The Thomas Blog

How To Increase Sales For A CNC Machine Shop

The total industry market for CNC machining is expected to continue growing through 2024. But reaching target customers isn’t the same as it used to be for CNC machine shops. Industrial buying habits are simply changing. So what can CNC machine shops do to help increase sales?

Continuing To Promote Your Manufacturing Business During An Economic Downturn

Many companies worry about how their business will fare in bad economic conditions, but sometimes opportune outcomes stem from times of economic uncertainty — especially for manufacturers.

With seemingly difficult economic conditions on the horizon, there are plenty of indicators that can seem at odds with one another. Recently, the stock market had its worst week since 2008 while sourcing activity for North American suppliers on Thomasnet.com saw record-breaking numbers. Based on a Coronavirus Impact survey conducted this month, over half of the manufacturers surveyed are ‘likely to extremely likely’ to bring production and sourcing back to North America and 47% of U.S manufacturers report they are now seeking domestic sources of supply — likely the reasons for sourcing surge.

Challenges And Opportunities In Private Label Manufacturing

Businesses and individuals everywhere are in some way experiencing the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. For some small companies, the virus-related shortages in cleaning supplies and sanitizers have boosted private label brands sales. With more consumers concerned for their health, demand in niche brands and private labels for organic supplements have also spiked.

While there are more opportunities for growth for private label manufacturers due to recent global health concerns, what challenges are these companies generally facing and how can they continue to outperform competitors?

7 Manufacturing Newsletters To Subscribe To Today

Most of us are already bombarded with sales notifications, internal back-and-forths, and did-I-really-sign-up-for-this marketing emails in our inboxes.

But with the global COVID-19 outbreak affecting U.S. manufacturers, shipping and logistics, and local communities, it's important to stay up to date on what's happening in the industry to continue to grow your business. Email newsletters make it easy to do so.

There are plenty of trade and niche business publications you can seek out, but we've put together a list of broad market industry and manufacturing newsletters to help you stay in the loop — check them out below.

For Industrial Companies: How Much Should You Spend On Marketing?

Even though the manufacturing industry has had a long dominance in the U.S. economy, it’s still relatively a newcomer when it comes to all things B2B marketing.

Instead of word-of-mouth referrals and newspaper advertisements, digital platforms have become the most effective way to drive new business with a more expansive reach and more effective ways to highlight a company’s value proposition. Marketers and business owners are utilizing pay-per-click, content creation, email blasts, and many other tactics to their advantage, but to some, these methods can feel overwhelming. With so much opportunity comes tough decisions on how to direct your time, energy, and money.

3 Financial Risks In The Manufacturing Industry

The manufacturing industry is largely comprised of small businesses. In fact, according to the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 98 percent of manufacturing companies in the U.S. are considered to be small (with fewer than 500 employees). Further still, nearly 75 percent of manufacturing companies actually have fewer than 20 employees. 

Within these smaller organizations, financial decisions always loom incredibly large. Every dollar counts, and one misstep can have disastrous consequences. That's why it's important to steer clear of these common pitfalls. 

Optimize Safety In Industrial Operations To Drive Productivity & Revenue

Safety in the workplace is a serious matter — especially in industrial operations. In physically demanding and/or high-risk industries like many industrial operations, the implications of such injuries can be disastrous.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows there were more than 5,200 fatal workplace injuries across all sectors in 2018, in addition to more than 3 million total recordable cases of non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses in 2013.

How To Meet The Needs Of B2B Industrial Buyers

No matter what your role is — sales, marketing, operations, or leadership — you have a lot to accomplish.

So do your buyers. 

By understanding what your buyers have on their plates, you can more easily accomplish one of the most important things on yours — generating more leads. Here’s what you should know to meet their needs and create more meaningful connections to win more business.

The Keys For Manufacturers To Connect With Big Buyers

Landing a contract with a big buyer can have an equally big impact on your business. However, large buying organizations tend to do things a bit differently than the clients you’re likely used to serving.

If you want a real chance at landing those big fish, you need to understand how they think and how their processes work.