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Agile Manufacturing Leadership Tips

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

In agile manufacturing, teams work in short cycles called sprints. These self-organized groups develop products in a modular fashion. This helps to speed up innovation. Such teams evolve on a continuous basis based on experience and customer feedback. How can you improve the management of such structures?

Some key components of management style need to change to allow for improvement in this regard. Consider the following:

  • A customer focus must be a priority. Determining what the customer wants and then defining those wants using tests helps to improve efficiency. Then, the tests provide for short cycles to deliver on those features and finding out what customers think of the new updates. Working with customers is essential.
  • Team organization is self-managed. Teams determine how they are organized in a way that is efficient and effective for the product. In doing this, the team is able to function specifically. A daily standup call ensures every team of small members remains on the same page. Hiring the highest quality candidates also makes sure that they are prepared for this self-managed work style.
  • The team focuses on meeting the guidelines the testing produces as desires from the consumer. This allows such changes to be made far less expensively and enables for the quickest return of the product to market. Unlike other situations where the next product takes five to seven years to launch, the product is in hand faster.
  • There is also a level of business transparency present. The goal is continuous improvement and that is done by ensuring everyone can see what is happening, who is doing what and understands the goals of the process.
  • As with any real management style, in this form, there is a great deal of effective communication taking place. This is called vertical communications instead of the traditional hierarchy form. The project owner does set goals in terms of what should be worked on. He or she is not the traditional boss, though. Rather, the team members are able to communicate openly with the project’s definitions and goals. The management can communicate a clear vision, then, to the group.

Rather than the traditional boss-is-at-the-top style of management, this is a more open concept. In agile manufacturing, the goal is to align with different goals to achieve a better result. Instead of one group at the top making a decision about what needs to be done, changes are made to products based on what the customer wants to see happen. Then, the group works on achieving those goals as a group, open and easily able to communicate.

This type of organization and management style means products in the hands of customers faster, lower costs and improved overall customer satisfaction since the customer is getting exactly what he or she wants. It also means new products and innovation are easier to achieve. But, this all starts with hiring the best team members, who can work well in the agile manufacturing work environment. Look for your new self-starters by working with the staffing experts at Advance Staffing Solutions.

Pros and Cons of ERP

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

There are many advantages to using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) model in several industries, including technology and manufacturing. Likewise, there can be some setbacks that can occur. There are two typical methods of supplying large numbers of skilled staff: one is by partnering with a specialty staffing agency, the other is by working with a systems integrator or consultancy firm.

When considering using an ERP system for bringing on quality staff, it’s natural to use the approach of trying to manage this on your own with your meager HR team. However, it becomes quickly apparent that your company needs the support of a technology or manufacturing staffing agency to bring on qualified candidates to fill key assignments.

In this article, we will review some of the pros and cons of the ERP model, so you can make the best decision for your company.

Pros of the ERP

An ERP system can give you fast access to a larger candidate pool of pre-screened talent who are ready to fill critical positions within your company. This can give you the ability to grow faster, and take on more rewarding projects.

ERPs are managed by a team of skilled technology and manufacturing recruiters who understand your industry’s unique needs. There’s no substitute for this experience when it comes to sourcing great candidates for assignments, because you need the best skillsets among your contract employees.

You can choose to bring on temporary staff to support large projects or short term growth initiatives. Most ERP’s provide this service in an affordable way, with no long term commitments. You can even have some contractors replaced if you are unsatisfied with their initial performance.

When working with a consultancy type ERP, you can be assured that the agent has the skills, experience, and credentials to do the job well. This is often backed by years of previous work and references from other similar companies.

Cons of the ERP

What some see as a potential negative in the ERP model is that you may not have the ability to meet with contingent staff who are assigned to work for your company in advance, due to time and project constraints.

With an ERP system used on a large scale, costs can also add up over time if not carefully managed. For example, bringing on 50 full time contractors from a staffing agency in one period can bring with it a significant contract rate. The good news, however, is that you can control costs by using pre-vetted candidates staged out over the life of the project, who do not burden your company with recruitment or screening costs – this is all handled by the staffing agency.

Another potential setback to  using an ERP is when you are dealing with a private consultancy firm that comes with a hefty price tag. You can offset this by using a specialty staffing agency to send contract workers who have the same skills, but at a much more affordable rate that guarantees a profitable project.

When making the decision to use an ERP to staff your project needs, it makes best sense to use a contract workforce managed by an industry specific staffing company. Find out more about how ERPs work by contacting Advance Temporary Staffing today.

Social Media Recruiting 101: Make Friends, Not Fans

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

Social media has become the go-to source for candidates for many hiring managers and professional recruiters. With the addition of applications like LinkedIn’s corporate recruiting portal and the social recruiting capabilities of Facebook, smart recruiters are using this as their primary resource of quality personnel. Additionally, job seekers have tapped into social networks, not only for personal reasons, but also as a means to present a favorable profile for recruiters to find them for open assignments.

According to a survey conducted by Mashable in September 2011, the average user spends 8 hours a month on Facebook alone and countless other time on other social media sites. However, a recent survey revealed that regardless of common belief, only 8 percent of recruiters actively use social media to find candidates. That’s a potential span of time when many candidates are updating their information, uploading resumes, and looking for opportunities to become fans of recruiting and staffing agencies. The best course of action for a staffing agency with a social media page is not to try to earn as many fans as possible, but rather focus on connecting with desirable candidates. In other words: make friends, not fans.

Here are some tips for making the most of social media to find the best candidates faster.

Develop an inviting profile targeted for your niche market. When you create your social media presence, make sure you develop a profile that’s appealing to your target industry market. For example, if your specialty is sourcing IT and technology professionals, include this in your profile keywords and include news and articles about this market in your post feed. This sends a clear message to job seekers what qualities you are looking for in candidates.

Provide links to your company recruiting portal. Be sure to give visitors a chance to learn more about your company and career opportunities by including a direct link to your main corporate website. If you do not have a career portal set up, not is the time to do so. Each week, you can then link to your career portal as you post new assignments and opportunities at your company. Use your social media as a support to your main career website, not as a substitute.

Invite promising candidates to learn more. One of the best ways to use social media to find superior candidates is to conduct a candidate search by career specialty. Many social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, allow for keyword searching in the main menu. Search for candidates who match your needs, whether they are active or passive job seekers, then invite them to become your fan at your social media page. Send a warm welcoming message and follow up only with those who do, as they have expressed interest in learning more.

Highlight your top open assignments and events. Social media is about connecting with more people in a meaningful way, something that recruiters have done for decades. Use your social media outlets to highlight your top open assignments by posting links and what you are looking for in candidates. Create open house events online and invite your friends to attend to learn of new employment opportunities. Then use this medium to communicate with potential fans who have the qualities you are looking for.

Learn more about recruiting and career tips as you come back often to the Advance Staffing blog!

Why You Need a Career Mentor

Raza Rauf on November 6, 2014

There are a multitude of things a person can do these days to improve the success they have in their career. One of those things is having a career mentor. Not everyone employs the use of a career mentor, but it is definitely something that should be taken into consideration. We will discuss the most important benefits of having a career mentor in this post so you can see why having one is so vital to the health of your career.

Mentors Can Help With Shortcomings

It can be incredibly easy to see the shortcomings and the weaknesses of other people, but when it comes to your own, they can be very difficult to see. When this happens, it might be in your best interest to use a mentor. A mentor will be able to evaluate you as an employee and take a long look at your career. When he or she does this, they might be able to point out what is holding you back in your search for a new job or for a promotion.

Mentors Can Teach New Things

As with a teacher or an academic adviser, mentors will be able to teach you new things. Your career mentor should be from within your industry or work niche in order to make the relationship as successful as possible. You do not know everything there is to know about your career or the industry in which you work. This is why you need a career mentor. A career mentor has the years of experience needed to show and teach you what you are yearning to know.

Mentors Will Keep Conversations Confidential

Another great thing about having a career mentor is the fact that you will be able to talk with him or her about almost anything related to your work life without fear of repercussions. You might not be able to complain about a boss or co-worker to someone you feel is a best friend in the office. But, you can be open and honest with your career mentor as much as you would like.

Learn How to be a Mentor Yourself

As you continue to gain work experience and develop a relationship with your career mentor, you can learn how to be a mentor yourself at the same time. This means that you will be gaining the same skills and knowledge that your mentor has that you could use someday if you are asked to be a mentor for someone else within your industry.

Career mentors are very popular these days, even though not everyone employs this benefit of the workforce. If your career has stalled, you might want to consider finding someone to be your career mentor so you can get back on the right track. Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today to learn more about how to successfully navigate your career mentor relationship, or to find a new career today!

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Lead Through Learning – Promote New Skills In the Workplace

Raza Rauf on August 15, 2014

Promoting new skills in the workplace is very important for companies around the world. Why? Leading through learning is an excellent way to promote and develop new skills, especially when there are a lot of new hires in the building. Transferring existing skills from experienced employees to new employees is a critical component of workplace operations, but so is bringing in fresh, new skills to take the company into the future.

To accomplish this, you will want to develop a process for promoting new skills amongst your workers. Here’s how.

Provide Information and Training

One of the best things you can do for employees when promoting new skills is to provide information and training to all of them, no matter how long they have been employed. When employees have access to information and training they are more likely to acquire new skills and succeed while on the job. You need to identify what skills must be developed the most within your office and then provide training programs related to those skills for your employees.

Assess the Skills of Employees

Companies must also assess the current skills of all the employees on the payroll right now. This includes new hires, veteran workers and even temporary employees. Anyone who walks through the door of your company and earns a paycheck should have their skills evaluated. In a work environment, companies can assess the skills of their employees by administering computer tests or simply watching employees to see what they can and cannot do with specific tasks assigned to them. Workplace Learning Detroit IL takes place by carefully tracking all skills and adding new ones to the mix.

Encouragement is Key to Promoting New Skills

If you are trying to promote new skills at the workplace, it is imperative that the company encourage employees as much as possible. Praise should be showered upon employees when they achieve a new skill, especially since they worked hard to obtain that skill. This can be done with the creation of an incentive program, a recognition ceremony or offering promotions to higher positions due to continued improvement by employees.

Stay Consistent

If your company has created an incentive program for employees who learn new skills, make sure you stay consistent with it. Employees want to know that the program will be available one year from now. They will not want something that is here for just a couple of months because their motivation to learn new skills will disappear once the incentive program ends.

Prepare for Mistakes

No one is perfect. This mantra should be kept in mind when promoting new skills at the workplace. Your employees will make mistakes, and even struggle at times, when trying to learn new skills. Be prepared for this and let the employees know that you are here to make their training and education as easy as possible when learning new skills.

Perfect Resumes for Manufacturing Jobs

Raza Rauf on August 8, 2014

Is it possible to write the perfect resume — even for a manufacturing job in Ohio or Michigan? We certainly think so, but it all depends on who you talk to and who is going to read the resume. Everyone has their opinions about resumes, including what should and should not be included on them. This means that a perfect resume for one employer will not be a perfect resume for another employer. Do not let this get you down when writing yours for manufacturing jobs or else you will have trouble succeeding.

Sell Your Personal Brand

With all types of resumes, you need to sell your personal brand as much as possible. Your brand needs to be at the top of the resume and in the form of a one-to-three sentence statement. It absolutely must show to potential employers what it is you have done in your manufacturing career. When they read what you have done, they will be able to envision what you can do for their company if you are hired.

Use Manufacturing Keywords

A manufacturing resume must include keywords associated to the industry or to the jobs you have worked throughout your career. You need to include them naturally, not just thrown into the content, so they flow with the sentence being read. This will take a little bit of research on your part if you have never done this before, so be sure you set aside enough time to make sure that this is done correctly prior to writing the resume.

Relevant Work Experience

No matter what industry you are writing a resume for, it must have your relevant work experience on it. The tip here is not to simply list your previous jobs, but to provide stories from those jobs of your success. Underneath each job, be sure to mention something that you had a hand in while at the company that improved things. This can be a goal met, a new policy implemented or a new record set.

Core Competencies

Something that can be done on a manufacturing resume that is a little different from a regular resume is listing your core competencies at the top of your resume. These competencies let the potential employer know what you have been responsible for while on the job. For example, you could list regulatory compliance, site safety and budgeting and cost reduction in this section. This section is not on typical resumes, so it will surely grab the attention of the human resource managers reading your resume.
In an effort to write a perfect manufacturing resume, be sure that you focus on the strong points in your career. Also, make sure that your resume has a statement at the very top that sets you apart from all the other candidates for the job. If you can do this, you should have no trouble securing a manufacturing job interview in Michigan or Ohio. Advance Temporary can help you get closer to your ideal manufacturing job in Detroit, Sylvania or Toledo.

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