The Data That Every Job Shop Needs to Win More Business Job shop owners and estimators know two things about quoting: 1) it is the lifeblood of any job shop, and 2) it takes a lot of time. Time is a non-renewable resource – there are only so many hours in a workday, and every … Continued
Pricing Strategies: A Guide For Job Shops Understanding pricing so you don’t lose money. Too many job shops are misinformed about the objective of quoting. They believe the objective is solely to win the job. But the goal should be to spend the least possible amount of time and effort to deliver a quote to … Continued
MES Versus ERP—What’s the Difference? The world of manufacturing software is rife with acronyms. There are acronyms for almost any type of software solution—MRP, ERP, and CAD—or specific function or capability—MPS, MRP, ATP, and CTP. Two of the most common acronyms you may encounter while searching for manufacturing software or capability are ERP and MES. … Continued
Everything You Need to Know About ERP Software Anyone that has grown up in industry knows that manufacturing ERP or shop management software is nothing new. Many of the solutions available for small and mid-market manufacturers today have their roots and origins in the solutions designed well over 50 years ago. These precursors to modern … Continued
Guest Post: By Mark Albert, Editor Emeritus, Modern Machine Shop We have all received emails from our banks, dentist office, retailers, hotel chains and other parties assuring us that they are taking precautions to keep customers and employees as safe as possible as well as minimize the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Many of the … Continued
The Problem It is a dilemma we see all the time here at Paperless Parts: a shop has one estimator that has been doing their job, among other responsibilities like engineering, inside sales, managing, etc., for several decades. They have a consistent quoting process which has allowed the company to scale to its current size, … Continued
B2B software continues to move to the cloud, but the manufacturing industry is lagging adoption. Historically, people have worried that cloud software might compromise their security. In fact, today’s professional Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings are far more secure than on-premise solutions. Another objection to cloud software is the recurring expense model, rather than a one-time cost. … Continued
I have been working at Paperless Parts full-time for six months now. I focus most of my time on building our Customer Success team and process. It’s a fascinating, exciting, and relentlessly fulfilling job. The company has more than doubled in size since last summer, and it has been wonderful to see new faces join … Continued
The world is rapidly changing for custom parts manufacturers. A small number of well-funded players are beginning to dominate the market for custom manufactured parts. The expectations of parts buyers are changing too. A recent survey shows that 53% of buyers expect a response to their RFQs in 24 hours or less. Where should manufacturers … Continued
As the decade comes to a close, we think about what’s next in cybersecurity for manufacturers. Manufacturing is critical infrastructure in the United States. With a significant percentage of the entire US market supporting national defense, the manufacturing supply chain is a prime target for cyber attacks and increased regulation. For the last few years, … Continued