For Real Fridays: The Cost of Doing Nothing
- Kimberly Prevost
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
Welcome to For Real Fridays—where we drop the polished pitch decks and get brutally honest about what it really takes to grow, compete, and thrive in manufacturing. No sugarcoating. No vague “synergies.” Just real talk about the decisions that move your business forward—or hold it back.
Everyone loves to analyze the cost of investing in well ANYTHING: Automation, Software, Hardware, digital transformation, the list goes on and on... But you know what barely gets airtime?
The cost of doing absolutely nothing.
Let’s call it what it is: expensive.
🔹 That outdated system you’re “making work”? It’s bleeding money every single day.
🔹 That manual process your team is stuck in? It’s the bottleneck choking your growth.
🔹 That “we’ll upgrade when things calm down” mindset? It’s a losing strategy.
Real-World Wake-Up Call
A manufacturer once told us, “We’re too busy to upgrade right now.” Fast-forward two years—they lost a key customer because they couldn’t provide real-time inventory data. Now they’re in panic mode, racing to modernize. But guess what? The gap widened, and their competition isn't slowing down to wait for them.
What Are You Really Losing?
✅ If you’d automated that workflow last year, how many hours would your team have saved?
✅ If you’d implemented embedded analytics (not just BI dashboards), how many issues could you’ve caught before they became crises?
✅ If you’d upgraded your software instead of patching it of working around it, how many deals would you have closed by now? How much efficiency could be found.
Let’s not romanticize the status quo—it’s a trap.
Here’s the Real Play
📌 Run the numbers. What are delays, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities actually costing you?
📌 Start now. There’s no “perfect time.” There’s only now and too late.
📌 Don’t chase perfect. Progress beats perfection. Every. Single. Time.
Say that one again for the slackers in the back - PROGRESS BEATS PERFECTION.
Some People Just Don’t Get It—and That’s Fine
Some will cling to legacy systems until they collapse. Some teams will resist change until a crisis forces it. Some competitors will always be one step behind.
Let them.
Because those who act—who lean into smart tech, AI, automation, and scalable ERP—will outpace them. Full stop.
So, real question: What’s the cost of doing nothing in your business?
Let’s talk about it. Seriously.
Contact us today!
Kim Prevost
Director of Business Development @ MepApps/MepServices
832.832.0988 Kim.P@MepApps.com
Travis Rudel
PreSales, Implementation & Networking Engineer @ MepApps/MepServices
832.289.8001 Travis.R@MepServices.us
Work Cited:
World Economic Forum. Global Risks Report 2024. Highlighted supply chain disruptions as a top global concern.
McKinsey & Company. The Case for Digital Reinvention in Manufacturing. Emphasizes the opportunity cost of delayed digital transformation.
Gartner. The Real Business Cost of Legacy ERP. Outlines the hidden expenses and risks of outdated systems.
Deloitte. The Future of Work in Manufacturing. Identifies labor inefficiencies and the urgency of automation adoption.
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