Lean manufacturing, shop floor systems, and the math behind both.https://hixonops.com/en-ushttps://hixonops.com/blog/you-dont-need-a-new-erp-you-need-to-see-your-floor/https://hixonops.com/blog/you-dont-need-a-new-erp-you-need-to-see-your-floor/An ERP alternative for manufacturing that keeps your ERP: what ERP does well, what the floor needs, the ISA-95 levels, real ERP risk, and a Monday test.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:17:55 GMTerp-digitalJosh Hixonhttps://hixonops.com/blog/the-real-cost-of-chasing-job-status/https://hixonops.com/blog/the-real-cost-of-chasing-job-status/Chasing job status is lean waste with a price. Get the formula, BLS loaded-rate data, and a worksheet to see what production tracking software is worth.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:17:47 GMTleanJosh Hixonhttps://hixonops.com/blog/a-value-stream-map-your-scheduler-will-actually-use/https://hixonops.com/blog/a-value-stream-map-your-scheduler-will-actually-use/Value stream mapping for manufacturing that leaves the wall: turn the future state into routings, stages, and a pacemaker schedule. Worksheet included.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:17:39 GMTleanJosh Hixonhttps://hixonops.com/blog/why-85-percent-machine-utilization-can-still-mean-late-orders/https://hixonops.com/blog/why-85-percent-machine-utilization-can-still-mean-late-orders/Machine capacity planning by monthly average hides peak days. Get the queueing math behind late orders and a one-week load-by-machine-by-day worksheet.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:17:29 GMTschedulingJosh Hixonhttps://hixonops.com/blog/rework-is-hidden-capacity-how-to-measure-it/https://hixonops.com/blog/rework-is-hidden-capacity-how-to-measure-it/How to reduce rework in manufacturing and price what it returns: a rework log, the ROI calculator's two formulas, and when added throughput is real.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:16:43 GMTqualityJosh Hixonhttps://hixonops.com/blog/find-your-bottleneck-from-wip-data-not-gut-feel/https://hixonops.com/blog/find-your-bottleneck-from-wip-data-not-gut-feel/A plain method for manufacturing WIP tracking. Use Little's Law and a 15-minute morning WIP read by cell to find your real bottleneck, then fix it.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:16:19 GMTleanJosh Hixonhttps://hixonops.com/blog/paper-travelers-vs-digital-travelers-what-to-keep/https://hixonops.com/blog/paper-travelers-vs-digital-travelers-what-to-keep/A fair look at paper and digital travelers in manufacturing: what paper does well, what it cannot, a migration order, and a traveler audit worksheet.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:16:07 GMTerp-digitalJosh Hixonhttps://hixonops.com/blog/twi-job-instruction-four-step-method/https://hixonops.com/blog/twi-job-instruction-four-step-method/TWI job instruction explained: where the four-step method came from, how to write a job breakdown sheet, and how to run your first session on Monday.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:13:14 GMTtwi-trainingJosh Hixonhttps://hixonops.com/blog/building-a-skills-matrix-for-a-manufacturing-team/https://hixonops.com/blog/building-a-skills-matrix-for-a-manufacturing-team/How to build a skills matrix for a manufacturing team: four levels, finding single points of failure, and a 30-minute method to fill it in on Monday.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:07:35 GMTtwi-trainingJosh Hixonhttps://hixonops.com/blog/what-is-an-mes-and-does-a-small-shop-need-one/https://hixonops.com/blog/what-is-an-mes-and-does-a-small-shop-need-one/A plain guide to MES for small manufacturers: what the system does, how it differs from ERP, a checklist to tell if you need one, and build vs. buy.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:03:51 GMTerp-digitalJosh Hixon