Start Charging Back

"We also use the data we collect to determine our most profitable run lengths, and it helps to determine what our costs should be for everything from labor to equipment," she explains, noting that the state in-plant grossed nearly $1.2 million in fiscal year 2003.

Luckily for Blakely's Houston in-plant, switching over to the new system was a breeze because he had been operating the shop under a blind chargeback system all along.