Manufacturing Business Technology articles from February 2007

Manufacturing Business Technology archives from February 2007

Reality trumps perfection.
February 1, 2007... By Malcolm Wheatley, senior contributing editor Inventory optimization tools and alerts serve multiplant planning scenarios Just 40 miles from Barcelona is automotive manufacturer Trety , a maker of textile-based vehicle interior...

Manufacturers face choices in initiating multiplant planning.
February 1, 2007... By David Caruso, senior contributing editor Powerful forces--including emerging market opportunities in developing countries, availability of cheap labor in those same countries, and the formation of megacorporations by means of mergers...

Delivery time remains big question for shipping; lack of dockside visibility deplored.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Despite billions spent on shipping industry consolidation in the name of efficiency and better customer service, companies engaged in large-volume shipping would rather do business with several providers than centralize their...

Engineers search for better response times to requests for information.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Like just about everyone else these days, engineers and technical professionals prefer to use online search tools to research products or services prior to purchase. According to a survey from GlobalSpec --a vertical search,...

VoIP enhances product development.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Users of the on-demand product life-cycle management (PLM) application from Arena Solutions are applying Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to collaborative business processes. "We're no longer wasting time waiting for...

Infor introduces cross-platform Web service.
February 1, 2007... By Staff As part of the U.S. government's battle against terrorism, trade with several thousand named businesses, individuals, and organizations is prohibited by law. In principle, compliance is straightforward: before shipping an export...

Testing can save millions in tracking assets.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Consortium finds WMS solutions underutilized Staff Most companies use warehouse management system (WMS) software for primary warehouse tasks, but haven't exploited the full functionality of the technology, a recent...

SAP introduces the non-upgrade.
February 1, 2007... By Sidney Hill, Jr., executive editor Determining the right time to upgrade an ERP system is a never-ending conundrum for IT managers. No one wants to take on such a large financial and logistical burden without being sure it will...

The overgeneralization is over.(Company overview)
February 1, 2007... By Pamela Gordon, contributing editor It's time to get specific with the uses of lean in the electronics industry During the past several years, the term Lean has been overused and overgeneralized. Yet the principles of lean remain...

EquaTerra partnership with Microsoft brings visibility, governance to business process outsourcing endeavors.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Arguments in favor of outsourcing--be it manufacturing, IT, or human resources (HR) processes--typically claim that outsourcing saves money and enables a company to focus on core competencies. But EquaTerra , a global...

Portal offers performance metrics.
February 1, 2007... By Staff The American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) intends to collect, validate, and report benchmarking data, as well as deliver analysis and best-practices information for the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) Model...

Optimizing process performance is all in the math.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Once a company has pooled all of its process improvement ideas, determining which ones actually will drive improvement is tricky. "Everyone wants to implement changes that reduce costs, improve production, and boost customer...

"The system is down" seen as greatest threat to supply chain.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Media reports often cite catastrophic events like hurricanes and acts of terrorism as major threats to supply chain operations. But a recent survey by Dedham, Mass.-based ARC Advisory Group found nearly 30 percent of supply...

Singapore development board credits prosperous island nation transformation to manufacturing.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Singapore , in the Malay language, means "Lion City." Considering its manufacturing prowess, the lion may be ready to roar. Since gaining independence in the mid-1960s, Singapore has transformed itself from a trading...

Closing in on world-class.
February 1, 2007... By Staff The Hackett Group , an Atlanta-based advisory firm, sees a widening gap between Global 2000 organizations that achieved world-class performance levels in their selling, general and administrative (SG&A) operations versus typical...

Trade platform cuts the paper-based tasks of financial processes down to size.
February 1, 2007... By Staff A logical step after establishing a global supply chain is eliminating manual business processes. Manually intensive financial processes can be particularly vexing in a global business model. That's why Walls Industries --a...

Survey: Manufacturers need help with workforce management.
February 1, 2007... By Staff While manufacturers understand the importance of a highly skilled workforce, many still have trouble finding workers with the exact skills needed to meet corporate goals. That's one conclusion that can be drawn from a recent...

Unlock your design intent.
February 1, 2007... By Roberto Michel, senior contributing editor How lightweight CAD data formats help Bradrock, Caterpillar, and others smooth out new product introductions For Nick Butkovich, the use of a lightweight data format to share designs boils...

Toward mobile problem-solving.
February 1, 2007... By Hope Neal, contributing editor RFID adoption is slow but steady--and not always driven by mandates Not too long ago, RFID was a rising star: the technology that promised to transform traditional supply chains into super efficient...

Cognizant serves up mainframe-to-Windows migration to foods supplier Schwan.
February 1, 2007... By Staff It was the classic "good news/bad news." Schwan Food Co. , a global frozen foods provider headquartered in Marshall, Minn., was growing profitably, but its hybrid computer environment couldn't efficiently manage the growth....

QUALCOMM buys nPhase.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Its recent buy of wireless machine-to-machine communications specialist nPhase gives wireless solutions supplier QUALCOMM a complementary telemetry product that supports remote diagnostics and services for fixed assets. ...

RFID pilot takes pharma data out into the supply chain.
February 1, 2007... By Staff RFID applications are almost commonplace inside automotive, electronics, and high-tech manufacturing companies--and out into their supply chains. Meanwhile, other sectors continue to evaluate RFID solutions and their benefits....

Sun retools back-up and recovery process.
February 1, 2007... By Staff BakBone Software is giving Sun Microsystems users more choices in back-up, restore, and disaster-recovery solutions with delivery and support of BakBone's NetVault Backup product suite. According to BakBone CEO Jim Johnson,...

Intuit alliance with Google offers small businesses online opportunities.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Today even the smallest manufacturers use the Internet for sales & marketing and customer support. Those same companies may use a package like business solutions provider Intuit 's QuickBooks Enterprise to run their operations....

Power equipment maker benefits from plant-floor wireless network.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Acquiring a 170,000-square-foot distribution center in Omaha presented Aurora, Ill.-based power-equipment maker Coleman Powermate with an opportunity to make some changes in how it used IT. Case-in-point is Coleman's migration...

Mandates, supply chain security, anticounterfeiting to drive item-level tagging in 2007.
February 1, 2007... By Staff New technologies prompt North Asia adoption Staff Sales of RFID tags in China, South Korea, and Japan in 2005 reached $200.5 million, with projected growth at an annual compounded growth rate of nearly 13 percent to...

Study finally shows takeoff in wireless data applications market.
February 1, 2007... By Staff After years of forecasting enormous growth in the wireless data application market, the prediction finally came true in 2006--and this growth isn't slowing any time soon, says a report from Scottsdale, Ariz.-based research firm...

In brief.
February 1, 2007... By Staff ProfitKey International , developer of Rapid Response Manufacturing, an ERP system suited for small and midsize manufacturers, is working with IBM hardware supplier Lighthouse Computer Services to move forward with technology...

A shared vision.
February 1, 2007... By Sidney Hill, Jr., executive editor Manufacturers stand to benefit as Microsoft forges tighter partner relationships The typical office worker routinely checks email at the beginning and end of each work day. In between, they...

East coast swing 2007.
February 1, 2007... By Kevin Parker, editorial director Driven by the prevailing weather pattern, January snow followed me from Chicago to Boston. Moreover, the flight took off from O'Hare International moments after the hometown Bears secured a place in...

Supply chain talent battle brews in China as manufacturers push out new "people programs".
February 1, 2007... By Cole Ollinger, senior contributing editor In an economy like China's, conventional wisdom holds that it's still possible to solve a business problem by throwing more people at it. But when it comes to the supply chain, there aren't...

In brief.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Simplifying the transition to Microsoft-based servers and operating systems, Infor's newest enterprise asset management solution for small and midsize manufacturers, called EAM MP2, keeps assets operating at peak performance...

Automation vendors team up with US-CERT.
February 1, 2007... By Staff To have a forum that lets competitors work together toward greater security of critical infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Control Systems Security Program has, since fall 2005, been facilitating monthly...

Trends drive risk-management awareness.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Global sourcing strategies, contract manufacturing, and the uncertainty of events put supply chain risk management (SCRM) on the minds of many manufacturers. Boston-based AMR Research recently talked with 89 executives, and...

Encryption key to endpoint data protection.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Given the world's digital data boom, sensitive data is continuously flowing between vendors, customers, partners, and employees. A survey out of Boston-based Aberdeen Group cites leaks and the theft of computers as top sources...

Managing for uncertainty is key to open the best laid plans.
February 1, 2007... By Staff It's one thing to create detailed plans, but without the ability to execute them, they aren't worth much, says Sanjeev Gupta, president and CEO of Realization Technologies . "Most organizations have difficulty executing...

Exports show marked improvement in 2006, but growth expected to slow.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Manufacturing enjoyed a marked improvement in 2006--with increased output, productivity, and exports--although growth is set to slow in 2007, says a new report out of The Engineering Employers Federation (EEF). Productivity is...

Companies chase success in after-sales services.
February 1, 2007... By Staff The quality of the after-sales experience is a key factor in customer loyalty. That's exactly why brand-owner companies should pause and ask themselves: Do we really want to outsource a process that can make or break a customer...

What you need to know about the top 2007 IT challenges.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Butler Group , a U.K.-based unit of Datamonitor , offers advice on current, emerging, and future technology matters--and their impact on business. As such, Datamonitor was at the ready in January with its list of the top IT...

It doesn't mean a thing if it isn't integrated.
February 1, 2007... By Staff "When deciding whether to extend ERP, features and functions are not as important as the added complexity of integration," says Cindy Jutras, a VP with Boston-based Aberdeen Group . "Just because a system or extension is owned...

Top talent gains greater control of its destiny; more career opportunities.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Things are looking pretty rosy for today's top executives. They can rest assured of greater job security and better career opportunities than they've had in years. According to a number of recent studies, the job market for...

Meeting compliance mandates requires a good look at the shop floor.
February 1, 2007... By Staff For companies in highly regulated industries, compliance is a monumental step in getting product to market, yet until recently, it has gone unaddressed by most automated systems. In fact, users often resort to manual workarounds...

Complexity, variability place tough demands on integrated global sourcing.
February 1, 2007... By Staff Companies are spending more on foreign goods than ever before. So as global sourcing becomes increasingly strategic in nature, more of these companies are looking for guidance in reaching their procurement goals. Since the...