As we approach the new year, many businesses are considering how they want to grow in 2026. Should they expand their offering in some areas and scale back in others? What does the market demand? To determine this, you need to have a sustainable way to attract new business while maintaining your current customers’ needs.

But before we create the Business Development and Marketing plan, now’s the time to focus on a targeted strategic plan. In a recent Harvard Business School review, they state that 48% of businesses fail to meet at least half of their strategic goals. Proper foresight and planning will help allow you to position yourself with the other 52%.

Knowing the importance of strategic planning will help you to maximize all that you can in 2026 and beyond. Some basic things to think about might be….

• Do you have a clear understanding of each of your products’ profit margin?
• Do you need to invest in new equipment? (are you aware of the funding opportunities?)
• Are you planning on investing in your workforce? (are you aware of the funding opportunities?)
• Do you need to invest in your facility? (are you aware of the funding opportunities?)
• What are your current lead times?
• Do any of your current customers have any plans for expansion that might affect your business?
• Are there any foreseeable issues with your supply chain?
• Do you have a clear understanding of the direction your markets are going?
• What tools are you using for your plan? (ex: SWOT analysis)
• What metrics will allow you to track your continued success?

If your strategy is well formulated and executed, you will see your business grow faster and increase profitability according to research done by PricewaterhouseCoopers. If not done well, you could see missed opportunities or even decreased output and other negative effects.

This is where we can help. Together we can create a custom plan tailored for your business, specific products and markets served. We can also help you implement this plan and provide continued personal support for your business throughout the year. We want to help you succeed, and with the right strategic plan, 2026 can be the year for you and your business. Contact Us for more information.

“I need a new website” is a statement we often hear. While a website is one of your most important marketing tools, it is easy for your site to get lost in the vast sea of search results even if you offer a superior product or unique solution.

You might think the remedy to this problem is a new website to stand out amongst the crowd, but without strategic content and a marketing plan to take advantage of this tool, you and your business might find little to no success with a website rollout

Before you build any marketing tools, ask yourself…

Audience

• Who is your audience? (not just industry but roles in the company)
• What are the purchasing habits of your audience? (engineers vs purchasing)
• What is your message to them? (does it vary depending on the individual)
• What do you want them to do? (actions to take once they’ve received information)

Point of Differentiation

• What problem does your product or service solve? (case studies help people see how you can help them)
• What is your point of differentiation? (product, quality, delivery, customer service, etc.)
• Are there any other reasons to choose your company over another? (ex. one-stop-shop)

The answers to these questions will affect the way that you structure your website, providing useful information, the most effective navigation, and search engine optimization

While this might seem like a lot to take in, we can help you with these questions and set up a plan that will work now and in the future. Feel free to Contact Us about your business and how we can help you be even more profitable.

Note: It’s also important to have a strategic plan that drives all subsequent plans, but we’ll discuss this next time.

 

With each passing week, it seems that more businesses have started to utilize AI to introduce new features and enhance productivity in their workforce. While this can be useful, in many cases as with any new technology, oftentimes who comes out ahead is not who can use it the most, but who uses it the best.

It is important to understand that while AI can be a useful tool, if used incorrectly, it can amplify existing issues, driving away customers and alienating workers. A recent article in Industry Today highlights how AI is affecting the customer experience.

As we make our way into the “AI age”, automation in manufacturing will soon transition into autonomy. Where the two differ is autonomous systems not only execute critical tasks, but can solve problems and adapt to issues that may arise on your floor. This key change can help increase output and efficiency without drastically increasing labor or overhead. Read more about manufacturing autonomy.

With more technology implemented in all steps of manufacturing, there also come more risks. Cybersecurity matters just as much as physical security if not more in the current environment. This is why along with training your workforce to use technology to make their jobs more efficient and less stressful, you must also train them in how they can help stop threats before they become a catastrophic problem. Read more on the need for cybersecurity training.

Training and certifying your workforce in cybersecurity could also qualify you for a CMMC grant. The bottom line is if you have customers in the defense industry, you need to be invested in cybersecurity. Don’t have defense contractors? It’s only a matter of time before a CMMC certification is required in other industries.

If you would like to further discuss funding opportunities, or want help in elevating your business to new heights, Contact Us

 

I attended the annual Women in Manufacturing Summit earlier this week. There were over 2,100 people at the Summit in Boston which offered more than 60 educational sessions. I was fortunate to attend the presentation on Reshoring by Rosemary Coates, Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute.

After a summary of how US manufacturing got to where we are today, she spoke about the changes in the past few years that have affected reshoring. In addition to the obvious, the pandemic, other changes include:

• Travel Restrictions
• Lean Methodology
• Trade Wars
• Supply Chain Interruptions (shipping accidents and strikes)
• War in Ukraine
• Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), etc.

There are now many incentives for reshoring. From tax reforms and incentives to a stronger than ever Made in America mentality, reshoring is becoming a competitive option for many large companies. That’s not to say it’s for everyone. In Rosemary’s presentation she stated that products like apparel and toys would remain offshore. However, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals (some would argue medical devices) and plastics are being reshored. There are a variety of reasons these markets are being reshored to reduce the impact of supply chain disruptions.

Large companies are rethinking their global sourcing and manufacturing strategies. A recent article in Industry Today addresses the need for manufacturers to bolster their supply chains. One way to do this is to ensure they have local and regional suppliers.

If your customers/prospects are investing in their supply chain, be sure you’re top of mind. How often are you communicating with them? Have you done enough research to understand their interests. Are you engaged with more than one person at the company?

If you need to build a communication strategy that takes advantage of reshoring, Contact Us and we’ll be happy to help.

It’s manufacturing month and I’m feeling inspired. I was at the ElevateHer quarterly meeting on Tuesday, the CT Manufacturing Summit on Wednesday, and will be at the Women in Manufacturing (WIM) national summit next week. There’s so much going on that it’s hard to keep up. For that reason, I thought, why not share what I’ve learned? Here are some interesting articles. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Company Culture

https://industrytoday.com/us-manufacturing-is-facing-a-once-in-a-generation-change/

Manufacturing’s facing a once in a generation change. With this change come several challenges from workforce issues and rising wages to reconfigured supply chains and AI. This article offers three ways to help offset this problem. The first is – to put organizational health front and center, the second is to make skills development a core part of the transformation, and lastly to communicate with capital markets and shareholders.

Implementing AI

https://www.aerospacemanufacturinganddesign.com/article/artificial-intelligence-boon-or-bane-for-manufacturing-jul-2023/

AI can make manufacturing jobs faster, and safer. This article references the national association of manufacturers who believe that AI can be a useful tool to make their jobs much easier. They also discuss adoption of a code of conduct and ethics when using AI.

Workforce Tips

https://industrytoday.com/driving-employee-retention-in-2024/

Workforce recruitment and retention are critical for today’s manufacturers. In some cases, benefits can outweigh wages. The key is to know where your employees stand. This article discusses ways to focus on this.

Industry Focus

Steel

https://www.americanmanufacturing.org/blog/steel-industry-and-labor-jointly-call-for-improvements-to-a-commerce-department-program-that-tracks-steel-imports/

The steel and labor industries want the commerce department program to track steel imports due to the new and evolving trade programs. This article addresses the importance of accurate import data. One proposal is to expand steel import and monitoring analysis (SIMA) to downstream products so countries can’t evade U.S. trade enforcement.

Plastics

https://industrytoday.com/what-will-2025-bring-to-the-plastics-sector

Plastic manufacturers will experience big changes in the next year. This article highlights five major trends driving the industry. From the circular economy and regulatory issues to biodegradable and anti-microbial plastics, it’s important to stay on top of these trends.

If you’d like more information on a specific topic, Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

Cybersecurity management in the manufacturing industry is more important now than ever. Manufacturing is the most frequently targeted sector worldwide, likely because it’s one of the most rapidly changing industries in the global economy.

The biggest concern in manufacturing is the abundance of sensitive information. Cyber criminals often sell the sensitive data they steal from U.S. manufacturers to countries like China, Russia, North Korea and other adversarial countries to compromise our government and its military assets. Many of these “bad actors: specifically target

In addition to the national security threat caused by leaked information, correcting data breaches can cost millions of dollars. When manufacturers are victims of a cybersecurity attack, their customers and their supply chain can be impacted, leading to lost time and money. Manufacturers’ reputations are damaged, and customer confidence erodes.

What Are the Aspects of Managing Cybersecurity?

The many different aspects of managing cybersecurity include maintaining data integrity, risk management, employee training, staying current with software updates and new technologies, complying with regulations, and conducting routine security audits.

Understanding the many facets of managing your company’s cybersecurity is the first step toward preventing invasive data breaches.

What Should Companies Do?

Manufacturers can take an active role in safeguarding their data by becoming ISO 27001 certified. ISO 27001 is the leading international standard for information security management systems (ISMS), and it provides a framework for securely managing sensitive company information.

The standard outlines essential requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an ISMS, ensuring that risks to information security are effectively mitigated.

A recent article in Industry Today titled “Navigating Today’s Complex Regulatory Landscape” highlights some of the necessary steps toward becoming ISO 27001 certified.

By adopting ISO 27001, manufacturers demonstrate their commitment to protecting data, which facilitates trust among clients and stakeholders. Manufacturers are advised to ensure their suppliers are certified, too.

How Web Savvy Marketers Can Help

In addition to providing world class marketing services solely for manufacturers, we help ensure our clients are aware of current cybersecurity threats and regulatory standards. Contact Us to learn more.

Have you implemented a strategy to utilize advanced data analytics and AI for your business? If the answer to that question is “no”, find out how this new software is saving time, money and human capital.

As innovative technology hits the market, new resources and subsequent opportunities arise. A recent article in Industry Today, highlighted the Six Ways To Streamline Your Manufacturing Operations. The six areas to focus on are:

1. Supply Chain Optimization
2. Automation and Robotics
3. Data-Driven Decision Making
4. Lean Manufacturing Principles
5. Just in Time (JIT) Manufacturing
6. Employee Training and Accountability

Another article Manufacturing Companies Are Not Investing Enough In AI highlights three key areas that progress is needed to make AI profitable. These three areas are:

1. Making Data Available and Usable
2. Overcoming Fear of AI
3. Embracing Organizational Change

With these two articles in mind, we’d like to discuss data as it relates to your entire business and introduce you to a software platform that can assist you.

Is your company currently using data for decision making?

Data driven decisions use facts and metrics to guide strategic business decisions that align with a company’s initiatives and goals. Using data to drive decision making is essential in a production process.

For example: if someone puts in for vacation time with HR, is the production planner also privy to that information in real time? Data that is shared with the correct departments in a timely manner allows data driven decisions to take place. Using real-time data improves efficiency and communication between departments.

How much time do you and your team spend collecting data?

When tallied up, is the amount of time manually collecting data worth the investment? If the data is being used effectively then the answer for some companies is “yes,” while other companies have room to explore an alternative method.

For example: A production manager spends valuable time creating a schedule that could be obsolete two hours later because a piece of valuable information (from HR or Receiving for example) was not automatically updated. Now, instead of utilizing real time data, the production manager must start again from scratch.

How well do you understand the efficiency of your production process?

When a company thoroughly understands the efficiency of their manufacturing and production processes, it can look at the maximum output they can achieve using the assets it already has. Production efficiency usually happens when a system has reached capacity, meaning it cannot produce more goods without sacrificing the production of another related product. Without timely data, a production process will struggle to succeed.

Do you have Data Silos?

A data silo is a collection of data held by one group that cannot be easily or fully accessed by other groups all within the same organization. This causes problems for all departments within a company because it erects walls between clear and effective communication. Examples of affected departments are:

• Operations
• Inspection
• Production
• Research and Development
• Planning
• Design
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Warehouse Handling
• Human Resources
• Finance
• Sales
• Marketing
• Customer Service
• IT

Those are just the affected internal departments. Don’t forget the external sources such as FedEx and any equipment using API.

What is a viable solution?

We recently met with a local company that has developed a software program that solves the Data Driven Decision Making challenge. It can be used in conjunction with an ERP program., as prelude to an ERP program or, for small manufacturers, in lieu of an ERP program. Moreover, it can cost up to 50% less than an ERP program.

This software uses advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence to assemble real-time data to help save you time, money and human resources. It may sound complex, but it’s designed to be easy to use and is tailored to individual job functions; and it can even be customized by the end-users themselves.

It starts with understanding your needs and processes, and with that, providing a solution that automates the collection, integration, analysis, and visualization of your data to give you the information you need – in real time – to make data-driven decisions. This can be done without AI.

But the solution goes beyond standard data analytics to offer the benefits of AI. These include things like the ability to ask plain language questions to find otherwise hidden insights in your data, request reports, or conduct searches. This takes data-driven decision making to an even higher level.

The Connecticut Manufacturers Resource Group (CTmrg) is dedicated to finding and combining all available resources to help build the strongest possible manufacturing environment for their its clients. As part of this commitment, we’re always looking for solutions to challenges that manufacturers are currently facing.

As an organization created solely for the benefit of CT Manufacturers, CTmrg only recommends products and services that it truly believes can help manufacturers. We’re excited to share that this software program has space for three more pilot sites.

This would provide a three-month free trial. If your company believes that the implementation of advanced data analytics and AI is an investment in the future of manufacturing and looks forward to an easier tomorrow, please Contact Us for a no obligation review of this software platform.