November 4, 2010 – 1:11 pm
In a financially driven turnaround, IT & ERP factors are frequently pushed to the side, with the belief that they take too long, or cost too much to help the turnaround. This article details why this is not always true, and when, where, and how you can, in an operational turnaround, leverage quick, effective action in the IT/ERP area to achieve short-term and lasting performance improvements.
August 28, 2010 – 3:17 pm
Inventory is an integral part of every product oriented company, whether it is a distributor, assembler, or vertically integrated production operation. It is normal for otherwise capable business, financial, production, and material management people to make major decisions that are intended to reduce cost that fail to take ALL costs into consideration, and so run awry.
August 18, 2010 – 11:03 am
The discussion of Semco SA, in his remarkable book, The Age of the Unthinkable, Joshua Cooper Ramo provides remarkable insights for those interested in the rapid performance improvements required by turnaround work. Semco SA is a truly amazing, break-all-the-rules turnaround. Set in Brazil, in the 1990s, when inflation was running 1,000% /year, in an economy where 1 in 4 companies went bankrupt, and the government had seized 80% of all cash, Semco made some remarkable changes and resumed profitable growth at a 40%/yr rate. We should all know about this one.
The huge changes in the US economy as a result of Asian off-shoring have generated new opportunities that are the result, in part, of the problems the off-shoring has caused. Companies that make the right moves will benefit now, and be in an especially strong position when the tide turns.
In a turnaround situation, cash is everything. Summarized here is the manufacturing turnaround strategy I have used to achieve major reductions in working capital and permanent production cost – sizeable positive cash flow impacts – fast.
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