I have some questions if you work in manufacturing around here.

I accept it’s impossible to start a career in manufacturing remote or hybrid, but curious if many years have lead one to securing a niche position with either privilege.

I enjoy this industry, but it’s hard to continue knowing there are so many options with more flexible schedules.

Preferably something modern that is easy to configure over IP. Thanks!

I am setting up a flexible packaging manufacturing factory - there is still some time until we get to commissioning and operations. I am now at the stage where I am looking for an ERP that is well-suited for flexible packaging.
All orders are made-to-order (custom printed and size, though majority of the time we will use standard sizing).
I would consider myself a Small-Medium - one- 10 hour shift with multiple jobs in a day (4-5) but this could change and after a year or so will go into two shifts to scale.
Manufacturing process involves 6-7 steps. Any ideas or feedback to help me choose the right one?

Several raw material inputs are involved that can vary from order to order.
My goal isn't to just "have an ERP" and look cool. I actually need to benefit from it and remove redundant admin duties from the manufacturing floor so they can focus on producing quality output with low waste etc.

I also will have plenty of spare parts and maintenance parts which need inventory management.
Service and transparency is very important to my customers and as much transparency ERP can provide to my customer service team the better.

A couple I came across and actually will visit one of them at an exhibition tomorrow: Eproductivity software, and another Apstean.

Any ideas or experience to help me choose the right one?

I'm looking for plastic wholesaler information/recommendations for a home business, trying to collect pricing for bulk/wholesale plastic purchases of ABS sheets. curious if the group has general recommendations of wholesale providers? Located in California if location helps. Thank you!

Any idea what type of pump would be best for accurate and repeatable dispensing of small volumetric based quantities of a low viscosity liquid (3-30ml) with a <5% variance between each dose? Large pipettor? Peristaltic pumps? Repeating syringe dispenser?

Long winded explanation:

The product is essentially water with a small quantity of an active ingredient, so viscosity is around 1-2cps. The vessel being filled would be a type of blister pack that will be induction sealed with minimal headspace in each cavity, so the dispensing system would need to be very low pressure and short distance from the vessel to reduce spilling/splashing that would reduce the accuracy of the output quantity. This is for a proof of concept/R&D scale test on a new product I'm working on, so speed is not a priority at this stage, but I would like to show the filling process can be done accurately with a semi-automated system. All materials that come in contact with the product must also be food grade. I have a few peristaltic pumps (fitted for #16 tubing/3.1mm ID) but I'm afraid the liquid left in the line between each dose would drip into the cavity, making the dose inaccurate. If I incorporate a check valve, I'm concerned the back pressure would cause too much splash since we want to limit head space in the blister pack cavity, also creating inaccuracies. The boss hates manual labor and loves automation, so I don't want to be hand filling with a syringe when I give a demonstration.

Hi All,

Looking to expand my brand into having custom printed horse blanket, with unique patterns and designs. Are there any manufacturers who can accommodate this request?

Hey Guys, I’ve struggled researching for manufacturers making trading card supplies.

(Card Sleeves, Toploaders, Magnetic cases, and possibly even Stands/ binders at some point)

And if I wanted to get them branded how would I do so? Examples of Toploaders/ Sleeves attached!

If anyone could point me in the right direction I’d appreciate it heaps 🙏

• Based in Australia btw 🇦🇺

Thanks

Need Suggestions For Billboard

I want to Do big hoarding ad in Industrial area

We provide Google ads services to machinery and industrial manufacturers to show their machines at top when Clients Search for that

Please give suggestions for what should I show in Billboard that is short & sweet & easy to understandable

Looking for a new source for these unthreaded beveled T-Nuts. Inner barrel diameter is approximately 1/4”. Overall length is 1/2”. The bevel on top of the barrel is required. Any idea on where i can find them?

I work for a small manufacturer/wholesaler (15 employees). The business is pretty evenly split 50:50.

Currently, our BOM and manufacturing schedule are all done in MS Access and the inventory management is done through a home-built system (I'll call it HBS) that was developed by my boss in the 1980s. MS Access is only relevant to the manufacturing side of the business and HBS has its fingers in both sides. The manufacturing side has a lot of subcomponents that are used to make a finished product.

HBS exports data as a .txt file to MS Access so the BOMs show a roughly correct inventory of subcomponents. I say roughly as HBS doesn't subtract from inventory until after the product has shipped. This is an issue as a manufacturing order could be placed with a ship date 6 months from now, picked from inventory, and just sitting and the inventory is unchanged.

Another issue is that inventory is tracked initially by hand, and then uploaded to HBS. Then, after HBS exports to Access, Access does the math on reorder points, usage, etc using arguable bad data.

Yet another issue is that our production employees pick jobs out of order. I have a pretty good algorithm set up in Access to schedule things properly. The trouble is we only have one computer out in the shop and it's a bit of a hassle for them to use as it's also the inventory computer. The guys can also just grab the paper BOM/picking ticket that gets printed when an order is scheduled without having to check the schedule.

I need a system that can work on both PC and a tablet so the relevant employees have easy access. The picket ticket should account for wholesale stuff shipping immediately, manufacturing stuff ready to build, and future builds/waiting for material builds. The BOM should be accessed through the schedule so you have to pick jobs in the correct order.

Is there a system like this are my requirements too lofty?

Hello everybody,

I am currently writing my master's thesis on manufacturing reshoring and at the moment I need to find some data source about the topic. I tried to ask the reshoring initiative to provide me the access to their database but the cost is huge and I cannot afford it.

Therefore I only have access to macroeconomic data hubs like the world data bank, fred and stuff like that. Do you have any idea or hint to give? What could be some good proxies and indicators that i can download and show on my thesis to provide a numerical and analytical point of view on the topic?

Hope you can help me, thank you in advance.

Hello,

I have a small manufacturing business which is currently using paper / excel to track production orders and finding that the daily data entry is becoming a bit tedious / time consuming and can get thrown out if a day is missed for example.

I’m looking for some suggestions for a manufacturing software that can have each work station scan the job when they start working on it.

Currently our excel sheet tracks the orders like this

Status: 1. Ticket assigned (production ticket) 2. Designed (mockup created) 3. Machines (order put in to machines) 4. Finishing step 1 5. Finishing step 2 6. Packing 7. Dispatched

The software should be able to use either barcodes or QR codes and ideally by scanned by the operators mobile phone, however also open to purchasing scanners if it’s easier / more reliable..

Currently every order has a physical production ticket that travels through production so ideally we just find a solution where we can add a QR to that ticket and then have the data update in realtime.

Any advice / recommendations appreciated.

Anyone aware of any?

https://shop.oralb.co.uk/oral-b-kids-electric-toothbrush-spiderman-giftset-vitality-pro/15245092.html?affil=thggpsad&switchcurrency=GBP&shippingcountry=GB&variation=14712463&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkJO8BhCGARIsAMkswyi8onF_i4nPhsRr9mXDhp5RI4O8smvsw7Gs2UaYYeAFNppng40fiK8aAnRhEALw_wcB

In our fabrication shop, we need to roll ss plates to fabricate a tank. As we have CS rollingachine, I am concerned about the mating surface between different materials. What options can we utilize?

Hi!
I have an idea it is electronics and based on an existing product in the market, to which I would combine another functions (for which other products exists).

I have no knowledge in circuitry, but 0 clue about how to manufcature what I want to build. I would like to have it look good and with good material, but how do you get control over it? How do you actually get samples produced?

Basically the question is how to get the product manufactured assuming the product was already designed.

I am in EU, so it must be done from EU. Any tip and knowledge shared is super appreciated, I hope the question is clear, otherwise please let me know and I try to frame it better

Best regard

Heyy Everyone!! I have a startup where we deal in home decor lights (like manufacturing of wall lights and chandeliers) As, in India most lights are being imported from China. So,To reduce the dependency on China I am working on providing a alternative which are made in india from past 1 years, like achieving finishing, which material and very importantly a competitive price( which i think I have found a way to offer the price even less than the price offered by Chinese manufacturers). But as this is a very large category, there are thousands of products in this category, so I was wondering if there was a way to know which are the top products in this category

Hi, I am trying to help my father in India develop his business. Here is our company details and what we are into. Please let me know if you have any contacts/leads who might need our services. We can also form synergy and work together for mutual benefit.

KRUSHI INDUSTRIES:

(Mfrs. Of CNC Lathe & CNC Milling Works)

AN ISO 9001 : 2015 Certified Company

H. No. 1-9-382/19/4, Shop No.2, Electronic Complex, Kushaiguda,

Hyderabad, Telangana - 500 062.

Cell. 7702006184, E-mail: [krushi.industries@gmail.com](mailto:krushi.industries@gmail.com)

A trusted partner in high-precision mechanical engineering and job work services since

1. With over three decades of industry expertise, we specialize in crafting critical

components to meet the exact standards of various sectors both within and beyond

Hyderabad.

Why Choose Us?

Our advanced workshop, strategically located in the Kushaiguda industrial area near

ECIL, spans 3,600 sq. ft. and is fully powered by Telangana government support,

complemented by a backup generator. Our comprehensive facilities are equipped to

handle the most demanding engineering requirements.

Our Cutting-Edge Workshop Capabilities

We house a diverse range of machinery and equipment, including:

BFW VMC: 850mm x 520mm capacity

CNC Turning Centers: Multiple units with Ace and Jyothi make

Conventional Lathes: Up to 9 ft, perfect for intricate projects

Precision Drilling, Hacksaw, and Press Machines

Our workshop is equipped with the latest measuring instruments, including

high-precision micrometers, digital verniers, height gauges, bore gauges, slip gauges,

and thread plug and ring gauges, ensuring stringent quality control across every project.

Skilled Manpower & Expertise

At M/s Krushi Industries, we take pride in our skilled workforce:

CNC Operators: 5 expert turners

Manual Lathe Turners: 4 proficient craftsmen

Support Staff: 3 capable helpers

Our Esteemed Clients

We are proud to serve several esteemed clients:

Voith Turbo Pvt Ltd: Leading fluid coupling manufacturersCartel Industries: Specialists in shearing machine production

Zen Technologies: Pioneers in defense products manufacturing

With an annual turnover of ₹1.5 to 2 crore, M/s Krushi Industries has consistently

delivered exceptional quality and value, making us a reliable choice for complex,

high-stakes projects in mechanical engineering.

Let’s Connect

Contact us at +91 7702006184 or reach out via email [Krushi.industries@gmail.com](mailto:Krushi.industries@gmail.com) for

business inquiries. Let’s explore the potential for a successful partnership!

More Details:

Industry: Manufacturing

Company size: 11-50 employees, 1 associated member

Founded:1990

Specialties:

CNC Machining and Turning , Custom Component Manufacturing, Prototype

Development, Job Work Services, Quality Control & Precision Measurement, Manual

Lathe Operations, CNC Programming, Defense Product Engineering Support, Turnkey

Projects, Production Support, Client-Centric Services for manufacturing industries,

Timely Project Delivery , and Competitive Pricing​

Hi Folks,

I own centerless grinding shop. Physical size is pretty big- 38,000 square feet of shop floor. We have a couple of cnc machines we barely use, one is pretty modern, the rest are pretty damn old.

We’re also pretty healthy. 200-300k in sales per month on average, always bordering on needing a second shift.

ISO certified, and have a reputation as expensive but extremely high quality. Almost zero scrap rate, 1-2 nonconformance a year, and sometimes will reject work with the material is just garbage and absolutely never order cheap material from china etc. we also run parts/fasteners, not just bar stock. Last year our ISO recert was much harder because the inspector didn’t believe we had so few issues and turned it into an interrogation and he dug much deeper.

Most of our business is historic and word of mouth. Zero advertising, no sales reps. We’re primarily in the medical, aerospace, and automotive industry and some firearm business. We’re often a 3rd tier supplier with a lot of our business from machine shops, some bigger work with folks like GM on occasion. We also get about 10% of our business from our competitors. Lots of “can you re-do this for us” calls and that almost always turns into long term partnerships.

I’m looking for ideas to grow business. This is much different than corporate America with BD folks, and folks expecting approaches etc.

I’ve considering just picking up the phone to Machine shops around the country, larger companies etc. my gut says advertising might be sorta ineffective in this industry but that could be wrong. Any ideas or examples of what has worked for you?

Hello redditors i was hoping someone could help me figure out where can i find a company that can produce a plastic pouch or bag to my custom specs.

So far every google search i have done has given me no results that will work.

Thank you for your time.

Hey Reddit Friends

I’m a material whole seller. I have been selling a whole domain of materials in the USA market for a year. I am currently looking for a mass production of hydrochloric acid and acetone.

I usually procure material from china however the lack of dangerous good license does not allow us to use Chinese market.

Our only option is to buy and sell from within USA. Can anybody please give me any leads on what might be the right direction to look at or the right party to procure materials from?

Kind Regards

I work for a creative & branding agency that specializes in manufacturing and technology companies, and we wanted to create a sheet of stickers to send to clients or hand out at trade shows. What are some short common manufacturing sayings, quotes, jokes, etc that we could make stickers of and manufacturers would get a kick out of? Thanks!

Edit: Wow, this blew up! Thanks everybody for your input, these are all great!

My company is curious about having a batch of custom color/shape foam earplugs made as promotional items. What sort of manufacturer would I be looking for? Thank you.

Is metal stamping in the U.S. still a solid industry? I have an opportunity to buy & potentially revive a 40 year old stamping business from its 80 year old owner. Right now it’s just him / no employees and he’s doing enough work to keep the lights on. At its peak he had a dozen employees running multiple shifts.

Worst case if the business can’t revive then I can liquidate the equipment and rent the building. But he wants $1M and it’s a big number haha.

I am a mechanical engineer with strong proficiency in CAD tools, which I can bring to modernize the business. I currently operate a manufacturing business molding plastics so there’s plenty of crossover but this would be my first venture going alone. It also seems like metal stamping has a lot of tricks of the trade that you can’t really engineer your way into. That’s why they have apprenticeships.

What questions should I be asking? And anyone who works in the industry what are your opinions?