In the quest for profitability, growth and a competitive edge, few things are more important than how a manufacturer manages its supply chain. Converting inputs—materials, equipment, people and energy—into saleable goods and services is the very essence of manufacturing. Offering relevant goods and services at competitive prices and lead times can make or break your market position.
With disruptions caused by the pandemic continuing to put pressure on the supply chain, it is more important than ever that manufacturers make smart decisions when investing in inputs. There is a lot to consider. Costs, quality, lead time, and reliability can all impact your ability to compete for revenue. If you can find the right balance between input costs, competitive prices and lead times, you can compete effectively in your market and realize the profits your business needs to grow.
Supply chain management is certainly not easy, especially for small and mid-sized manufacturers. But thanks to grant funding from the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), the New York State Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NY MEP) can help.
New York State’s Supply Chain Initiative supports two vital programs: Supplier Scouting and assessing your Supply Chain Management practices. To participate in either, contact your local NY MEP center or ask FuzeHub, the statewide NY MEP Center, for a consultation.
Supplier Scouting
Supplier scouting starts with a 30-minute phone call, during which we learn about your business, your input requirements, and any issues you may be having with current suppliers. Whether you are looking for new suppliers with lower costs, improved quality or shorter lead times, or seeking domestic suppliers to replace offshore companies, we will search for the right partners for you, typically finding matches within a few weeks.
If, for any reason, we cannot find you a match within New York State, your request will be sent to the National Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) network where Supply Chain experts from all 50 states will search within their states.
Supply Chain Management Assessments
The Supply Chain Management assessment starts with a two-hour online session, during which we will assess your current supply chain management practices in nine categories, relative to industry best practices. From there, TDO work closely with your local MEP center to develop high impact recommendations to reduce costs, improve quality, shorten lead time or otherwise position your business more competitively. You may then leverage additional consulting assistance to implement the recommendations that will be the most impactful to your business. This program started in early 2024, and so far about 30 companies have participated.
Some examples:
- A small manufacturer in the North Country was struggling with margin performance as a result of having too broad a portfolio of products. Our assessment recommended a gross margin analysis, which we helped them with. The analysis allowed them to critically evaluate their portfolio and focus on growing their more profitable products while reducing their business in less profitable areas.
- A manufacturer in the Southern Tier relies heavily on a global supply chain to make a complex product. Our assessment identified ways they could work with suppliers to improve supplier performance, including better communication, setting expectations, measuring performance and providing feedback. They are now in the process of implementing these changes and improving their suppliers’ performance.
- A client in Western New York uses demand forecasts to invest in inputs before receiving orders. Otherwise, their lead times won’t be competitive. Our assessment identified improvement opportunities with sales and operations planning. We are in the process of helping them evaluate and implement changes to improve forecast reliability of those projections. In turn, this will help them to reduce the risk of their input investments and be better prepared for orders.
We are happy to use these programs to help your business, too. Just contact your local NY MEP center so we can get started.
About the author
Don Lynch brings more than 30 years of professional experience in supply chain and manufacturing to his role as a Senior Project Manager for Train, Develop, Optimize (TDO), Central New York’s regional NY MEP center. His areas of expertise include forecasting, value stream mapping, pull systems, visual management, production planning, purchasing, and project management. Don also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Operations and Supply Chain Management at Le Moyne College and Syracuse University.
Don earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Alfred University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the State University of New York at Oswego. He is also certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM).
