Manufacturing Business Technology articles from February 2006

Manufacturing Business Technology archives from February 2006

East coast swing.(Up front)
February 1, 2006... Research-firm surveys of manufacturing executives say plant-floor integration is top of mind today in ways not seen in years. Manufacturing system vendors were waiting--as manufacturers addressed other priorities, given limited resources for...

MEP appropriations still supported amidst tight budget.(FEDERAL FUNDING)
February 1, 2006... Despite White House pressure to widely cut spending, Congress more than doubled the FY2006 appropriation recommended by the Administration for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), which President Bush signed on November 22. The...

Model under development will yield closed-loop solutions for harvesting IT benefits.(ECONOMETRICS)
February 1, 2006... Manufacturers that have spent millions to implement enterprise systems remain frustrated by the failure to leverage those systems to accelerate decision-making. So says Bob Parker, VP of Cambridge, Mass.-based IDC Manufacturing Insights,...

Study finds real time can derail supply chains.(CORPORATE)
February 1, 2006... Two computer-based experiments recently studied the effect of feedback frequency on performance, in which subjects acted as new vendors dealing with inventory orders, and a "virtual factory" management simulation allowed participants to apply...

Process leads for plant-floor apps spending.(OPERATIONS)
February 1, 2006... According to Boston-based AMR Research, general process-oriented manufacturers will invest 39 percent of 2006 enterprise software budgets on plant-floor applications, compared with 13 percent by manufacturers in discrete industries, The...

Collaboration software war continues apace.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2006... The first big battle between Microsoft and IBM was in the operating systems arena--with DOS and later Windows taking on OS2. Microsoft was declared the winner of that fight some time ago. Now, the two high-tech titans are vying for...

Government lab keeps hackers away from control systems.(PLANT-FLOOR SECURITY)
February 1, 2006... Most IT security programs aim to protect corporate networks--where financial information, customer records, and other "important" data reside. But now, some security experts also see the need to keep intruders out of the lower-level networks...

IBM delivers unstructured data-analysis tools to monitor a company's public image.(CONTENT DISCOVERY)
February 1, 2006... Some of the most valuable information about a company isn't even in its possession--it's what others are saying about the company in unstructured content on the Web. And even if it is in the company's possession, it's unaggregated, buried deep...

ERP vendors evaluated for responsiveness to pricing issues.(SOFTWARE LICENSING)
February 1, 2006... Companies want simplified software licensing agreements with major ERP vendors, as well as greater choice and policy flexibility, says a report by Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research. "They're not getting the value they want and are...

Study shows corporate boards short on CIO expertise.(IT CAREERS)
February 1, 2006... Analysis from the research arm of New York-based Burson-Marsteller reveals the Fortune Global 500 have not fully embraced the strategic importance of the roles of the chief technology officer and chief information officer--i.e., CTO and CIO....

Services association teams with J.D. Powers for detailed certification process; HP is first high-tech achiever.(CONSUMER SUPPORT)
February 1, 2006... Consumers of high-tech gear want more services and technical support--an issue that resonates with the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA), whose nearly 200 members include companies in tech support, field service, and CRM, among...

Manugistics founder returns to board.(MANAGEMENT MOVES)
February 1, 2006... Former chairman and CEO William Gibson has been reappointed to the Manugistics board of directors. Gibson founded the Rockland, Md.-based supply chain software company in 1986 and retired as chairman in 2001, Manugistics has struggled to...

Enterprise apps get no respect.(In perspective)
February 1, 2006... If you read or listen to the popular press, you'd think everything that is important about information technology is a combination of Google, blogs, Microsoft, Wi-Fi, and Yahoo! Unfortunately, you can't do a chart of accounts, plan a production...

Spend numbers show manufacturing operations back at top of agenda.(In perspective)
February 1, 2006... When what is today called AMR Research started 20 years ago as Advanced Manufacturing Research, the compelling issue was how information technology (IT) would transform the manufacturing plant or factory. At the time, new software...

They walk the line: backing products with superior service gets technology boost at Rockwell Automation.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2006... Technology advances are helping a small team of engineers monitor plant-floor systems and increase machine uptime for a number of manufacturing clients serviced by Rockwell Automation. These customer sites are scattered around the country, but...

A tough pill to swallow: drug makers confront new obstacles, old problems.(Special Report: Pharmaceutical Industry)
February 1, 2006... The pharmaceutical industry finds itself at a crossroads. Margins are shrinking, growth is slowing, development pipelines are drying up, and regulation, already heavy, is intensifying. The industry has lagged Wall Street expectations several...

The top of the agenda: the easy money gone, pharmaceutical makers go back to manufacturing basics.(Special Report: Pharmaceutical Industry)
February 1, 2006... Historically, manufacturing has been an afterthought for the pharmaceutical industry. Outsize profits made for a margin of error on the plant floor, but masked significant utilization problems evidenced in high scrap, extensive rework, and low...

Acquire without abandon: world's largest steelmaker must balance benefits of standardization with need for pragmatism.(Applications & Services)
February 1, 2006... With a growth curve that began spiraling skywards in 1995, Mittal Steel rose from humble origins in Calcutta, India, to become the world's largest steel producer. Headquartered in London, the company reached the top after taking over U.S.based...

Tractor maker takes cue from Amazon.com to link inventory with customer demand.(DEMAND MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2006... For manufacturers of option-rich products, predicting likely demand can be tricky. Will customers want more of this option--or that one? And when manufacturing lead times dictate that finished products be built ahead of actual demand, the...

Dynamic modeling helps IT appliance maker achieve lean product development.(CASE-IN-POINT)
February 1, 2006... Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Mirapoint, which designs IT security appliances, uses lean product development tools from CoCreate--supplier of what it calls "smart CAD" and product life-cycle management solutions. Consequently, Mirapoint designs new...

Adhesives maker credits process-control upgrade for product consistency, throughput.(CASE-IN-POINT)
February 1, 2006... Helsinki-based adhesives manufacturer Dynea has seen its Flintshire, U.K. production plant achieve record levels of output--just weeks after upgrading the plant's process control system to ABB's System 800xA Extended Automation solution. Few...

Microsoft Business Solutions unit goes vertical.(MIDMARKET ERP)
February 1, 2006... Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) appears to finally have settled on a clear strategy for selling enterprise software to midsize manufacturers. A unit of Microsoft Corp., MBS was formed via consolidation of several smaller vendors...

Manufacturing intelligence solutions suit themselves to users.(In perspective)
February 1, 2006... Rigorous customer product specifications, regulatory requirements, and the need for rapid response drive companies to seek manufacturing intelligence solutions that leverage the real-time data found in manufacturing systems. Thus, a new...

Mutual gains: environmental strategies for manufacturing operations explode the cost/compliance dichotomy.(Business Performance)(Company Profile)
February 1, 2006... Meeting environmental requirements set by regulators and customers can seem a thankless task. Yet minimizing resources consumed by facilities and products--the ultimate purpose of many environmental regulations--leads manufacturers to meet...

Design vendor harnesses Microsoft portal technology for versatile, low-cost PLM solution.(COLLABORATIVE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT)
February 1, 2006... Microsoft doesn't sell product lifecycle management (PLM) applications, but it could increase its presence in the PLM space as more users discover the highly versatile--and cost-effective-solutions other vendors are building on top of...

What tools tackle transparency in manufacturing operations?(Ask Aberdeen Group)
February 1, 2006... Despite two decades of intensive computerization, many manufacturers still consider the plant floor a black hole-work orders and materials enter at one end, and finished products exit at the other. In short, the ability to unlock the...

Xerox finds the right tool for tracking continuous improvement.(CASE-IN-POINT)(Interview)
February 1, 2006... The financial turnaround Xerox made under CEO Anne Mulcahy has been well documented. What may not be as well known is that much of Xerox's recent success can be attributed to its adoption of a Lean Six Sigma program. "Anne Mulcahy knew we...

Outsourcing deal with IBM hinges on optimized processes.(CFO INTERVIEW)
February 1, 2006... A five-year contract for procurement outsourcing that fragrances giant Coty signed late last year with IBM is expected to lower the prices Coty pays for a range of goods. But according to Michael Fishoff, CFO of the New York-based...

Irvine, Calif.-based Finesse LLC will embed OSIsoft's OEM data historian and batch processing technology in TruBIO Bioreactor Control System for pharmaceutical and biotech/life sciences manufacturing applications to enable process data collection, data management, and S88-compliant batch functionality.
February 1, 2006... Irvine, Calif.-based Finesse LLC will embed OSIsoft's OEM data historian and batch processing technology in TruBIO Bioreactor Control System for pharmaceutical and biotech/life sciences manufacturing applications to enable process data...

Display-device maker PROVIEW is using Manhattan Associates' RFID solutions to support compliance at its manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China, as well as meet the RFID mandates of Best Buy ahead of schedule with reported minimal impact on current processes.
February 1, 2006... Display-device maker PROVIEW is using Manhattan Associates' RFID solutions to support compliance at its manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China, as well as meet the RFID mandates of Best Buy ahead of schedule with reported minimal impact on...

Kinaxis (formerly Webplan) reports Ontario-based electronics manufacturing services provider Adeptron is using Kinaxis' RapidResponse software integrated with SYSPRO ERP at three facilities to access actionable supply chain information and respond to changes to order quantities, delivery dates, or product engineering.
February 1, 2006... Kinaxis (formerly Webplan) reports Ontario-based electronics manufacturing services provider Adeptron is using Kinaxis' RapidResponse software integrated with SYSPRO ERP at three facilities to access actionable supply chain information and...

Enterprise content management vendor Open Text reports successful solutions implementation at South African wines & spirits marketer Distell Group to ensure compliance with ISO and International Food Standards regulations.
February 1, 2006... Enterprise content management vendor Open Text reports successful solutions implementation at South African wines & spirits marketer Distell Group to ensure compliance with ISO and International Food Standards regulations. The Open Text...

Not just marking time: new labor management solutions turn the time clock into a strategic weapon.(Integration & Infrastructure)
February 1, 2006... Punching a time clock at the beginning and end of a shift is such a common occurrence that few workers give it a second thought. But advances in technology for tracking employee time and attendance are allowing corporate executives to turn...

Microsoft unveils version of Windows that runs computer clusters.(HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING)
February 1, 2006... As the race to put more processing power on smaller devices continues, Microsoft wants to ensure its Windows operating system has a role in future generations of high-powered desktop machines. Microsoft entered what is known as the...

Tag switching and counterfeiting are security issues particular to RFID.(RFID COMPLICATIONS)
February 1, 2006... Amidst the efficiency certainties of an RFID-enabled supply chain, the question of tag security remains. "We're surprised that the companies pushing RFID have been so concerned with the technical issues that they haven't bothered with...

Manufacturers find OASIS in the SOA storm--plus a host of practical tips.(SERVICE-ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE)
February 1, 2006... Manufacturers still struggling with Exactly how a service-oriented architecture (SOA) could help their business can pick up a few pointers from a seemingly unlikely source--the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information...

RFID is growing bar-code sales, not killing them.(AUTO-ID)
February 1, 2006... In terms of media coverage, RFID is getting all the attention, while barcode technology is "so yesterday." But like many venerable performers, bar coding isn't ready for retirement. "There's always going to be a place for bar coding in our...

IBM offers protective infrastructure for secure movement of goods.(GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS)
February 1, 2006... IBM says its Global Movement Management project, an initiative to move key resources--e.g., people, goods, money, information, and vehicles--around the globe with greater security addresses the technical and political challenges that normally...

EMC bolsters information life-cycle management strategy by acquisition.(DATA MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2006... Some recent acquisitions are helping EMC Corp. fulfill its objective to be known as more than a supplier of data storage products. Two deals were announced in the fall of 2005. One brought EMC a set of applications that allows for central...

CA seeks to unify IT management under EITM vision.(SHARED SERVICES)
February 1, 2006... Computer Associates is a familiar name to IT professionals who use products such as the Unicenter solution for network and systems management. But with its rebranding late last year under the name CA, the company is pursuing a new direction....

Approvals and people are biggest hurdles in large-scale IT projects.(ENTERPRISE APPLICATION INTEGRATION)
February 1, 2006... Linking plant-level systems to the corporate IT network makes good business sense. It allows better tracking of the efficiency--and profitability--of production processes. Still, it's not always easy to get the go-ahead to fund such...

Accenture announces an expanded agreement to manage global information technology activities for VELUX, a manufacturer of roof windows and skylights with locations in Gelsted and Kolding, Denmark.
February 1, 2006... Accenture announces an expanded agreement to manage global information technology activities for VELUX, a manufacturer of roof windows and skylights with locations in Gelsted and Kolding, Denmark. "Given the increasing technical and geographic...

Exostar.
February 1, 2006... Exostar offers SecurePass Enterprise Identity Solution (EIS) for enforcing quality and rigor in credential management, enabling technical integration with enterprise identity directories--including MicrosOft Active Directory--and applying...

SATO's XML-enabled e Series printers now output RFID and bar-code labels based on data from the SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure component of the SAP NetWeaver platform, without middleware.
February 1, 2006... SATO's XML-enabled e Series printers now output RFID and bar-code labels based on data from the SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure component of the SAP NetWeaver platform, without middleware. The printers serve users of warehouse management, supply...

Need to track high-dollar assets fuels location systems market growth.(WIRELESS APPLICATIONS)
February 1, 2006... Hynix Semiconductor, Icheon, South Korea, runs a just-in-time operation, but its workflow was hampered by the fact that carts containing parts weren't always where they were supposed to be. Without a system for tracking the carts, employees...

Are you paranoid, or just perceptive?(Back talk)
February 1, 2006... Former Intel CEO Andy Grove once summed up his philosophy for business success in a book titled Only the Paranoid Survive. And it appears that Intel still operates under that assumption. Why else would a company that became the leading...

Top five myths for meeting environmental requirements.(the product record)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Misconceptions about meeting requirements set forth by pending EU environmental compliance regulation can cost companies time, unnecessary expense, and missed revenue opportunities. To help clear the air, here are facts that dispel the top five...

The other side of compliance.(the product record)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... When I talk with companies, the topic of compliance never fails to spark a heated discussion. Among our customers, FDA, Sarbanes-Oxley and environmental regulations head the list. Beyond these "big three" are other demands to comply with the...

ROHS compliance.(the product record)(Company Profile)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... As one of the world's largest consumer, SMB and enterprise computing companies, HP's main impact on the environment is through our products. Our Design for Environment (DfE) program, established in 1992, has three priorities: energy efficiency,...

FDA compliance: a game of risk.(the product record)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Every day drug and device manufacturers play a game of Risk--not the family board game played in front of the fireplace--but a real life game in which we bet every day that we have properly anticipated the risks of our products and are prepared...

Iomega simplifies document control, achieves Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.(plm in motion)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed in 2002, has been called the most sweeping legislation to affect publicly traded companies since the reforms of the Great Depression. Achieving Sarbanes-Oxley (SOx) compliance can potentially carry a variety of...