Manufacturing Business Technology articles from August 2007

Manufacturing Business Technology archives from August 2007

Back-office IT and business process outsourcing seen as another means to cost containment.
August 1, 2007... By Jim Fulcher, contributing editor Contract manufacturing and logistics outsourcing are common to the automotive, high-tech, and manufacturing industries. These types of organizations also are long-time users of outsourced call center and...

Six ways to ensure an ERP implementation delivers value.
August 1, 2007... By David Caruso, Principal, David Caruso Associates Inc. Any moderately experienced IT or manufacturing manager has likely been involved in one or more enterprise software implementation projects, complete with all the standard tips for...

Next up for SAP ES Community: supply chain execution, value-added network solutions.
August 1, 2007... By Jim Fulcher, contributing editor New players in SAP 's Enterprise Services Community include tried-and-true vendors of supply chain execution (SCE) and reverse logistics solutions; as well as providers of network services that automate...

Smithfield Foods, Perdue Farms see plant capacity gains from forecasting and BI tools.
August 1, 2007... By Staff A lot more goes into putting that hot dog in your hand at the baseball stadium than simply the aisle barker signaling, 'Hot dogs here .' Especially if it's one from Smithfield Packing , a division of Smithfield, Va.-based parent...

Online solution unites buyers, suppliers in sourcing marketplace.
August 1, 2007... By Staff Sourcing quality parts from local shops was once a difficult endeavor for Electromechanica , a Boston-based electromechanical engineering service. The company could not find the custom parts it needed for a fair price in the New...

Centric offers off-the-shelf support for new product sourcing.
August 1, 2007... By Staff As more manufacturers, distributors, and even retailers try sourcing new products directly from low-cost country suppliers, the unique challenges of the task are more widely apparent. For one, new product sourcing isn't well...

FullTilt suite makes fast work of product information management.
August 1, 2007... By Staff When Milwaukee-based badge and label manufacturer Brady Corp. decided to build an online store, it hit a problem: Using Excel spreadsheets to manage the information for tens of thousands of products was error-prone and...

China PR: a heck of a job.
August 1, 2007... By Sidney Hill, Jr., executive editor The United States has long had what I consider a strange relationship with China. For decades, American consumers have gorged on goods made in China because the prices are low in comparison to similar...

Outsourcing production may be fashionable, but not everyone is cashing in on the trend.
August 1, 2007... By Hope Neal, contributing editor On the surface, outsourcing production operations is the ultimate no-brainer. It can save on manufacturing labor and capital equipment costs, and allow more time spent on innovative product designs that...

Major players propose human workflow extensions to business processes spec.
August 1, 2007... By Staff Enterprise software heavyweights-namely IBM, BEA, Oracle, SAP, and Adobe-are submitting a new proposal to extend the BPEL Web services business process orchestration specification to include human workflows. The proposals, to...

Transpara uses Microsoft Excel to put KPIs in the palm of your hand.
August 1, 2007... By Staff Plenty of vendors talk about getting the right information to the right people at the right time, but few actually deliver in a cost-effective or timely manner. One of the few is Transpara , a small vendor with eight employees...

Composite applications framework links ERP and manufacturing operations.
August 1, 2007... By Jim Fulcher, contributing editor While manufacturing execution systems (MES) now comprise a $1-billion market, the solutions don't always fit today's requirements, says Simon Jacobson, an analyst with Boston-based AMR Research . At...

Partnership targets China's global trade management capabilities.
August 1, 2007... By Staff The ability of Chinese manufacturers to produce at low cost has rendered them ascendant, but to stay the course they need to optimize their global trade details processes, says TradeBeam , which recently announced a 10-year...

Manufacturing intelligence drive capitalizes on Rockwell/Microsoft partnership.(Company overview)
August 1, 2007... By Malcolm Wheatley, Senior contributing editor As many a plant manager would attest, global manufacturing enterprises today expect unprecedented levels of detailed information about plant performance. One reason is the increasing scale of...

Systems management software keeps power flowing to Philips Lighting ERP users.
August 1, 2007... By Roberto Michel, senior contributing editor When Philips Lighting Electronics North America decided it needed an enterprise software suite to run its business, it also made another big decision: It would deploy IT systems management...

Lack of IT governance is putting business value at risk.
August 1, 2007... By Staff Leveraging the value of IT investments and governance goes hand in hand, but formal adoption continues to lag. 'There's been a lot of publicity given to IT governance over the last few years, yet the understanding and...

ViewSonic gets clearer picture of business process management with Sterling Commerce integration suite.
August 1, 2007... By Jim Fulcher, contributing editor ViewSonic has won numerous industry awards for its visual display products, which include plasma and LCD screens and monitors. But the Walnut, Calif.-based company, which recently announced plans to go...

Siemens set to track assets and people over Wi-Fi networks using Ekahau RTLS.
August 1, 2007... By Staff Siemens Communications remains on the lookout for ways to get more out of the network. Its latest endeavor involves a partnership with Ekahau to offer wireless real-time location system (RTLS) capabilities as another integrated...

Server virtualization suits Subaru's plant uptime needs.
August 1, 2007... By Staff For all the logic behind server virtualization-namely its ability to cut down on hardware costs-most people think of the technology's benefits as data center-oriented. Not so for Subaru of Indiana (SIA). The Lafayette, Ind.-based...

Partners pair tag/reader solutions to foster new RFID apps at lower cost.
August 1, 2007... By Staff While enforcement of Gen 2 tags represents another big stride in RFID's evolution, users are still looking for greater ease of use. Offering prepackaged solutions of tags and readers is one way to streamline the path to RFID-at...

The way to global-services leadership winds through a software landscape.(Company overview)
August 1, 2007... By Kevin Parker, editorial director and Cole Ollinger, contributing editor During Samuel J. Palmisano's more than five years as IBM's chief executive, the $91-billion technology giant has exited big-dollar but margin-challenged businesses...

Good reasons to get a grip on the details of plant operations frameworks.
August 1, 2007... By Kevin Parker, editorial director To hear Peter Martin say it, most process-industry production plants are rife with conflict: between the engineering and information technology functions and between maintenance and operations as well....

UGS PLM Software outlines its post-acquisition strategy for product- and production-management convergence.
August 1, 2007... By Kevin Parker, editorial director Automation giant Siemens' acquisition of what is now called UGS PLM Software is being seen as a potential landmark in the evolution of manufacturing systems. 'When the dust settles, this whole...

Product development worries trigger technology investments.
August 1, 2007... By Staff Manufacturers worldwide will spend more than $4 billion on product life-cycle management (PLM) software over the next four years, according to an April study released by London-based Datamonitor . More than 150 manufacturers in...

AeA issues favorable figures for high-tech sector.
August 1, 2007... By Staff Most indices reflect positively that the high-tech industry is coming back from its collapse following the dot-com bust, according to AeA , the nation's largest trade association representing all segments of the industry. ...

Rockwell Automation strengthens integrated architecture platform for the long haul in process industries.
August 1, 2007... By Staff Rockwell Automation has long been known for its strength in discrete manufacturing control, but recently has increased its focus on the process industries as well. 'We think Rockwell Automation is doing an effective job in the...

Supply manager role takes on strategic nature to meet value-add expectations.
August 1, 2007... By Staff The process of requisitioning materials has evolved from a department function 25 years ago, to a sourcing role 10 years ago, to a strategic element of achieving the corporate business strategy today. The forces behind this...

ERP and VoIP to gain favor in SMB market, despite thin IT budgets, staff.
August 1, 2007... By Staff The ERP market could see a significant uptick over the next 24 months as systems installed by large enterprises to address Y2K age out. But increased adoption likely will involve smaller manufacturers with smaller budgets-i.e.,...

Few IT departments budget for green purchases.
August 1, 2007... By Staff Despite rising energy costs, power shortages in data centers, and the call for corporate environmental responsibility, actual green strategies lag far behind the level of concern cited, says a study from Ontario-based Info-Tech...