J Schneider, VP, Strategy

How Product Portfolio Management Is Key to Increasing Profitability

The average manufacturing company has thousands of items in their product portfolio. The 80/20 rule dictates that of these, around 20% of products likely account for roughly 80% of a firm’s revenue. The remaining 80% of products form a long tail that together adds up to roughly 20% of sales. With so many products in play, it can be quite challenging to individually manage and care for each of the thousands of items in a portfolio. Product portfolio management is the key to doing so. Most companies use product rationalization — [...]

How Product Portfolio Management Is Key to Increasing ProfitabilityJ Schneider2021-11-17T09:01:25-06:00

How Planning for Obsolescence Drives Product Innovation and Lifecycle Management

Until recently, manufacturing companies could get away with a certain level of complacency in terms of their product portfolios. They could sell the same products for years and years without changing a thing. With fewer overall options, buyers tended to be steadfastly loyal once they found the brands they liked. Today, though, product innovation is much higher. Buyers have a plethora of information and options at their fingertips, and they are much less likely to be brand loyalists. When it’s time to buy a new wrench, they’re liable to research different [...]

How Planning for Obsolescence Drives Product Innovation and Lifecycle ManagementJ Schneider2021-11-17T09:05:15-06:00

An Agile Approach to Compounding Wins: Your Ticket to Rapid Growth

We don’t have to tell you that competition among manufacturing companies is fierce. Whether you’re an independent manufacturer or owned by a private equity firm, you already know that it’s not safe to rest on your laurels in today’s aggressive landscape. If you want to stay ahead of the competitive curve (and meet the exacting expectations of owners), your firm will need to be proactive in seeking out business growth strategies. Time to market, as well as your ability to produce products that customers value, is key to your ability to [...]

An Agile Approach to Compounding Wins: Your Ticket to Rapid GrowthJ Schneider2021-11-17T09:25:26-06:00

Customer-Centric Strategies: How to Prepare Internal and External Partners for Your New Approach to Growth

The vast majority of manufacturing companies sell their products through distributors. So it makes sense that manufacturers tend to structure their growth strategies around B2B objectives, with distributors (rather than end customers) receiving the lion’s share of attention. Going beyond the typical manufacturing marketing tactics, it is critical to look at how your firm defines its activities in creating stronger relationships with their end-users and capturing new market share. In today's highly competitive environment it’s crucial to nurture your distributor relationships. These days, however, more and more manufacturing companies are recognizing [...]

Customer-Centric Strategies: How to Prepare Internal and External Partners for Your New Approach to GrowthJ Schneider2021-11-17T09:27:25-06:00

Understanding Economic Cycles Is the Key to Market Share Growth

Your business may have been up 15% last year, but so was everyone else. This fact can be lost as companies focus on supporting their own growth and continuing to invest in operations to keep up with demand. For most industrial manufacturers in the United States, 2018 was a strong year. Ten years after the great recession of 2008, it felt a long time coming to see such strong performance across many industrial segments. Most saw increasing profits and top-line revenue which has boosted capital investments from shareholders. However, understanding the [...]

Understanding Economic Cycles Is the Key to Market Share GrowthJ Schneider2021-11-17T10:57:07-06:00