We're All Ears

If you want to talk metalcasting and how the Synchro ERP software solution can streamline your operations, reduce your CODB (cost of doing business), improve your CF0 (cash flow zero), improve your TVM (time value of money),  enable you to schedule more efficiently (including scheduling by metal grade), and improve your quality - We're all ears at Synchro ERP!

Give the top-shelf Synchro ERP team a call at 800-323-2808 xt. 1 or email us at sales@synchroerp.com

Speaking of reducing your CODB, I received  this recently.  Who knows how much it cost to process, print, and postal mail this.  Not to mention the cost of the bank and the Federal Reserve in processing it.  Yep, I did deposit it as well.  I didn't make a special trip to the bank mind you, a penny saved is a penny earned.  Now they have to process the check reconciliation!

 

We're all ears - get in touch with us to discuss your needs.  We listen to our customers and practice the great Stephen Covey-ism of "Seek First to Understand, Then to be Undersood".   Habit 5 "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People".  

Until Next Time, see you on down the road at the upcoming AFS Metalcasting Congress

For a list of all of Synchro ERP upcoming events, please see Synchro ERP Exhibitions

Shane Allen, Head of Synchro ERP North American Operations 

 

AFS Lufkin Chapter Meeting

I had the pleasure of meeting up with my fellow metalcasters at the annual Lufkin Texas meeting.  It was good to see everyone and I learned a lot about induction melting and the associated cooling.  The guest speaker was Andy MacBride of EMSCO Inc.  Cooling in induction furnaces is so critical to maintaining the refractory life of the lining as well as the furnace equipment itself.  The goal is to make the melting as efficient as possible and not lose 40% of the electricity on heating anything but the furnace itself.

For more information on the AFS Texas Chapter

The next meeting will be April 12-13 in beautiful San Marcos Texas (just south of Austin) and home to the world renowned  Texas State University, formerly known as Southwest Texas.

Here are a few pictures from Friday nights meeting.

Until next time, see you on down the road...

Shane Allen
Head of Synchro ERP North American Operations

Tis the Season...

anything but being jolly...

It's that time of the year again.  You know, something we all look forward to with great anticipation - with thoughts of refunds dancing in our heads.  Oh come on, you know what I'm talking about - April 16th this year as April 15th is on a Sunday...  The tax man commeth.  Last year it took me about 20+ hours to do it and I am estimating 30+ hours this year due to various things.

30 hours you say?  Yep, that is even working with TurboTax and Quicken and everything else.  I did an experiment several years ago as in Texas we currently pay no state income taxes.  Thus, we Texans are able to deduct our sales tax paid during the year.  Now, the government gives us a "standard rate" we can deduct vs. actual.  So, my experiment was to total up an entire year of sales tax receipts vs. the
standard rate and see the variance.  At the end of a labor intensive task of running an adding machine tape, I found the variance positive to a significant degree - such a significant degree that even with the time invested - it was worth it.  Well worth it and it goes directly to the bottom line. Plus, the ability to deduct the sales tax on new vehicle purchases, and a lot of neat other things, this years taxes will be more difficult than usual.   Oh, sure, I could pay someone to do it all, but that's not my style and it would cost a fortune at the end of the day.

So, for the next few weeks this is what I'll be working on - a bit at a time.  My goal is to have it in the mail by March 1st 2012.

Until next time, see you on down the road...

What did you do today?

Today I saved someone's life...well not quite perhaps but let me please explain.

As I made my way into Melbourne town centre I came across a man lying on the floor in the shop 'Body Shop' having a diabetic attack. The staff were just helpless and his wife was screaming and panicking so I offered to help.

 

Now my First aid skills are very old however it's like riding a bike..right? They certainly came flooding back in an instant.

 

To make matters worse the man had collapsed on a flight of 3 stairs and was quite a big guy too. heavy! but he could not have been confortable. One of the staff was phoning an ambulance and I tried to organise the rest of the staff to help me move this man not only on a level ground but also on the side where he could have breathed more easily. That is until a woman passing by said she knew what to do and not to move him. The guy was lying on his back across stairs, could not breathe and fluid coming out of his mouth. I wanted him on a proper flat surface first and then get him on his side but no, she did not agree. She said she knew because her granddad went through the same thing. So I said OK.

 

I wish I had not as the first thing the ambulance man did when he arrived was what I'd wanted to do 10 minutes earlier. I was really upset with myself for having listened to her. One the first thing about first aid is to be assertive. I was not enough this time. I'll be if there is a next time!

 

Coming back to this man, once the ambulance men took over I left. They did not need me to get in the way! and I'm sure he is now making a full recovery.

 

So why this blog? Well first, in this age of high H&S awareness, I found it abysmal that no one in the shop knew what to do. Oh they looked pretty enough to try to sell goods to the general public but help them when in life threatening situation and in your shop, nope, no skills, no training, nothing! Shocking from a supposed worldwide caring business. Secondly and much more importantly, if you don't have first aid skillls, get some now. You never know when you might need them. It felt good to be able to help rather than walk by as sadly a lot of people did. And then if someone asks you "What did you do today" you might just find yourself answering..I saved someone's life!

 

Jean-Marie

Now That's Customer Service

Following up on my "what annoys me" regarding lack of customer service, I recently ran across a company that goes full tilt boogy on customer service and support.  Granted, with the mission critical type of work they are involved in, it is a requirement of their business.

Until next time, see you on down the road.

2012...the year of possibilities

So, here we are in February already, and judging by the work pouring in to Synchro Towers, it would appear we have all gotten off to a great start.

The Synchro team have begun in earnest, with Jean-Marie already half way through another Australian & New Zealand training trip, Richy Raine already completing a training trip to Turkey to visit some of our customers there, Simon having made two trips stateside already, our M.D Christopher Collins has also been onsite visiting existing customers, Barbara Nolan-Collins has produced some truely outstanding new marketing material, and the support trolls have been kept regularly fed to keep them at full speed.

I would like to wish our Asiatic customers a prosperous year of the Dragon...

I'll leave you to begin February with good thoughts or prosperous & productive times ahead.

Until Next time.....