Number of Parts Defines Small vs. Very Small ManufacturersWritten by Rocky Smolin
E-Z-MRP, leading manufacturing software system for small manufacturers, announced effective April 15th, there will be a new pricing and product structure. According to Rocky Smolin, founder of Beach Access Software, makers of E-Z-MRP, “We see a distinction between those small manufacturers with less than five hundred parts in material resource planning, and those with a need for unlimited part numbers.”Smolin noted that some manufacturers will start with under 500 parts version of E-Z-MRP, priced at $2995, and grow into new unlimited version, priced at $9800. Beach Access Software credits $2995 for customers who later choose to upgrade. Other small manufacturers who presently have more than five hundred part will start right away with E-Z-MRP Unlimited version. Small manufacturers with more than one hundred parts can no longer manage manufacturing process on an Excel spreadsheet. Since more than 84% of all manufacturers have less than fifty employees, there is a remarkable opportunity for cost-effective manufacturing systems like E-Z-MRP. Despite extensive media coverage regarding ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), in most cases these small manufacturers do not require all functionality offered, nor can many afford price point.
| | 5 Questions to Ask Yourself as a ManagerWritten by Arthur Cooper
5 Questions to Ask Yourself as a Manager By Arthur Cooper (c) Copyright 2005 Here are five questions you should ask yourself if you are a manager. Only if you can say ‘Yes’ to them all can you be sure of being on right track. 1.Are you in control? This question concerns what you and your team are doing, not your status in team. You are giving orders and they are receiving them, that is true. But real meaning of this question lies elsewhere. The real question to ask is this. Are you just reacting to events as they occur or are you directing them? Are you solving problems as they happen or are you anticipating and avoiding them? In other words, are you reactive or proactive? To achieve more, to be more effective, and to end up with results you want you need to be proactive. As a side effect you will at same time dramatically reduce your level of stress. 2.Are you sure of your goals? Do you know where you and your team are headed? Are you sure of what you should be doing? Do you really know what you are trying to achieve? If you don’t know it is a certainty that your team doesn’t know either. Find out. Decide for yourself. Remove all doubts. Be one hundred percent sure. 3.Is your team with you? Do you have to drag your team with you where you want them to go or are they willing to follow your lead? Have you convinced them that your way is best? Are they motivated? Indeed, are you yourself sufficiently keen, motivated, and enthusiastic for it to show and to rub off onto your team? If you do need re-motivating and firing up, or if your team does then it is your job as manager to see that it is done.
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