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Continue reading →: Cross-Functional Approaches to Improve Inventory TurnsIn manufacturing, inventory is both a necessity and a burden. It ensures uninterrupted production and customer service, but it also ties up cash, inflates carrying costs, and increases the risk of write-downs. For CFOs and finance leaders, the challenge is clear: how to reduce stock levels, improve inventory turnover, and…
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Continue reading →: Strategic Planning vs. Financial Planning: Where They OverlapEvery business, whether a small start-up or a multinational corporation, needs a roadmap to guide its future. Two critical elements of this roadmap are strategic planning and financial planning. At first glance, these might seem like separate activities—one focused on vision and long-term goals, the other on numbers and budgets.…
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Continue reading →: The 5 Core Functions of an Effective FP&A Team | Finance GuideWhen business leaders talk about scaling a company or improving financial performance, they often highlight sales, operations, or product innovation. What’s less visible—but just as critical—is the role of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A). Think of FP&A as the company’s internal compass: it doesn’t just track where you are, it…
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Continue reading →: Accelerate Month-End Close: From 10 Days to 3Business Case: Reducing Month-End Close from 10 to 3 Days For many finance teams, the month-end close process is a marathon. The moment the month ends, accountants and analysts dive into reconciliations, accruals, journal entries, and variance analysis. In some companies, this takes 10 days or more. By the time…
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Continue reading →: Unlock FP&A: A Guide for All BusinessesIn today’s uncertain economy, guesswork isn’t a strategy. Whether you’re running a startup, managing a mid-sized company, or scaling a manufacturing firm, financial planning and analysis (FP&A) can be the game-changer your business needs. Yet many business owners and finance managers still view FP&A as something only “big companies” can…
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Continue reading →: Weekend Read: Leadership Lessons from Lean TransformationsWe often hear the word “Lean” thrown around in operations meetings and strategy workshops. It’s usually tied to cutting waste, improving flow, or reducing cost. But when you strip Lean down to its essence, you find something deeper: a philosophy that transforms how people lead, not just how companies run.…
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Continue reading →: What the 2025 Tax Reform Means for U.S. Manufacturers: A Mixed Bag of Relief and RiskToday in 2025, the United States introduced a sweeping new tax reform, widely known in political circles as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” While it makes headlines for its bold price tag and political implications, the bill’s real-world effects are now rippling across American industries, particularly in manufacturing. For many…
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Continue reading →: Driver-Based Planning: A Smarter Way to Control Costs in Volatile Manufacturing EnvironmentsIntroduction: Building on What We’ve LearnedIn our recent discussion about Lean, Standard, and Activity-Based Costing, we explored how modern manufacturers are moving beyond static cost systems to focus on what truly drives cost and value. These methodologies improve accuracy and decision-making by aligning cost with real business activities and value…
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Continue reading →: How I Helped Implement Lean Costing (and Why We Still Use Standard Costing Smarter)When I was asked to help transition a mid-sized manufacturing business to lean costing, I knew we weren’t going to abandon standard costing completely. It still had a place, especially for compliance, inventory valuation, and external reporting. But our real problem wasn’t about compliance—it was about making better decisions faster.…
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Continue reading →: Lean Costing vs. Standard Costing: What’s Best in Inflationary Times?
In today’s unpredictable economic climate, with inflation driving up the cost of materials, labor, and overhead, finance leaders are being pushed to revisit how they measure and manage costs. For decades, standard costing has been the dominant cost accounting method in manufacturing and production-oriented companies. But in inflationary times—when efficiency…
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This blog delivers practical insights, tools, and strategies for finance professionals in manufacturing. From forecasting and budgeting to Lean cost control and dashboard automation, everything here is built to help you simplify complexity and drive profitable growth.
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