How Wisconsin Manufacturers Can Navigate External Pressures and Strengthen Profitability through Strategic Action

Margin compression isn’t new—but today, it’s hitting manufacturers harder and faster than ever. From tariffs and raw material volatility to shifting market demands, external forces continue to disrupt operations and squeeze profitability. But as George Bureau, SVP of Consulting at WMEP Manufacturing Solutions, points out, manufacturers still hold the most important lever: how they respond.

Shift Focus from What You Can’t Control to What You Can
You can’t stop tariffs or stabilize global supply chains. What you can do is improve how efficiently you operate and how strategically you price, market, and deliver your products. Those decisions directly affect your margins—and they’re entirely within your control.

Understand Where—and How—You Make Money
Too often, manufacturers don’t fully understand their most profitable segments. Are you making money by customer, product type, or market? Strategic analysis of these variables helps identify where to double down and where to recalibrate.

Drive Cost Efficiency to the Bottom Line
Reducing costs through process improvements has an immediate impact. Tools like value stream mapping and lean implementation help eliminate waste, increase speed, and free up cash tied in slow-moving inventory or redundant steps. These are changes that hit your bottom line—fast.

Get Fresh Perspective from Experienced Eyes
When you’re immersed in day-to-day operations, it’s easy to overlook inefficiencies. That’s where outside support makes a difference. WMEP’s consultants bring decades of hands-on manufacturing experience and aren’t afraid to challenge long-held assumptions to spark meaningful change.

Build Repeatable, Scalable Processes
Improvement shouldn’t rely on one-time fixes. WMEP’s approach equips your team to apply the same principles repeatedly—building internal capability for continuous improvement and reducing reliance on external help over time.

Call to Action
Margin compression is real—but so are the solutions. Through smart analysis, operational improvements, and a guided approach to change, Wisconsin manufacturers can shift from reactive to resilient. With the right support, profitability isn’t just protected—it’s strengthened.

WMEP is a nonprofit consulting organization with a simple mission: help Wisconsin manufacturers succeed. Our advisors bring real-world industry experience and deliver practical solutions across three key focus areas: Growth, Operations, and People. Contact us to talk about how we can help you diagnose business growth challenges, understand profit drivers and risks, and develop actionable strategic plans.