Happy New Year!
JB Cutting has had a very busy year! The projects we planned to accomplish in 2017 have seen significant progress or are complete. We began implementing new ERP software, hosted over 200 industry leaders for the EBC (Stiles Machinery’s Executive Briefing Conference), and invested in our facility by adding new equipment. On top of these activities, sales grew by 15% over the previous year!
The company-wide ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software implementation will not be complete and operational until later this year, but it is well underway. As with any new software there will be hiccups and unforeseen roadblocks along the way. I do anticipate this being a three to five year plan to integrate all aspects of the business. Once the software is fully operational, we can capture costs for all departments and product lines, as well as schedule more effectively.
The 2017 Executive Briefing Conference was held right here in the epicenter of manufacturing, the heart of the Motor City: Detroit, Michigan. Our city and JB Cutting welcomed over 200 industry leaders. This year’s theme was “Rethink Manufacturing”. The event kicked off with a Ford Factory Tour and strolling dinner at the Ford Assembly plant in Dearborn. Photo highlights are located on our EBC Page. We heard from many great speakers and attended briefings giving us great ideas to innovate and take our businesses to the next level of manufacturing as well as being one of the featured plant tours.
We moved full steam ahead filling our newly renovated facility. By adding another press, two routers and additional dust collection, we will almost double our capacity. JB Cutting is hoping to be fully functional with the added equipment by the start of the third quarter. We’ll continue our search to find quality employees, as well as continue training and coaching our existing staff. It’s a critical function of running a successful business and this will be our number one priority as we head into 2018. You need to invest in your staff just like you would your equipment.
2017 proved to be another growth year for our company. I contribute the growth we experienced to the new colors we’ve committed to over the last year. As we strengthen our relationships with TFL manufacturers, we’ll continue to offer new and updated color lines.
Our 2018 travels will take us to the Cabinet Maker Association’s 20th Anniversary Conference in Denver where we’ll participate in a panel discussion. We’ll also be gearing up for IWF, 2018. If you are heading to Atlanta in August be sure to stop by our booth. As always, we encourage customer visits to our facility. Plant tours are the best way to gain a true “hands-on” experience of our process.
Best wishes to all of our partners and friends for a healthy and prosperous year!
Debra Behring