WBSRocks: Business Growth with Enterprise Software and Digital Transformation

Send us a textStock keeping unit (SKU) could be a dummy number, and you might feel how important a number could be. Well, your SKU is a binding thread that ties all your business processes that interact with your products. You could quickly outgrow your SKU numbering strategy if you don't have a flexible numbering scheme to accommodate your near future requirements. The SKU numbers could also impact your customer experience as they are used internally to identify your products. They are also used externally to cross-reference vendor part numbers and search products inside a store or on order forms and invoices.In today's episode, we invited an expert panel of cross-functional experts for a live interview on LinkedIn who brings significant expertise with the SKU numbering scheme and e-commerce to discuss how SKU numbers impact your business processes. We also discussed several stories of poor numbering schemes and best practices that impacted internal efficiencies and customer experience because of the numbering strategies. Finally, we discussed how to design SKU numbers to accommodate current and future requirements without impacting SEO, vendor, and customer interactions and causing any legal and copyright issues.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textMost manufacturers struggle with cross-functional collaboration, especially when it comes to engineering handoff because it requires going beyond the engineering perspective. Engineers need to think from the perspective of consumers. These consumers could be anywhere from machinists, assembly technicians, welders, inspectors, and purchasing. This thinking requires several changes in the organization, including a deeper understanding of the needs of these consumers, adoption of digital processes, and cultural transformations.In today's episode, we have our guest, Jennifer Herron, who discusses how 3D CAD models can improve cross-functional collaboration and design from consumers' perspectives. She also describes the engineering handoff process and cultural barriers in adopting digital processes. Finally, she describes the stages of design processes and the tools relevant at each stage, and which industries are most appropriate for adopting 3D CAD models. For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textPaid advertising could make a massive difference to your pipeline and bottom line if done right. It could also help you optimize your organic search campaigns as you would have access to detailed insights into your customer journeys and customer behaviors. But mastering paid advertising is easier said than done. It requires you to make the entire journey congruent, starting from what users are trying to search on google to the design and architecture of your website.In today's episode, we have our guest, Steve Rice, who discusses why congruence is the most important factor to optimize product category architecture, navigation, user experience, customer journeys, and campaign design. He also explains how pay-per-click campaigns can help gather insights to improve overall traffic. Finally, he shares several stories where he could improve the contribution margin by making everything congruent.  For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textManufacturers have traditionally been problem solvers. While the problem-solving mindset helps create amazing products, the same skill fires back in designing the processes. This problem-solving approach leads each department to make their decisions independently and buy software to solve their problems, limiting interoperability. This approach also promotes the culture of organizational silos and prevents taking advantage of synergies through a consolidated view of the organization.In today's episode, we have our guest, Mike Yost, who discusses the differences between performance management, production management, and asset management on the shop floor. He also shares several stories where he improved the organization's performance by optimizing the shop floor functions and improving data sharing. Finally, he shares his insights into what executives can do to break the organizational silos and create a consolidated view to take advantage of synergies across business functions and plants. For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textIf you are trying to penetrate an account, the involvement of their procurement department is the last thing you want to see as they are hard negotiators on price. Selling to FMCG buyers could even be more challenging as they need to move fast and make quick decisions. In 2021, most offerings are fairly competitive, so you could only do so much while negotiating with FMCG buyers. However, if you researched enough and figured out how to sell based on value, you might end up converting your accounts into strategic with a significant upper hand.In today's episode, we have our guest, Mark Schenkius, who discusses selling to and negotiating with FMCG buyers in buying environments where they need to make quick decisions and move fast. He also describes several negotiation profiles with the help of blue and red colors and how to convert blue to red and vice versa. Finally, he describes the negotiation color of various departments and what sales and procurement teams can do to win negotiations. For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textManufacturers carry thousands of products, and each of them requires several materials with their own dependencies. This chain can go on and could feel cyclical. That's how complex is our supply chain. One critical component could block the production and further impact the production of products that may depend upon it. The best way to mitigate the supply chain issues is to have complete transparency into your supply chain and have an emergency plan for the rainy day.In today's episode, we have our guest, Gina Tabasso, who discusses the current supply chain shortages in the chemical distribution industry and their impact on various manufacturing industries. She also had a chance to discuss the crucial component shortages, their sources, and their dependencies. Finally, she describes the role and properties of various chemical products and their supply chain processes.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textThere is a lot that goes into planning for a warehouse. Some warehouses are complex, while others may not be as complex depending upon the shipment types and the influx of shipments. If you don't plan well, it may lead to poor utilization of labor and inefficiencies in the warehouse. It may also lead to missing sales opportunities due to the unavailability of products or missing due dates for your customers. Scheduling of distribution center plays a crucial role in ensuring that you can ship at the right time while maintaining your warehouse efficiencies at the optimum levels.In today's episode, we have our guest, Deema Adada, who discusses how distribution centers work and their planning. She also describes best practices for managing the workload at distribution centers and space utilization. Finally, she has had time to explain several concepts, including upstream and downstream supply chain and exception handling.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textDemand planning is a double-edged sword, and it's tough to predict. Demand planning requires you to plan enough and then be nimble and agile while tweaking the demand as the market condition changes. Most companies take an algorithmic approach to their demand planning, resulting in wasting critical resources. The agile approach is especially relevant to SMBs as they may not have as many resources as their bigger counterparts.In today's episode, we have our guest, Dyci Sfregola, who discusses why companies should spend less time worrying about forecasting accuracy and more on execution. She also describes how demand planning differs from sales and operations planning. Finally, she has had time to discuss several KPIs that are meaningful and important for various industries.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textComplying with regulatory bodies is more than just producing the documentation when they ask for it. If the regulatory body is as stringent as FDA, they look for several red flags, including completeness and thoroughness of the documentation and confidence level. But speed is typically the most critical factor. Manufacturers with manual processes and fragmented systems might struggle with the speed expectations of these regulatory bodies.In today's episode, we have our guest, Tom Rodden, who discusses the nuances of medical device manufacturing and how it differs from generalized manufacturing. He also discusses several processes and system needs that are driven by regulatory bodies such as FDA. Finally, he shares several stories where poorly maintained systems and methods may have had catastrophic results for the company.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Send us a textRemember when you bought five shirts last time and ended up returning all? Let's face it. Consumer behavior is unpredictable. It is especially challenging for the apparel industry, where one loose thread or difference in perceived color could be the reason for return. But the supply chain planning for the apparel industry is not only complicated because of consumer behavior. Supplier issues are equally problematic, including geopolitical tensions, trade wars, and cultural factors. In today's episode, we have our guest, Crissa Klein, who discusses the supply chain nuances of the apparel industry and its unique challenges. She also discusses the planning challenges, especially with geopolitical tensions in Asian countries that are the primary source of raw materials for the Apparel industry. Finally, she discusses several subtleties such as planning around extraordinary situations, unpredictable events, and unique e-commerce challenges.For more information on growth strategies for SMBs using ERP and digital transformation, visit our community at wbs.rocks or elevatiq.com. To ensure that you never miss an episode of the WBS podcast, subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.