| Consultant's Corner |
by Bill Cowley |
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| The economy is forcing everyone in every company to do more with less. It's times like these where true heroes step to the forefront and prove the notion that out of great disasters come great works of ingenuity. Take, for instance, the introduction of the radial tire and the rebuilding of Japan after World War II. |
| Bias-ply tires were the technology of choice from the beginning of vulcanized rubber tires in the late 1890’s through the mid twentieth century. The tire was known for its load carrying characteristics, which suited the heavy cars of the day, but their small tread patterns meant higher friction which caused the tires to wear faster and handle poorly. During World War II, bombing missions virtually destroyed tire manufacturing in Europe so the industry had to start fresh with few resources and unreliable infrastructure. Small local manufacturing plants sprung up and started experimenting with new tire methods. Michelin introduced steel belted radial tire technology to Europe in 1948 and at first, America scoffed at their efforts because the tires rode harder and were more costly to build than bias-ply. Turns out that radials have better steering and longer life which proved to be cost effective and in the mid 1960’s Michelin signed with Sears. Soon after, Michelin was selling a million tires per year. Finally American manufacturers swallowed their sarcasm and made the switch to radials. |
| After WWII, Japan began a long road of rebuilding. Factories sprouted all over Japan. They manufactured tirelessly, but “Made in Japan” was synonymous with cheap junk. America laughed and scoffed at their efforts but Japan faced its challenges. Their manufacturers learned from their mistakes. They strived vigorously. Now, Japanese know-how threatens to bankrupt the American automobile industry. |
| Let’s come back to the present to discuss our options. |
- Do more with less
- Innovate or perish
- Do the job better or our replacement will
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| Does that sound defeatist or motivating? If it is not motivating, you have issues to resolve. Our options are no more difficult than our post-war examples. I believe as long as we can provide value, we will not just survive — we will thrive. This rule applies to you, your coworkers and rivals, companies and nations. When someone else consistently solves problems I cannot solve, I will not be around to see future progress. It's that simple. |
| We must squeeze every drop of juice from the lemon we have been given. We have seen the budget and it is bleak. We don’t get to hire more people or that fancy new machine. But, we must do more than just make do with what we have. We need to become heroes and champions. We must enhance all that we have, including our ERP. |
| ERP Utilization |
| Reading trade journals and industry blogs, it is not uncommon to find an article on “ERP Utilization” from a revered and lofty source stating something like, “most ERP implementations utilize less than 50% of the systems capabilities”. Where do you and your company stand with Expandable? Are you using the system to its full potential? Probably not and here is why: |
- How much of Expandable have you forgotten?
- How much have you never learned?
- Are you doing your job the way the last person did it without understanding why?
- How much has changed since you learned it?
- Implementations are made using the minimum option set — have you ever moved off square one?
- Do people ask you how a function works or do you ask someone else?
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| It's time to step up and become a hero. What was the last training course you attended at Expandable? The prices are very reasonable. Take a look and see what I mean. Try and convince me it will not pay for itself. If your company has frozen travel expenditures, did you know there are web-based e-training courses available? It’s a good deal and requires no travel expenses.
When was the last time you logged into the Expandable Customer Resource Center on their website? What do you mean you don’t know the login information? Storm the accounting or IT department and demand they share the codes (Note: this is not a good time to riot or go on strike — be nice about it.), or contact Expandable to provide you the login to the Resource Center. |
| Expandable has great information on their website. Check it out. Heroes can be made here: |
- Documentation including a Getting Started Guide, New User Manual, Data Tables, Work Flows, and User Manuals for each module. All can be downloaded and shared within your company.
- Support notes (FAQs) for each module.
- Installation Instructions
- Technical Notes are not directly related to the Expandable application but are meant as adjunct support for SQL Server, FRx, Crystal reports, Alerts, etc.
- The Download Library includes new releases, release notes and PCR History.
- Program Change Request – Here is where you can enter your change or enhancement request.
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| Are you a member of a local Expandable User’s group? We have had great success in San Diego. We have met for lunch every two months for 1 ½ years. We meet to share our successes and things we learned. This has helped people network and solve problems. It takes some time and commitment, but very little money. Let your coworkers laugh and scoff (just remember radial tires…). |
| 2009 Expandable Users Conference |
| At Expandability 2009 in Long Beach, California, we are focusing our two days of hero-making sessions into three tracks: |
- Power Moves (Tips & Tricks)
- Power Reporting (Inquiries, Reporting and Analysis)
- Power Tools (deep dives into complex functions)
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| What a great opportunity to network and learn. You will meet with the Expandable team and heroes from many companies like yours. You will walk away with much more value than it cost. You don’t have to tell your boss you may have some fun, too. That can be our secret…wc |
| About Bill Cowley |
| With over 30 years experience in materials and manufacturing systems, Bill Cowley is principle of gurusome consulting where he helps Expandable customers in Southern California increase their usage of the Expandable system. Bill enjoys the challenges of working with interesting people in a diverse range of companies and sits as an officer on the IEUGA Board of Directors. Due to constant freeway gridlock, Bill is now addicted to audio books. |
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