Despite inroads made in recent years, women still face an uphill battle in breaking through the glass ceiling of the manufacturing sector. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, females represent 47% of the entire workforce and 52% of all professionals and managers. However, less than 30% of the workers in the manufacturing industry  Continue Reading »

Where your business is located and how you use the commercial space you have can mean the difference between thriving and just limping along — or worse. That fact was brought home for many business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic when lease payments became an enormous financial strain and dust accumulated on employees’ desks working  Continue Reading »

Workplace safety is a top concern among manufacturers. Without taking COVID-19 into account, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates that occupations within the manufacturing sector account for 5% of U.S. workers. Yet, they represent 8% of all workplace fatalities. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has added to the safety concerns that manufacturers face. At  Continue Reading »

In a competitive retail environment, there’s little margin for error. If your business exhausts its inventory of a key product when it’s most in-demand, you’ll lose out on sales to competitors. And if you err in the other direction, you could be saddled with extra inventory and storage costs, potentially crushing your bottom line. It  Continue Reading »

In recent years, there has been a surge in ransomware attacks and an even greater acceleration in the first half of 2021. Virtually every type of business is at risk, especially critical links in the manufacturing supply chain. For example, in May 2021, a high-profile attack temporarily shut down operations of the largest gas pipeline  Continue Reading »

With fall coming up in a couple of months, it’s time to think about “harvesting” capital gains or losses from sales of securities. In addition, unfavorable tax law changes proposed in President Biden’s American Families Plan (AFP) may create an added sense of urgency for some taxpayers. The Basics When you sell securities and other  Continue Reading »

Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) provide an alternate route for start-ups to access public markets instead of initial public offerings (IPOs). Roughly 200 SPACs debuted in 2020, drumming up close to $64 billion in funds. In 2020, there was as much capital raised through SPAC offerings as in the prior 10 years. That momentum has  Continue Reading »

So-called “lean” manufacturing is easier said than done, but there are several improvements that can increase your firm’s output. Lean companies operate as efficiently as possible, using the least possible staff time, equipment, and raw materials. Here are four ideas to consider implementing this summer to help boost profits for the remainder of 2021 and  Continue Reading »

In normal market conditions, people who’ve been unemployed due to an economic slump are generally eager to take a job when the economy perks up. But times are far from normal in many places and industries. One of the most pressing concerns employers face today is labor quality and availability, according to findings from The  Continue Reading »

Preparing for a surge in demand for your business’s products and services doesn’t mean you have to go out on a financial limb.  Depending on your industry, local weather may weigh heavily into your plans, especially if the weather you’re experiencing is unreasonable. And then there’s the new universal elephant-in-the-room, COVID-19, and how it affects  Continue Reading »