Wise planning through inventory optimization is not only good business sense for company profits, but also allows for the immediate use of natural resources with a policy of supply and demand to mitigate waste. In a network where raw materials are the key commodity, each and every stage of customer requisitions and company stock ordering can be tracked and provided for with minimal risk of waste.

Through the advent of smart software, a company will be able to monitor stock quantities and be alerted when the supply level becomes too low. Conversely, when seasonal or economic factors have repercussions on the sale, employees are able to gauge the trends and order their raw materials at precisely the right time. With greater inventory control, manufacturing can be better prepared for its workload, and often trimmed to essential activities for the moment. Not only is there a savings to the material costs, but a substantial payroll curb saves thousands at the end of the month.

Plants and distribution centers that are feeling the weight of inventory control may have sufficient resources and manpower, but may be lacking in communication to make themselves more responsive to supply and demand. Gaps between sales, shipping and ordering can slow a hard working company to a crawl when inventory optimization is put on hold.

To optimize in every way, be sure to utilize your full capacity for batch sizes and be mindful of alternative transportation of product. Although filling a truck to capacity is important for carbon emissions, rail service is even better for large shipments going a long distance.

There is no "guesstimating" in today's complex and dynamic engineered to order (ETO) environment. With all the competition for new business, using a multitude of individual spreadsheets is simply a luxury you can no longer afford. If missed estimates and delivery dates hound you, costing you both money and new opportunities, you need to consider a new system, one that has tools to provide information that is precise and timely. With this new system you can be more profitable while keeping your clients satisfied.

Even more important, you need to be able to bill your jobs at the earliest opportunity. This is a problem when you have to wait on other people to report to you. You have to wait for reports on hours and assembly costs. Waiting for these and other assessments such as works in progress and production reports ends up costing you valuable time. Waiting for these issues to go through the billing cycle can put you in the position of financing your client, something you want to avoid.

You also have to consider the administrative manpower used on each project. This can drive your costs up with the result of driving up your prices, possibly right out of the market. All of these issues can work together to cost you money or business.

How exactly do you avoid all of these traps? How can you regain your competitive edge? The answer is simple. You can adopt a fully integrated ETO management system that will allow you to plan, execute and manage all aspects of your project. You can have control from the project's inception to its final delivery.

You may wonder how an integrated ETO management system can make the difference and give you the edge you need. Traditional serial manufacturing software does not have the flexibility of integrated ETO management software. ETO software can track and measure your dynamic engineering processes in real time. This enables you to act quickly and gives you the ability to make decisions to change your project's course, keeping it on track and on budget.

If you are curious as to benefits from a leading ETO management system, here are a few to keep in mind: