Keeping the production lines moving

October is upon us, and many manufacturing companies will be beginning to ramp up production to meet the fast approaching seasonal demand.

Careful strategic planning is vital during this period, and failure to plan accordingly could have a serious negative impact on business.

Social media marketing has helped spread the word about what is popular for the upcoming holiday season, from the best toys, to the most fashionable winter clothing, and the ‘must have’ gifts. Unexpected publicity can put a strain on manufacturers who are not ready to meet the increase in demand. Production must increase, but where will the money come from?

Increasing Efficiencies to Generate Financing
for Manufacturing Companies

Are you steadily growing, but constantly creeping close to using all your available lines of credit? Do you often go back to your private sources of finance to help in a cash crisis?

Imagine this scenario:

A product manufacturer has one successful production facility, supplying several regional warehouse/distribution centers. The company is set in a profitable geographic region. Business is steadily growing and it’s time to make some changes to optimize profits. You know you are ready to grow, but your manufacturing financing comes from private equity, or traditional bank loans.

Helping Manufacturing Companies Grow

As a manufacturer, poor cash flow management can really become an issue at two critical times: 

• As you start out

• As you start to grow

In both scenarios, you are more than likely going to take on long, and short-term debt, to finance your fixed and working capital requirements. Financing for manufacturing companies comes in many forms, let’s look at the reasons manufacturing financing is necessary. 

Back to Basics  

The benefits of factoring are readily available to all who are interested. The process is easy to understand and many companies both large and small, as well as start-ups, are taking advantage of factoring their invoices, not just to survive, but also to grow.  

Let’s take a moment to highlight the benefits of factoring and why it is such a valuable tool.  

• Factoring takes your accounts receivable, and turns it into available cash

• Factoring reduces your potential liabilities and therefore increases the amount of equity held in your business

You are in the business of distribution, which makes you the master of time management! Not only that, you are more than likely able to juggle the many unpredictable elements that go into making your company a success. 

What is involved, in simple terms?  

• It’s all about consumer demand

• Holding the right amount of inventory

• Anticipating of the needs of your customers

Time must be carefully managed to make sure inventory arrives exactly when it is needed, in the correct amounts! But your customers are not necessarily so precise when it comes to paying their invoices, many government and commercial customers asking for 30 to 60 days to make payment on an invoice.

We have written previously about the importance of creating a cash flow forecast, and regularly checking your cash flow. Forecasting as accurately as possible makes developing and running a business much easier. It is, however, hard to prepare a cash flow forecast when your cash flow is not predictable.  

The reasons behind your unpredictable cash flow need to be identified in order to find a workable solution.   

• Isolate your unpredictable cash flow

• Identify constant cash flow

There are many reasons for unpredictable cash flow, and once you are aware in advance that you are entering a period of slow payment, you can work out a method to rectify the situation. Many periods of uncertainty are particularly relevant to certain markets.  

So how can invoice factoring accounts receivables really help manufacturers? Why is it a great solution?  

The obvious answer is that manufacturers require consistent working capital. This is not always possible with late payers, which is where factoring your invoices can eliminate the time period between invoicing and payment.   

So we understand factoring, but let’s examine in more depth why this is such a viable option. There is no doubt that although many manufacturers survived the worst of the recession, times have been tough. Cash flow problems were caused by:  

• Customers making late payments

• Suppliers wanting to be paid more quickly

• Large customers extending terms of payment