As technology continues to dominate the manufacturing world, an emphasis on data-driven decision making has come the focal point of strategic transformation. Ultimately, what truly creates sustainable competitive advantage is an organization’s ability to effectively extract valuable insights from their data. When managing by key performance indicators be sure to avoid these 5 common mistakes.
Read MoreEven those who are familiar with the strategic side of sales and marketing get confused between top-down and bottom-up market research. Worse yet, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably when they really shouldn’t be. To illustrate the difference, consider subtractive versus additive manufacturing as an analogy.
Read MoreA successful organizational transformation requires three essential elements: the right people, the right processes, and the right tools. A change to just one of those key elements not enough. In order to be successful, an organization needs to be able to convert data and information into outcomes and results. Bottom line, changes in technology need to go hand-in-hand with organizational change.
Read MoreCreating transparency on the production floor is the key to addressing costly drivers of operational inefficiency. The depth of data collection can be summarized into four groups along the Data Collection Continuum: from "No Clue", to "Pretty Sure", to "Hunch", to "Chaos." Where does your company fit?
Read MoreIn collaboration with the Technology and Manufacturing Association (TMA), AMark Consulting completed a research project to identify areas capacity underutilization. The purpose of this study was to quantify unused capacity to the unmet market demand (in terms of delivery, price, quality, or capabilities).
Read MoreThe topic of millennials in the workforce has been long discussed. Stereotyped as both "snowflakes" and "hardest working" generation, many industries struggle to understand what makes the millennial generation tick. Fortunately, the demands and desires of millennials and manufacturers are not as far apart as you might expect.
Read MoreWe are pleased to announce the addition of Emily Bourne as an Associate Partner to the AMark Consulting Team in Chicago. Emily is a recent MBA graduate of DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Supply Chain Management program. Her experience has provided value on market analysis and sales performance management projects. Read more about Emily’s background here.
Read MoreIn the combined experience of AMark’s consultants, we have had the opportunity to visit with hundreds of leadership teams around the world. With this experience, we have developed best practice examples, which allow us to set a benchmark for the success of our client partners. Here are some of the “Good, Better, Best” examples we’ve encountered in our practice, as well as red flags that represent attitudes or perceptions that often hinder performance. Where does your organization fit?
Read MoreWe find in our practice that organizations often promote their best sales person to sales manager. While this seems like a logical development trajectory, we find in many cases that the most successful sales representative will struggle with the transition to a managerial role – leading to subpar sales management and loss of the company’s best sales person. The following HBR article touches on some of the differences between productivity and management skill.
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