Manufacturing Support Services Good Practices

The support services practices are centered around the following principles:

• • I need to minimize churn, recycle and paperwork for the people running the business so they can focus on production
• • I need to protect the companies interests with enough controls and definition so that the business is not jeopardized

Key Support Service Practices

Accounting

• Minimize bad decision making to meet budgets
• Make sure production decisions are made on marginal cost/profit not cost accounting costs
• Hold contingency funds at highest level so they can be optimized and directed where best suited
• Make your capital / expense rules suit your business

Information Systems

• Allow enough flexibility to let people have the tools they need to do their job but try to all use the same tools.
• Tools should demonstrate their worth on a benefit / cost basis
• Sometimes homegrown is better

Legal and Environmental

• Tell them what you want to do and make them work to find a way to do it (also applies to Safety)
• Document your decision basis
• Where fuzzy, interpret in your favor
• Always show concern for the environment.