When you run a small contract manufacturing company, your typical work day might look something like this:
You get to work and open your email to dozens of inquiries and RFQs.
You spend the next 3 hours answering these messages—between getting pulled into back-to-back meetings and discussions with your team.
Just when you finally have a minute to breathe, you find out that the lathe is malfunctioning.
You spend the rest of your day responding to one emergency after another. . . only to wake up the next morning and do it all over again.
You know deep down that you should be doing more to drive your shop’s growth and development. But when you’re so busy with the details of everyday operations, you never have time to sit down and think about the big picture.
You’re working in your shop when you could be working on your shop.
Working in Your Shop vs. Working on Your Shop
Working in your shop means being enmeshed in the nitty-gritty details of shop life. You probably feel tempted to handle everything yourself. Because it’s just easier that way, and maybe even because you like knowing that every day is going to be different. But this approach to running a shop isn’t sustainable.
Working on your shop means stepping back and identifying ways to run operations more efficiently. It means training your employees to take over tasks like quoting and fixing equipment—so you don’t have to do them yourself. When you’re less bogged down in the details, you have the time and energy to grow a thriving company.
So how do you transition from working in your shop to working on your shop?
How NTMA Helps You Work on Your Shop
If you’re ready to change the way you run your shop, the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) is a great place to start. We’ve supported thousands of machine shop owners on their journey toward growing and developing their companies.
We provide members with access to:
Industry partners. We’ll connect you with industry partners who have valuable insight into streamlining business operations. You’ll learn about innovative solutions like Paperless Parts, a software platform for manufacturers that helps automate the quoting process. Our industry partners are well-vetted, which saves you time trying to sift through solutions on your own.
Top Shops seminars. In collaboration with organizations like the Association for Manufacturing Technology, Modern Machine Shop, and Gardner Business Media, we organize Top Shops seminars. These sessions help you spend focused, uninterrupted time working on your shop instead of in your shop. Top Shops seminars provide opportunities to network with other contract manufacturing company owners and learn from the best in the business. You’ll also get a chance to benchmark your shop against the leading shops in the country and learn how they have innovated.
Network of peers. Plenty of organizations are targeted toward helping business owners. But only NTMA targets a niche group of small to medium sized contract manufacturing and precision machining companies. You’ll gain access to a true network of peers who provide a level of support you won’t find anywhere else.
Are you ready to start working on your shop? Join NTMA and take this important step toward growing your company into what you know it can be.
