time improves our quoting accuracy and ability to determine margins on every job. In today’s markets, if you can’t accurately track your costs and margins, it puts you at a real competitive disadvantage.’
—C.E. Smith Co.

Know your numbers cold: You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Healthy manufacturers live by their key performance indicators (KPIs). These are the vital signs of your business—metrics like on-time delivery rates, gross profit margin by job, and scrap percentage. Tracking these KPIs enables you to spot positive trends and identify money-draining challenges before they become major problems. It lets you manage your business with facts, not just gut feelings.

Make data-driven decisions: When you have accurate, real-time data at your fingertips, you can make better decisions about everything. You can quote jobs with confidence, knowing your true costs. You can manage inventory more effectively, protecting your cash flow. And you can see which customers and product lines are the most profitable, so you can focus your efforts where they’ll be most effective.

C is for customer care

Ultimately, all the efficiency and data in the world serve one primary purpose: to take better care of your customers. Excellent customer care is the cornerstone of growth. When you make your customers’ lives easier and help them succeed, they don’t just come back—they become your biggest advocates.

Win more jobs with faster, smarter quoting: In today’s market, speed and accuracy win business. The more quotes you can get out the door and the more accurate they are, the more jobs you’ll win. It’s that simple. An integrated system enables you to generate quotes that are not only fast but also highly accurate, based on real historical job costs and material prices.

Provide instant, confident answers: The last thing a customer wants to hear when they ask about an order is, “Let me check and get back to you.” A culture of exceptional customer care is built on providing immediate and accurate answers. When your ERP and CRM systems are fully integrated, your entire team has access to the same up-to-the-minute customer information. They can answer questions about job status, shipments, and invoicing on the first call, building trust and strengthening relationships.

Become a true partner: When you have a complete view of your customer’s history, needs, and ongoing projects, you can move beyond being just a supplier and become a true partner. You can anticipate their needs, alert them to potential issues, and use tools like “what-if” scheduling to accommodate rush orders and changes, proving that you are a flexible and reliable part of their success.

Making it how you work, every day

Mastering the ABCs of modern manufacturing—automation, business intelligence, and customer care—is a transformative journey. It’s a commitment to continuous improvement that pays dividends throughout your entire organization. With the right integrated ERP system as your foundation, these principles become more than just a strategy; they become the way you do business, leading to leaner operations, greater efficiency, and a healthier, more profitable future.