The Secret Ingredient Missing from Most ERP Implementations
Operational Reality: The Secret Ingredient
Early in my career, my father told me a story I never forgot.
He worked for a major jet engine manufacturer as a final test mechanic — decades ago, when nobody was winning any ISO audits.
Machine…
Manufacturing Configuration Control & Operational Control
Operational Reality: The Drawing Was Right. The ERP Was Wrong.
I've seen this one play out more than once.
A component engineer gets word that an AMP connector is being superseded. The right people are notified. Electrical Engineering does exactly…
Post-Implementation: Why ERP Systems Look Good but Feel Broken
Operational Reality: Better Than Before
Walked into a company a few years after their Oracle go-live.
First thing I heard: The BOMs are much better than they used to be.
I'll be honest — that sounded like good news for about ten minutes.
Then…
The Implementation Launch Party: When ERP Success Was Already Lost
Operational Reality: Control
Your ERP went live two years ago.
There was a launch party.
The implementation partner sent a polished closeout email.
And somewhere between go-live and today…
your BOM became fiction.
Not all at once. It never…
What ERP Job Postings Reveal About Industry Struggles
Saw a job posting this week that told a whole story in three bullet points.
ERP Architect role. $120/hour. Must have three specific cloud ERP certifications — all verifiable.
That's not an HR posting. That's a hiring manager who came from…
Before You Add AI, Fix Your Process Foundation
Before you add AI, fix the process.
A plant manager showed me their new AI forecasting dashboard. Beautiful charts. Confident numbers.
Then I asked where the inventory data came from.
Three different spreadsheets, two people who usually update…
Factory Floor Blindness: When Leaders Don’t Know What’s Really Happening
The President of a $50M company walked his own factory floor and didn't know it was empty.
I was early in my career. Running Master Scheduling and MRP for a capital equipment manufacturer. The company had been bleeding margin and leadership…
Why Free ERP Cost Calculators Are Dangerously Misleading
A slick free ERP cost calculator showed up in my feed this week.
Three minutes. No email. Promises to tell you what your broken software is really costing you.
So I ran it. Here's the magic trick.
No matter what you put in, the math walks you…
Their inventory was accurate exactly two days a year.
Their inventory was accurate exactly two days a year.
The two days right after the semi-annual physical count.
By day three it was already drifting. By month two, the number on the screen and the part on the shelf had nothing to do with each…
From MADIC to Modern ERP: Manufacturing System Evolution
My first manufacturing system was called MADIC.
It ran on a mainframe connected to a handful of dumb terminals. Single-piece units — built to take a beating. But spend a few hours on that keyboard and your hands, wrists, and fingers paid for…
