We may say a thousand things about business, but ultimately, business is a sheer number game. Essentially, everything in a business is decided by profit and loss numbers. Revenue generated, orders fulfilled and other such data have great importance in business. Some key performance indicators become the guiding metrics for a business. Correct assessment of those metrics is very important for running a business successfully.

Manufacturing is one of the most crucial parts of a business. However, it is also a part riddled with the biggest challenges. Achieving Manufacturing Efficiency is the toughest part of this. It involves too many players and gets easily affected. Manufacturing Processes are generally complex and heavily rely on other processes too. Unplanned downtime or inefficiency even in one process will bring down the performance of the complete unit. Therefore, one Manufacturing Metric cannot cover it all. From Manufacturing Downtime Tracking to monitoring OEE, everything is important.

Improving these Manufacturing Metrics can increase the profitability of the complete process. However, too many metrics can take away the focus from the main concept. So, for the ease of understanding, we will be discussing only the most important metrics here.

Key Metrics for Measuring Manufacturing Efficiency

Efficiency

Manufacturing Cycle Time
This is the base metric for most of the calculations in a manufacturing unit. It measures the ideal manufacturing time of any product from the beginning to the end. If you are able to reduce this time then your plant will outperform. If you maintain it then you will remain consistent, but if this time increases your process will become inefficient.

Throughput
This Manufacturing Metric tells the average production capacity of any machine or process. It is important to note that it is an average and not the peak ability. Hence, if the throughput of any plant or machinery goes down all of s sudden then it can mean some serious problems. It is easy to measure and assess. You can never ignore this metric.

Capacity Utilization
We always want to perform our best but when working in a team that’s not possible all the time. Some Manufacturing Processes outshine whereas others underperform. Capacity utilization is the metric to measure the percentage difference between the potential output capacity and current output capacity of the complete process. This important metrics brings out the inefficiency in the process.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
This is a globally recognized gold standard Manufacturing Metric for assessing quality, speed, and availability. The higher the percentage of OEE in your plant, the more efficient your process will be. A better OEE score will make your Manufacturing Process more reliable and profitable.

Quality

Yield
Rework has always been one of the biggest enemies of profit, time and reliability. Yet, every process produces some defective goods that require reworking. Yield measures the percentage of products produced correctly as per the specifications in the very first attempt.

Customer Rejects
This is a measure of the failure of your process in manufacturing standard products and it comes directly from the customers. The higher the number of customer rejects, the greater your loss of profit and credibility in the market will be.

Downtime
Percentage Planned vs emergency maintenance work orders
Maintenance is a critical activity in any Manufacturing Process. Machines that work will face damage and routine wear and tear. Planned maintenance helps in keeping them in shape and getting great efficiency and reliability. However, in spite of the best efforts machines can still break down all of a sudden and cause panic and chaos. But, such incidents shouldn’t be a regular scenario as then the maintenance costs can escalate multiple times. One of the most important maintenance matrics is the ratio between the planned and unplanned maintenance. The higher the difference the better your profits will be. Measuring Manufacturing Downtime and Equipment Tracking can help you in lowering such instances.

Availability Ratio
It is a simple metric showing the availability of assets. It is calculated by deducting the downtime from planned production time of any process or machinery. You will get the actual availability. It is important for assessing the potential of your plant as well as finding ways for increasing efficiency.

The shortage of commercial drivers is no longer a news. In 2015, there was a report of over 30 000 empty seats which needed to be filled in the United States and the problem has kept escalating since then. It so surprising that there is a shortage of commercial drivers when commercial driving schools, as well as trucking companies, have been pumping out newly trained drivers. Statistics have shown a good number of certified commercial drivers who are unemployed but they aren’t lining up to fill the empty seats in trucking companies. As a trucking company, the following tips can enable you to survive the shortage of commercial drivers.

Tip 1 – Creating Opportunity for Growth in your Company

Working for a company and remaining in the same position for several years can be discouraging. One of the ways to reduce the turnover of drivers and attract new ones is by providing growth opportunities. Based on the performance of the driver, they can be promoted to other roles such as team captains and supervisors. However, the criteria for promoting the drivers should be made known to every driver on the field in other to prevent those who went promoted from getting frustrated and upset. Also, a company where there are growth opportunities are quite attractive to the younger generation of drivers. Better equipped trucks, automatic transmissions, and improved sleeping cabins are few of the other ways to attract young drivers who seek more comfort and convenience.

Tip 2 – Offering Better Compensations and Performance-Based Incentives.

Offering better compensations to drivers is not an added expense but a means of reducing cost. It reduces your cost of recruiting and training because you get to attract more experienced drivers while reducing the turnover of your existing drivers. Also, drivers who do their job well, arrive on time, drive safely, and are efficient and productive should be given bonuses. This keeps them motivated.

Tip 3 – Making the Job Easy

There are new technologies such as the route optimization software which helps in planning accurate and well-optimized routes. This ensures that drivers never get stuck on the road. It assists them in increasing their productivity and timeliness thus making the job easy and seamless. Also, the software comes with a tracking device which enables the company to know the location of their drivers in real time. This enables the company to be able to send assistance to the driver in case of any problem or breakdown of the vehicle while on the road.

Creating new things leads to growth.

Whenever I talk to business owners who want to grow their business, my question is “What are you creating to make that happen?”

Many times, they don’t have an answer. Instead, they are just trying to do more of the same things. More meetings, more conversations, more sales, more customers. And if things are working well, then by all means keep doing them.

But in order to improve things in a bigger way, we have to innovate. And innovation means creating and trying new things.

Create New Things To Sell

Creating something new could mean a new product, or program, or package. Having something new to sell can open you up to customers who weren’t buying your previous offer, but might be interested in something a little different.

This often happens with my clients who build online courses and training programs. They are able to sell the program to people who hadn’t signed up for one-on-one services. It’s a different approach, a different price point, and a different opportunity.

Having a new offer opens up conversations with people that had previously been at a dead end. It can create momentum in your business, and lead to growth in areas that didn’t exist before!

Create Things To Reach More People

The best way to reach more people is to create things to help you get in front of them. This is where content comes in!

What can you create to provide value and give to people? Can you send them a blog article? Offer them a free PDF download? Invite them to an event? Engage with them through a video or audio series?

It’s the best way to find and reach the people who are interested in what you do. With my clients, I recommend creating 1-4 Nurturing Content pieces each month, and one Catalyst Content piece every 12-18 weeks.

Creating content is what allows you to get in front of people on a regular basis in a positive way, rather than with the same annoying sales pitch.

Creating Systems

Another thing you can create to grow your business are systems and processes. What is your process for following up with people? What is the sequence of communications? What do you provide to build a relationship and earn their trust?

Maybe you need to create a leveraged program, sales process, or customer service system. What are the pieces of the system? Once you create it, you can use it over and over again.

Since the majority of startup small businesses fail, how can you succeed?

Before we answer this, who am I? I have set up and sold 4 small businesses over the last few years, all of which continue to be successful, so I know a few things about the subject.

Now, let’s get to the main points:

Planning

It is important to know what, when, why, where and how you are going to start your business. Unless you have clear focus, don’t even try, it will just be a waste of your time and energy.

In addition, you will want to do whatever courses are available that might help you achieve your goals. For instance, in my case, before starting my most recent venture, I completed a Certificate 3 in Business Studies, a Diploma in Digital Marketing, a Diploma in Sales, and, a Diploma in Project Management.

Practice

What I mean by practice is not to just dive straight in and learn on the job, no, what will really help you is to observe how SUCCESSFUL people have started the same kind of business that you are attempting to start. How can you do this? One effective way is by getting a job in the industry where you intend to work. Once you have done this, observe the process. If it truly is a successful business, they will have a highly organized and effective process.

Another possibility is actually starting the business. I know, I know, I said don’t do this, however, this suggestion has a little difference. Start the business with no expectations. Become the marketing director, accounts manager, sales director etc… do everything yourself. The problem with this approach is that it will take up huge amounts of time, amounts of time that will be saved, if you are able to work in a successful business that someone else has started. Yes, this suggestion is the harder of the two routes, however what it does do is go from theory to a complete practical knowledge of the industry, to become fully immersed in it.

Pursue

There is a reason why 4 out of 5 small business start ups fail, the rewards are hard to achieve and take inordinate amounts of time to achieve. How can you get over this obstacle?

The key is to Pursue. You need to be focused on your goal, and, never to look away or be distracted from this purpose. How long can you focus on your goal? Only you can answer that! However, realistically, it will take you some years to truly progress in your endeavor. If you are someone who gives up easily, you should really not try to start a business. Instead, look for a well paying job.

The Benefits

If it is all such hard work, why bother? The rewards can be huge. Consider just a few:

*Time – Have a flexible schedule, spend more time with your family or other priorities.
*Passive Income – Depending on the type of business you intend to start, it may keep paying you even when you are not working.
*Capital Gains – You have the possibility of achieving significant R.O.I on the outlay involved in starting your business.

As I write, we’ve just welcomed in a new fiscal year and I wonder if you and the leadership team at your business venture might be inspired to revisit strategic plans made at the start of the calendar year? I think you will find it useful to review the Key Performance Indicators associated with the strategies you chose to follow, so that successes can be recognized and mid-course corrections can be made, if necessary.

The ability to create and sustain business success involves strategic planning. Devising and implementing plans for your organization encourages the leadership team to revisit the purpose of the venture—its vision and mission, goals, guiding principles (culture and values) and business model—and evaluate how that purpose is reflected in the products and services that are sold to customers. Below are six strategic planning and positioning principles that will help you create conditions for success at your enterprise.

Principle 1: Sustained profitability

The conditions for generating profits are created when clients value your products or services enough to pay more than what it costs the business (you) to produce and provide them. Strategic planning is your opportunity to define business goals and objectives and devise strategies and action plans with thoughts of short and long-term ROI in mind. Assuming that profits will be inevitable if sales volume and market share are the only measurements of success could be misleading.

Principle 2: Value proposition

Be certain that what company leaders consider to be the value proposition—that is, the most desirable benefits—matches what target customers consider to be the value proposition. Do not attempt to produce and offer products and services that you expect will be all things to all prospects. A business needs strategies that allow the venture to compete in a way that allows it to effectively and efficiently deliver what its most loyal customers feel has value.

Principle 3: Competitive advantage

Those highly desirable benefits that sustain the value proposition must be reflected in and supported by strategies that shape them into sustainable competitive advantages. The successful enterprise will differentiate itself from competitors through not only the products or services offered, but also how those are packaged and/or delivered, customer service practices, pricing, branding and so on. Those unique features and practices will matter to current and prospective customers. Nevertheless, the company’s business model may resemble that of its rivals.

Principle 4: Choices and priorities

Resources are always finite and choices about your products and/or services must be made, in order to understand what is necessary and possible and therefore, a priority. Some product or service features will not be offered, so that the benefits (priorities) that clients have anointed as highly desirable can be optimized. Those priorities are what sets the business apart from competitors and defines the brand.

Principle 5: Flow

Choices and priorities must be baked into the strategies that the leadership team follows, to enhance and enable the consistent delivery of the value proposition. These strategies will be both stand-alone and interdependent, like dominoes. For example, choices made to pursue certain target customers and not others will impact product design and by extension will also impact the manufacturing process, manufacturing location and cost.

Choices that determine what will and will not be included in a service will be influenced by the most loyal customers and will impact how that service is delivered and priced. Choices about product positioning and branding will impact the marketing strategy, which will influence the advertising media outlets selected and the social media platforms used.

Principle 6: Direction

The late style icon Diana Vreeland, who was Editor-in-Chief at Vogue Magazine from 1963 to 1971, once said that “elegance is refusal.” A company must define its unique value proposition and that will eventually cause certain potential choices to be declined, because they are contrary to the brand. The product or service lines can be altered to satisfy customer demands over time and business models can be adjusted to reflect current or anticipated market conditions. Nevertheless, the vision and mission must be upheld to maintain brand awareness and trust. Strategic direction will guide that process.

Has it ever struck you that Ugandan banks could be alienating potential customers by not considering financial translation services and having their transactions done in the English language? Every Ugandan bank you go to has its receipts written in English. In fact even most of the tellers and other staff in these banks speak only the official national language – English.

It’s ironic that banks that are at the forefront of preaching the gospel of developing a savings culture are the ones doing all their official business in the English language yet they know that most Ugandans are not well-educated and even some of those who have attained formal education up to university level are still not fluent with the Queen’s language and prefer communicating in the local languages.

This situation in Uganda’s financial sector justifies the urgent need for financial translation services. In the capital city, Kampala, the local newspaper Bukkedde sells more copies everyday than Daily Monitor and New Vision. Even in western Uganda, Orumuri newspaper which is written in Runyankole-Rukiga sells like hotcakes because people generally prefer reading something written in their mother tongues.

This also explains why the glut of radio and television stations that saturate our country since the liberalisation of media in early 1990s are popular for broadcasting in local languages. Radio stations like Sanyu Fm, Radio One, and Capital Fm (to mention only three) which broadcast exclusively in the English language are only popular among the urban elite who are the minority compared to stations like CBS in Buganda or Radio West in Mbarara who have more listeners but broadcast in the local languages.

Need for a paradigm shift

It goes without saying that we need a paradigm shift in Uganda’s financial sector as far as communications is concerned. Those who cannot speak English language fluently don’t deserve to miss out on messages of financial and economic empowerment. Thus the time is now for banks and other financial businesses to hire financial language translators to always translate their documents into local languages for accessibility of those not articulate in the English language. Other translation services offered in various languages include;

Oromo translation services

Kinyarwanda translation services

Malagasy translation services

Somali translation services

Kirundi translation services

Chewa translation services

Tigrinya translation services among many others.

The other day a lady from one of the big insurance companies in Kampala came to persuade me to sign up for one of their educational insurance packages. She was Ugandan with a Ugandan name but she was speaking fast like a rapper and in a foreign accent that made it hard for me to grasp what she was saying. I asked her to speak in Luganda but she said she was not fluent in it though she was born and raised in Buganda. In the end I never signed up for the package she was selling because I just could not keep up with her foreign accent and fast speech.

This is another example of how the language barrier is costing business owners and financial corporations many potential customers. The proletariat who are the majority would rather keep their money in piggy banks or stash it under their mattresses than save it with banks because the banks and other companies are not speaking the language these ordinary folks understand. If they did, many banks would be booming because many people would be saving with them and we would have a robust economy. As a common saying goes, a word for the wise is enough!

1st Stage-Initiation:

There can be varied reasons for a business start-up but the main values in running the business are of those who are the founders. We can see that company exhibits the main skills of the founder in its spirits, for example, if the founder is an engineer, he will emphasize in production rather than sales and marketing which should not be neglected. Main efforts are centered on the acceptability of the product in the market. If the owner can provide the demands of business i.e. time, energy, and finances, he/she can move to the second stage. Otherwise, he/she will have to wind up their business as there is limited time for the company to stay at one stage. Here the main focus changes to establish the company and earn profits. With this financial push company will need to formalize the system and start record keeping, an unskilled manager can’t handle this all. After this, there will be demand for change in administration’s style because of increased activity in his business.

2nd Stage-Growth:

The moment a company moves forward to the expansion stage it should be able to earn a decent profit, but that profit will not go to the owner. This is because it will be invested in the business in order to assist in the capital demands of the company. It demands time for coordinating functional managerial activities; it demands complicated organizational structure mainly focusing on functional lines. Now research and development will be established in order to increase product range. At the start, it will be on a smaller scale because of lack of capital. If management continues changing its environment, the company can stay at this stage for some time. In many cases, owners sell their business at this stage for substantial benefits. The increase of new markets and product will demand more finances. This stage faces larger competitors who deal the situation by putting stress on emerging firm; this stress can be in the form of very low prices as well. At this stage over trading is the biggest threat if not handled properly it can lead the business to demise. As the company grows it need to extend geographical trading and distribution, so ‘supervised supervision’ will be required at this stage. If new competitors enter the market and the owner wants to maintain his shares, he will have to put more capital by himself or attract some partners.

3rd Stage-Expansion:

This stage demands proper management reports, budget control, and dispersed authority, along with a formal accounting system. Basic adaptation at this stage will be to systemize administrative roles which are keys to survival through this stage. The expansion stage demands stable long term funds which will be important and if there is not plan for partners then this stage must be considered right now. Although retained earnings are major forms of funds but dividends are the special attraction to the investors; at this stage these are inevitable. Now company’s track record will help in gaining long term loans but the company will have to give security in the form of assets.

4th Stage-Maturity:

At this stage main issues are about expense control, search for growth opportunities and productivity. The direction of authority can be towards functional lines or it is reorganized with production lines. As there is severe price competition, therefore, productions department should be the center of focus and authorities should emphasize on innovative moves towards betterment.

Now basic investments are in sales and marketing struggles and maintenance and plant up gradation. The company grows up to a level that income is sufficient to tackle this but occasionally more long term load prove to be a support. At this level firm may limit its operations or move on, normally acquisition or floatation in order to become a large corporation.

According to a report published on Deloitte Insights, 86% of companies interviewed in a survey say that developing new leaders is an urgent or important need. This means that the majority of organizations would prefer to groom a number of their employees who have the potential to handle higher positions than to hire externally.

Taking up leadership training courses is a great way to boost your confidence and gain the additional skills and knowledge you need to be an effective leader. Once you think you’re ready to take on a leadership role, you can demonstrate your readiness and competency through these strategic actions:

1. Bring extra value to the table

When you were still applying for your job, during the interview, you were probably asked the question, “What can you bring to the table?” You probably answered this all-important question by enumerating a list of your accomplishments, skills, experiences, etc. But once you’re ready to take on a higher position, you’ll need to bring more to the table.

This means taking on more work that you’re sure you can do competently and complete. If you have a set of tasks you need to do daily, go beyond the norm and put in more effort in your output.

For instance, if you’re in retail, don’t just aim to close the required or minimum number of sales every day. Work on getting more sales and giving patrons better customer experiences. By going beyond what you and your boss are used to, you are showing that you’re ready for more responsibilities.

2. Solve a big or recurring problem

Problem-solving is one crucial skill that all leaders should have. You can demonstrate that you have this highly prized ability by actually solving a huge problem or one that never seems to go away in the workplace.

Take the time to study certain processes or the office overall. Find out what causes delays in operations, dissatisfaction among customers, and discontent among your co-employees.

Do some research and recommend research-backed strategies or solutions to solve these problems. Work with the HR team, manager or business owner, and your co-workers to know if these are feasible fixes.

Once the new processes will be implemented, make sure you take a proactive stand and take the lead in accepting and following these changes.

3. Take ownership of your work

Humility is another trait people look for in leaders, and it is something that you should have as well. However, you should also own your contribution to success.

When others (especially your boss) notice and praise your accomplishments, accept and thank them. If you took the lead in a successful project, acknowledge your teammates’ efforts, but make sure you are aware of the important role you played in its realization.

4. Generously give credit to those who deserve it

Unless you took on a project yourself, always recognize and call out the efforts of your teammates. This is a crucial element in demonstrating and cultivating great teamwork. Appreciating the work of your colleagues shows your boss that you are paying attention to other people’s input and that you understand how everyone’s work contributes to the success of the company.

Recognition is one of the biggest things employees want to get from their bosses for inspiration. Even if you’re not a boss yet, acknowledge your colleagues’ efforts; they (and your superior) will appreciate you for it.

5. Inspire others

Genuinely acknowledging the hard work of others is a wonderful way to get the respect and admiration of your co-workers. However, take your appreciation a step further by motivating them to be better and to perform at a higher capacity as well.

Aside from leading by example, find different ways to inspire your colleagues. If some of them are experiencing burnout, offer tips on how they can overcome this. In case you’ve already experienced the same thing before, share some things about what you went through and how you successfully managed it.

If some of your co-workers want to become better employees, or are also aspiring for a higher position as well, encourage them to join you in team coaching sessions. All of you will learn something valuable from these programs. It is also an amazing way to let others know you are thinking of their welfare and success too; this, in turn, will encourage them to strive for more.

6. Know how to listen

Listening to another person with an open mind is a highly admired quality. It is essential to building and sustaining quality relationships.

If you know how to listen with an empathetic ear and open mind, you can develop a culture of passion and energetic teamworks. This is a clear indication that you have what it takes to be a leader. These are also traits that employers and managers look for and value in their next leaders.

7. See the big picture

Developing the ability to see and think big now will help you become an effective employee and leader. This refers to the capacity to keep an eye on the bigger vision of successful leadership without getting affected or caught up in various obstacles or issues at work.

Big picture thinking will also enable you to act proactively instead of reactively. When you already have this trait, your boss will know you are ready for a leadership role. This is because this quality is highly helpful in effectively managing people and time, and with turning challenges into opportunities.

8. Find, define and strengthen your voice

Building your personal brand is a by-word in the corporate world today. This is something that job-seekers are encouraged to focus on.

Finding and building up your brand’s voice and standing out from the crowd in a positive way will also help others see you as a potential leader. This can also spill over to your convictions; staying true to what you believe in is a good sign of a remarkable leader.