Manufacturing Business Technology articles from March 2007

Manufacturing Business Technology archives from March 2007

Savi rolls a lucky seven in the global RFID marketplace, standardizing on air interface protocol.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Every country has its own tech standards, a situation that inhibits global adoption by requiring RFID solution vendors to seek regulatory approval on a country-by-country basis from governmental agencies. But global adoption...

Manufacturers meet globalization challenges with new supply chain practices, technology.(Company overview)
March 1, 2007... By Malcolm Wheatley, senior contributing editor Several hundred of the world's leading telephone and communications companies--including three-quarters of the top 20 broadband service providers--rely on advanced technology from San Jose,...

Today's CAD innovations set you free--with a history.
March 1, 2007... By Staff History-free CAD tools--sometimes called dynamic-modeling or direct-modeling tools--are slowly but surely replacing oft-used history-based or parametric CAD applications. History-free systems simplify the design process using...

eBay partnership could free manufacturers from excess inventory.
March 1, 2007... By Staff In its latest ad campaign, online auctioneer eBay says you can get whatever it is you want on its site. And thanks to a new partnership with a company called FreeFlow, whatever "it" is on eBay is likely to include more excess...

Wonderware launches infrastructure, applications for production and performance management.
March 1, 2007... By Staff "Customers are looking to do much more to leverage their investments on the plant floor," says Ann Croom, president of InSource , a Richmond, Va.-based software reseller serving manufacturers throughout the Southeast. A...

PLM software keeps circuit maker on a growth curve.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Emulex , a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based maker of circuitry for storage networking equipment, appears to have found something nearly all manufacturers covet: a software solution that grows along with the business. Emulex first...

What to do while waiting for RFID to pay off.
March 1, 2007... By Sidney Hill, Jr., executive editor The moment a technology transforms from a novelty item into a common, everyday tool usually arrives without notice. Take the mobile phone. Not only are people talking on them everywhere you go,...

Uses vary, benefits accrue, yet workflow remains something of a mystery.
March 1, 2007... By Elizabeth SanFilippo, associate editor Workflow used to be no more and no less than the movement of documents or tasks through a business process. But a lot has changed since the 1980s when workflow technology, known as imaging , was...

ILOG optimization software solves problems unique to semiconductor manufacturing.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Semiconductor manufacturing involves a series of painstaking processes that must be repeated numerous times--with exact precision--over a period of several weeks. Ensuring these processes are completed in time to fill customer...

In brief.
March 1, 2007... By Staff The Supply Chain Council (SCC) is partnering with Houston, Texas-based APQC, a global best practices and benchmarking organization, for a new online benchmarking service to SCC members. IBM is underwriting the program. The...

Boeing 787 program flying smoothly with Exostar collaboration engine.
March 1, 2007... By Staff In preparation for delivering its next-generation commercial aircraft--the 787 Dreamliner--Boeing adopted a new business model. For the first time in its history, the Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer is asking supply chain...

Life sciences execs must foster partnerships, increase R&D to tap into emerging markets.
March 1, 2007... By Jim Fulcher, contributing editor The U.S. pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology industries had better prepare to be challenged by sweeping demographic shifts, globalization and emerging markets, mounting health-care costs,...

Mitsubishi faces service management with smart 24/7 technology.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Product service has grown from an afterthought to a strategic element of the business. The reason: Manufacturers must differentiate themselves as their products become evermore commoditized. Invariably, consumers are going...

Equipment maker uses remote wireless for Web site management to the benefit of sales, customers.
March 1, 2007... By Jim Fulcher, contributing editor Everyone understands the importance of having a company Web site. They also know full well that maintaining one can be a tedious chore. "It killed our IT department to be the data keeper and ensure...

Industrial companies waste billions on Web sites.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Every year, companies spend thousands of dollars on Internet services for Web site design, hosting, and programming. This totals in the billions of dollars when looking at the entire U.S. industrial base. A new study...

Click Commerce advances post-ITW merger with solutions to connect enterprise trading partners.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Click Commerce used Chicago's Promat 2007 show in early January to announce a new warehouse management solution--called Click Commerce WMX--as well as a new president, Nancy Koenig, former executive VP of operations. Click...

Spend-analysis providers meet with business intelligence specialists in software market showdown.
March 1, 2007... By Staff E-procurement specialist Ariba cites two challenges that concern procurement executives the most: delivering measurable results, and analyzing spend data. In a spend-analysis market crowded with competing applications, the...

Consultant claims Lean, Six Sigma work better under the rules of "Factory Physics".
March 1, 2007... By Staff Initiatives like Lean and Six Sigma have proven their ability to boost manufacturing efficiency and product quality--when applied properly. Proper application is at the core of a theory called Factory Physics, which claims to...

Demand planning and collaboration solutions support S&OP.
March 1, 2007... By Roberto Michel, senior contributing editor Managing the juncture between an enterprise's business and operational plans often gets hampered by one basic factor, as Tom Dadmun sees it: human nature. More specifically, the culprit is the...

Master data management evolves from software technology to enterprise strategy.
March 1, 2007... By William Atkinson, contributing editor Like the people who use its products, premium golf club maker PING constantly works to improve its performance. In recent years, the company slashed the time it takes to get new products to market...

Med-device maker automates test-bed provisioning while preserving data structure, context.
March 1, 2007... By Tony Baer, senior contributing editor "Our SAP system is hardly a static environment," says Brion Booth, senior business systems analyst with Varian Medical Systems . Booth manages SAP application development & support for Varian's...

Tools for wrapping and mapping data.
March 1, 2007... By Staff "Customers constantly face questions on how to juggle multiple mission-critical applications in one production environment, make them more productive, and meet evolving compliance issues at the same time," says Allan Peters, CEO...

Information-governance best practices curb fruitless data hunts.
March 1, 2007... By Staff A survey of more than 1,000 middle managers by New York-based Accenture delivered disturbing confirmation of what has long been suspected: They're spending a lot of time searching for information that's necessary to do their...

ILS signs Mitsubishi; seeks other device makers to adopt its means to enterprise connectivity.
March 1, 2007... By Staff The importance of real-time data to business systems has led to various approaches to achieving bidirectional data connectivity between the plant floor and the enterprise. ILS Technology , with the release of the deviceWISE 2.0...

Indian manufacturing grows based on value-add reputation and can-do attitude.
March 1, 2007... By Cole Ollinger, senior contributing editor In 2006, a global who's who of manufacturing giants--including Nokia, Motorola, Cisco, Diebold, and Siemens--moved to expand their presence in India. Consider India and most people think...

Practice makes good what the process is lacking.
March 1, 2007... By Kevin Parker, editorial director Rix Kramlich is a company VP at Right Hemisphere, a vendor of "product communication and collaboration" solutions. His recent visit to MBT's Chicagoland offices highlighted issues concerning...

Siemens acquires PLM leader UGS.
March 1, 2007... By Staff To bridge the gap between the physical realm of the plant floor and the virtual world of product design, Siemens AG , the Munich-based global conglomerate, has acquired UGS, a leading provider of product life-cycle management...

Safety education hits the big screen.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Siemens Energy & Automation recently took to the stage in 45 theatres across the U.S. to promote safety in the manufacturing workplace. Safety: Uncover the Competitive Advantage --which features a top-drawer cast of safety...

How to master the business of software.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Today's companies can reach across the globe to tap the world's best software engineering talent. For many, the emergence of a readily accessible, global pool of engineers competing for the same positions raises concerns about...

A visible approach to maintenance.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Preventative-maintenance schedules are key enablers for saving time and money on equipment repair work. Magnatag Visible Systems has a way to tap into those savings by displaying a year's worth of preventative-maintenance...

Are document-based tasks a big waste?
March 1, 2007... By Staff London-based Butler Group claims employees spend up to 25 percent of the day on nonproductive document tasks. "Documents are integral to every business, and any organization that cannot effectively manage their production risks...

3D transition software speeds product-development communication with offshore partners.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Autodesk 's annual user conference is one event that's heavy on symposium and light on vendor-centric product marketing. Held last November in Las Vegas, Autodesk University drew more than 7,500 attendees who heard mostly from...

In brief.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Autodesk says it listened to its user base to come up with a host of improvements to the Autodesk Manufacturing Community Web site ( http://mfgcommunity.autodesk.com ). The site keeps Autodesk software users networked to the...

Data points to loss in U.S. manufacturing marketshare despite strong and weak dollar periods.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Is American manufacturing flourishing or floundering? While the optimists like to point to the rebound in manufacturing output--which has reached new levels since the 2001 recession--the pessimists point to a rapidly rising...

USBIC calls for moratorium on all new trade agreements.
March 1, 2007... By Staff The U.S. Business & Industry Council (USBIC) is urging Congress to reject President Bush's request for a one-year renewal of fast-track trade negotiating authority. Rather than continue fast track, the USBIC is calling for a...

Is services procurement the next "hidden gem" for cost savings?
March 1, 2007... By Staff Services now represent the largest component of indirect expenditures--as opposed to direct material procurement--according to Tempe, Ariz.-based Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies. Procured services can reduce costs, but...

Solutions draw from enterprise, plant-operations systems.
March 1, 2007... By Staff Automation vendor Invensys announces packaged composite applications (PCAs) for real-time finance and real-time production execution. The apps, certified by enterprise vendor SAP , orchestrate functionalities from existing...