Daily Biz Solutions

Are you a small business owner or a facility manager? If so, you know just how important it is to keep your facility clean and in good condition. Preventive maintenance is certainly preferable to the expensive and disruptive repairs that can become necessary when facilities are nor properly cared for.

Flooring Maintenance

Proper floor maintenance is critical. If you have tile floors, you will need to mop them regularly, as well as periodically have them stripped and re-sealed. Carpeting must be vacuumed frequently, with periodic deep cleaning.

HVAC Maintenance

It’s critical to have your heating and air conditioning system cleaned regularly, performing any necessary maintenance as the need arises. It’s also important to change the air filter vents frequently.

Bathroom Maintenance

Daily bathroom cleaning is a must – and, depending on the nature of your business, you may need to clean the rest room facilities multiple times each day. Cleaning is required to keep your fixtures in good condition, as well as to promote cleanliness, health and safety.

More Tips for Cleaning

These are, of course, just a few of the many important facility maintenance needs that must be taken care of. Whether you use a janitorial service or if you have a team member on-site at your facility, it’s important to use the best cleaning tips available in order to make sure that everything is being handled the way that it should be handled.

Is it time to plan a business meeting or team building outing with your employees? There are many benefits associated with these types of outings. Planning a corporate retreat can be a great way to boost creativity and re-focus your team. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you get away from the demands of day to day life and take a time out to work toward your future.

Whether you plan your corporate retreat at a luxury wilderness resort, an island escape or at a business hotel in a major city, you’re sure to be pleasantly surprised by just how much work and progress you are able to accomplish, as well as the sense of cohesiveness and team unity that can develop as a result of such a trip.

How does your company operate?

Many companies run themselves in a rather inefficient manner when it comes to technology. In companies like this, every department is an island unto itself. Each has its own separate applications and technology, including both databases and front-end applications. For example, the sales department will use a totally different application and database than the accounting and billing departments while the manufacturing and business intelligence groups’ software packages will speak two completely different languages. This is true despite the fact that many of these departments’ systems should ideally be interrelated and rely on each other. This is an inefficient way to run things, costing time, effort and money. More efficient companies understand that the way to do things right is to unify operations with ERP.

What is ERP?

Enterprise Resource Planning is a concept that involves the unification of all business technology into a streamlined, efficient model. An ERP solution will promote effective, efficient use of technology and data by implementing a similar front end and a common back end across all organizations and departments of a business. Users will benefit from a common, familiar set of applications on the desktop while accessing shared databases for easier access and sharing. For example, the fulfillment department will share their order information with the warehouse staff. The warehouse will then pass the same data on to the procurement team. In a case like this, inventory will be efficiently moved and replenished far easier than before. This is but one example of how a robust ERP product and advanced ERP consulting, like JD Edwards consulting from Syntax, can implement a superior level of efficiency.

What are the key areas covered by an ERP implementation?

An ERP solution is made up of “modules” that cover all key departments. As mentioned, these modules’ data is commonly accessed by all departments and unified to streamline sharing. While modules vary, the basics are accounting, human resources, sales support, manufacturing, project management, supply chain and data warehousing. Each of these areas is important and each has their own set of particular demands and disparate ways that they will integrate with all or some of the other departments. Seeing how complex this list of modules is, it’s easy to see how ERP will help a large enterprise. While this is true, what about small businesses? Can companies that aren’t enterprise-level also benefit from Enterprise Resource Planning?

ERP and Small Businesses

A common misconception about ERP is that it’s strictly for large businesses. The belief is that it doesn’t scale and that it’s just not small enough or affordable enough for companies that aren’t absolutely huge. The truth is an increasing number of firms that sell ERP products and offer ERP consulting services are targeting smaller and mid-sized companies. These firms’ ERP solutions are scaled to meet the demands of these smaller businesses. These ERP solutions firms offer a range of ERP products that are geared to meet both the interdepartmental needs and the budgetary demands of companies that might be global in their long-range goals but local in their current needs. Offerings like SAP or JD Edwards Enterprise One, for example, can be implemented quickly and affordably, with modules customized to suit exactly what is needed.

ERP Alternatives?

Despite the emergence of smaller-scale ERP implementations, some companies are still not ready to make the jump to a complete on-site ERP solution. This is especially true for highly-specialized businesses like food service or specialized manufacturing industries that may not have the need for every feature of a more robust ERP product. It’s also the case for companies who may not want to spend the funds required for all the hardware, software, infrastructure and support for an on-site ERP solution. For these companies, software as a service (SAAS) ERP products may be the way to go.

In the SAAS model, ERP solutions providers leverage cloud-based solutions to provide ERP as an on-demand service based in the cloud. Like with all Software as a Service offerings, SAAS ERP allows the client to forgo the costly expenses associated with total ERP infrastructure ownership. Instead, they can use ERP services as needed in an online subscription model. This provides services at a fraction of the cost of a traditional ERP solution as customers pay in a subscription model on an as-needed basis, finally making ERP widely available to the masses.

Are you looking for ways to save money on your manufacturing costs? If you have higher expenses, it may be time to consider taking your manufacturing overseas. Overseas companies can save you a lot of money as they have cheaper costs for labor, parts, equipment, and machinery costs. Many of the overseas manufacturers are not held to the same standards of employee labor and other things, which can also reduce costs. When you are considering outsourcing, you always need to make sure the companies you work with are taking care of the people that work for them and that they are legally making your products.

If you are seeking catheter manufacturers, there are certain standards that they will need to adhere to and you must set a contract in writing that will clearly define these standards. There are many benefits and concerns that come to outsourcing your manufacturing. Here are some of the things that you can expect to deal with

Benefits:

1 – Flexibility. When you outsource, you can work around different timetables, changing your deadlines to properly provide faster products for the customers.

2 – Larger Workforce. One of the features of outsourcing is that you have a larger employee base to work with. Where your plant may only employ 50 people, the outsourcing plants may have thousands of employees at several facilities. A larger workforce can help to speed up productivity.

3 – Customization. A nice feature of being able outsource is the ability to customize your products in a number of different ways. There are many things like including your business logo, embroidery, etc. as you work with an outsourced plant that has a larger workforce and one that is incredibly skilled.

Downside:

1 – Missed Deadlines. While you may be able to enjoy a larger workforce to deal with, you have to worry about missing deadlines due to the shipping problems. Missing deadlines can be hard on your customers and employees as it is frustrating for everyone to wait around. With shipping speeds overseas, you need to check on ways in which you can improve problems like this.

2 – Quality concerns. There are different standards in the United States compared to other countries. This is something you have to worry about as quality problems can be costly to your company’s reputation along with to your overall ability to make money. Little things like the use of lead paint can be dangerous and can bankrupt your company in lawsuits.

Outsourcing your manufacturing is a great option if you would like to save money and to reduce the need for space to actually manufacture your products. Compare multiple companies before you choose the manufacturing company that will handle the production of your products.

Are you a business owner or professional in Austin, Texas? If so, you certainly know what it’s like to live and work in a terrific, progressive community that is on the move. Austin is a popular place for professionals who are looking for opportunities to get ahead in business – whether they’re interested in working for a small business or want to seek employment with one of the many major corporations that is headquartered or has offices in the area.

Austin is not only a great place to work and seek career advancement; it’s also a terrific place to raise a family and enjoy living in a community where rich, cultural experiences are plentiful. Like other areas, though, Austin is also a place where accidents can happen. And, while you certainly don’t want to think about the possibility of dealing with an injury that is the result of some type of accident, it’s a fact that this situation is one that occurs all too often.

That’s why it’s important – wherever you live – to know where to turn for local legal assistance if a circumstance comes up that puts you in a position of needing legal help in association with a personal injury experienced by you or a member of your family. If you’ve not yet needed assistance from an attorney in the Austin area, it may be a good idea for you to take a little time to educate yourself about representation options available in the area, just so that you are familiar with qualified attorneys if such a need arises. To start your research, go to www.austininjurylawyernow.com/.

Taking the time to investigate local attorneys before you are in a situation that might necessitate contracting with a lawyer to represent you is a good way to make sure that you are properly prepared to seek help quickly if a situation comes up that requires such help.