Manufacturing Business Technology articles from May 2006

Manufacturing Business Technology archives from May 2006

Invensys' vision for the process industries--and for itself.(Up front)
May 1, 2006... Process manufacturing's future had its first public demonstration April 11 at Boston's JFK library. Foxboro, Mass.-based automation and IT vendor Invensys Process Systems calls "InFusion" an enterprise control system, but it might best be...

Supply Chain Council unveils model for developing products.(BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT)
May 1, 2006... With its Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model widely considered a viable approach for thinking about supply chains, the Supply Chain Council (SCC) has developed a similar tool for the product-development process. The Design Chain...

Globalization of the printing function.(Views from the front)
May 1, 2006... Zebra Technologies' Global Printing Solution now includes Unicode-compliant encoding and font support on its bar-code, label, and receipt printers. All major European, Middle Eastern, and African languages--plus custom characters and logos--can...

U.S.-China trade policy facts.(Views from the front)
May 1, 2006... Five: Number of years China has been obligated to submit to the World Trade Organization (WTO) an annual notification of its subsidy policies Zero: Number of such notifications China has submitted to the WTO Nonexistent: Current U.S....

Black & Decker presents a retooled supply chain strategy.(CORPORATE)
May 1, 2006... At the recent Supply Chain World-North America Conference, Towson, Md.-based Black & Decker presented a real-world case study: developing creative supply chain strategies in highly competitive markets. The study focused on three themes:...

Outsourced logistics trends creates buyer/seller needs gap.(OPERATIONS)
May 1, 2006... The model for providing logistics services will have to undergo major changes to keep up with customers' evolving needs, according to a new report from IBM Business Consulting Services. As logistics customers outsource more, they will took...

Lax security stalling adoption of wireless computing.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
May 1, 2006... Security concerns are the biggest obstacle to widespread adoption of wireless and remote computing in business, according to a survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit, on behalf of security solutions supplier Symantec. The survey,...

IBM and Accenture invest in information management.(DATA ON DEMAND)
May 1, 2006... IBM is making a $1-billion investment in software and services over a three-year period aimed at more comprehensive information management. It also plans to add nearly 10,000 consultants--for a total of 25,000--who will deliver product...

Intricacies of on-demand model for software distribution discussed at industry confab.(SOFTWARE 2006)
May 1, 2006... There is a future for "Web 2.0" in the enterprise, said M.R. Rangaswami, general partner of Sand Hill Group, in opening the group's annual Software 2006 conference for technology industry leaders. Rangaswami cited wikis, as shared...

Pharma expo offers solutions suited for industry's emerging concerns.(INTERPHEX 2006)
May 1, 2006... This year's leading pharmaceuticals manufacturing event--Interphex, put forth by Reed Exhibitions--turned out to be the latest venue to exclaim the virtues and viability of RFID, centralized planning, and real-time performance management....

Data explosion caused by enterprise deployments challenges BI vendors.(BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE)
May 1, 2006... Leading business intelligence (BI) vendors in Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner's most recent Magic Quadrant for BI--e.g., Business Objects, Cognos, Information Builders, and SAS Institute--ought to be eager to see how the year plays out. Gartner...

German Tier 1 automotive supplier test-drives SOA data-exchange standards.(DESIGN STANDARDS)
May 1, 2006... Making automobiles is highly complex, data-intensive, and requires close coordination between suppliers and OEMs, yet exchanging data remains a highly manual process that acts as a production constraint. Since existing standards such as...

Information security managers prove they know which vendors to get excited about.(SECURITY MARKET)
May 1, 2006... Results from N.Y.-based analyst firm TheInfoPro's periodic surveys of information security managers at Fortune 1000 companies show the clear upward trajectory for new security solutions entering the market. "Every six months we ask them to...

SAP AG.
May 1, 2006... SAP AG has acquired risk-management solutions vendor Virsa Systems, an SAP partner that embeds its compliance software into business processes with the aim of making compliance repeatable, sustainable, and less costly across the enterprise....

Vendors poised to help manufacturers regain pricing power.(PRICING MANAGEMENT)
May 1, 2006... Every company has a system for setting prices, but few have a way of ensuring that they always get the best price for their products or services. That could soon change, however, as a group of mostly small vendors offering pricing optimization...

Innovation: it's the next big thing--really!(In perspective)
May 1, 2006... Innovation must be really big if you read or listen to any of the latest marketing programs from the largest technology vendors. Microsoft has little dinosaurs with neckties bouncing around telling folks why they need the latest version of...

S&OP: lynchpin of supply chain success.(In perspective)
May 1, 2006... In the last year, I have been called upon to moderate executive planning sessions focused on developing corporate supply chain strategies. The premise: how to extract enterprise value from technology investments. Driven by either the demands of...

Accounting for a demand-driven model: finance function costs rise based on globalization and Sarbanes-Oxley; response is to get lean and online.(The Bigger Picture: Finance)(Company overview)
May 1, 2006... If Henry Ford walked onto the floor of a modern manufacturing plant, he might be amazed at the level of automation found there. But it's only a slight exaggeration to say, if he walked into the company's finance department, he'd feel right at...

The ERP midmarket heats up: midsize manufacturers buy based on integration benefits, single-source provision.(Cover story)(Company overview)
May 1, 2006... The midmarket is where the action is when it comes to ERP. In a spending report released last fall, Boston-based AMR Research found that more than one-third of companies under $500 million in annual revenue are installing new ERP systems,...

Can two worlds combine? Standards, vendor software frameworks aim to bridge automation & IT worlds.(Special Report: Plant-Enterprise Integration)
May 1, 2006... The roster of manufacturing companies pursuing a more standards-based means of linking plant-floor systems with enterprise systems grows every day. Companies across industries are beginning to leverage standards such as ISA $95 to pass...

Global is as global does: simplistic approaches to globalization require a careful new look.(Inside Business: Plant-Enterprise Integration)(Company overview)
May 1, 2006... Global business doesn't come much more global than privately held Tetra Pak. One of the world's largest makers of packaging solutions for the food industry, it operates in 165 countries and employs 21,000 people worldwide. On March 3, the...

Defeat undetected downtime: manufacturing intelligence systems improve productivity, ensure stated goals deliver value.(Applications & Services)
May 1, 2006... In 2002, Australia's Coca-Cola Amatil--the Australasian region's Coca-Cola bottling franchise--recognized that the bottling and canning lines at its New South Wales facility were critically close to their capacity limits. Yet it wasn't a...

Counterfeiting challenges manufacturers both online and off.(BRAND PROTECTION)
May 1, 2006... There's real money to be made in counterfeiting--no pun intended. The U. S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that counterfeit products make up 5 percent to 7 percent of global trade--roughly $450 to $500 billion a year that should be going to the...

Engine Works saves time and money with subscription-based 3D design software.(CASE-IN-POINT)
May 1, 2006... Engine Works Batavia, Ill., is a $6.5-million assembler and distributor of small engines and parts. It generally builds standard products using off-the-shelf parts from other suppliers, but occasionally a customer requires a custom assembly....

ERP by the numbers.(MARKET FORECASTING)
May 1, 2006... The worldwide market for ERP solutions is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.8 percent over the next five years. The market was $16.67 billion in 2005, and is forecast to be more than $21 billion in 2010, according to Enterprise Resource Planning...

Wonderware connects with SAP NetWeaver.(PLANT-TO-ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION)
May 1, 2006... Certified interfaces between plant-floor systems and ERP systems have been around for decades as a means of simplifying integration, but--at least historically--still resulted in inflexible linkages. Now a combination of industry momentum for...

Microsoft Business Solutions turns to partners for industry-focused applications.(VERTICAL ERP)
May 1, 2006... Microsoft Business Solutions' (MBS) rebranding of its midmarket ERP offerings under the Dynamics label, coupled with its use of partners to develop industry-specific solutions on top of its software, is the latest attempt to create a clear...

Higher pay makes procurement staffs more valuable.(HUMAN CAPITAL)
May 1, 2006... A company's approach to hiring procurement professionals can determine me ultimate value that function brings to the organization, according to research conducted by The Hackett Group, Atlanta. "World-class procurement leaders establish...

Kinaxis resolution engine solves Adeptron's volatile demand problems.(CASE-IN-POINT)
May 1, 2006... Ontario-based Adeptron Technologies is benefiting from high-tech manufacturers' growing reliance on outside services providers. In each of the past three years, Adeptron--with a portfolio of services that includes rapid prototyping, materials...

Partner collaboration requires systems protection.(In perspective)
May 1, 2006... Manufacturers compete as supply chains, but what systems guide the interaction? Who owns the data, and how is it continually synchronized? Perhaps a more pressing question is how to improve business processes, and their performance across...

Agile more important than lean: distributed business models require visibility, software-supported production methods.(Business Performance)
May 1, 2006... Some industry experts are warning that simply being lean is not enough for manufacturers that work with extensive networks of supply chain partners. "Lean works well in a steady-state environment," argues Christian Verstraete, a senior...

"Unprecedented" cooperation yields inventory control.(DEEP VISIBILITY AT FORD)
May 1, 2006... When suppliers and manufacturers cooperate to share information, some amazing results follow. At Ford Motor Company's Heritage F150 truck assembly plant outside Detroit, the automaker and its supplier, TNT Logistics North America, cooperate to...

Midsize supplier to vehicle manufacturers likes EDI flexibility.(CASE-IN-POINT)
May 1, 2006... Red Dot isn't a big company, but the 500-person, Seattle-based supplier to heavy-vehicle manufacturers has complex supply chain communication requirements, says John-Mark Tucker, Red Dot's IT manager. In fact, it was the ability of an ERP suite...

Rubbermaid Commercial achieves data quality; expects new synergies from master data management.(Business Performance)
May 1, 2006... Master data management (MDM) is about truth--a single version of it. When it comes to data about customers. vendors, suppliers, and products, a single version of the truth is essential to maximizing opportunities. Knightsbridge Solutions,...

MESA to map metrics framework that links financial and operations performance.(MANUFACTURING EXECUTION SYSTEMS)
May 1, 2006... The manufacturing execution system (MES) market has has shown steady growth, yet while there is a wealth of evidence for the strong link between production and enterprise performance, there is no clear consensus on key performance indicators...

IBM tunes workforce planning to supply chain precepts.(SKILLS MANAGEMENT)
May 1, 2006... As IBM sheds its product centricity and migrates toward services (see story, page 12), it is applying supply chain modeling, inventory, planning, and allocation techniques to its own workforce so as to be more responsive to demand. "Our...

Can midsize manufacturers effectively use PLM?(Ask Aberdeen Group)
May 1, 2006... Like larger manufacturers, small to medium-size enterprises (SME) focus product strategy on revenue growth in combination with cost reduction to achieve profitable growth. A recent study from Boston-based Aberdeen Group, PLM for small to...

To satisfy customers, learn how to measure performance.(SERVICE MANAGEMENT)
May 1, 2006... No one in business would argue that measuring performance is a bad idea. But how do you know if the things you're measuring will accurately gauge whether your company is performing to its full potential? That's a question that MCA...

Emptoris.
May 1, 2006... Emptoris recently merged with diCarta to deliver enterprisewide contract and supply management. In 2005, the vendors report, customers used the companies' software to analyze more than $3 trillion of spend, source $110 billion-plus in products...

Zontec.
May 1, 2006... Zontec's Synergy 1000 statistical process control software offers a production-based tool for real-time quality management that enables businesses to standardize the way they organize, store, and act upon production data as it relates to...

PAS is making its Integrity software for automation asset management in process plants available to Honeywell users under the product name Automation Change Manager.
May 1, 2006... PAS is making its Integrity software for automation asset management in process plants available to Honeywell users under the product name Automation Change Manager. Integrity plug-ins will manage embedded intellectual property in all types of...

Merit Solutions.
May 1, 2006... Merit Solutions announces a licensing agreement with Microsoft Business Solutions to deliver Merit's audit trails and electronic signatures software in support of Sarbanes-Oxley, CFR Part 11, and other regulations. Says Bill Burke, CEO of...

Enterprise integration as business strategy: Pilgrim's Pride finds EAI platform essential for managing growth.(Integration & Infrastructure)
May 1, 2006... Running a business on a single enterprise software platform is a logical goal. Companies have reported lowering systems maintenance costs as much as 60 percent by simply reducing the number of ERP systems running at various business units. ...

RFID technology moves toward mass adoption as IT stakeholders get into the mix.(AUTO-ID)
May 1, 2006... As RFID emerges from what Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Group calls the disillusionment of the "hype cycle," analysts are prognosticating short-and long-term scenarios for the technology as it moves into the mainstream. Recent reports by...

Merck researching materials to lower RFID tag costs.(Integration & Infrastructure)
May 1, 2006... Merck KGaA, a Darmstadt, Germany-based pharmaceuticals supplier, is partnering with the Technical University (TU) of Darmstadt for cheaper, more versatile RFID technology based on inorganic composite materials. Merck is investing $1 million...

Alien opens RFID Center.(RFID ROUNDUP: A sampling of developments, both promising and cautionary....)
May 1, 2006... Alien Technology, a manufacturer of RFID readers and tag inlays, broadened its reach from its Silicon Valley base with the opening of an RFID Solutions Center in Dayton, Ohio. The 23,000-square-foot facility will serve as an educational and R&D...

TAGSYS says "the package is the tag".(RFID ROUNDUP: A sampling of developments, both promising and cautionary....)
May 1, 2006... TAGSYS, a supplier of RFID systems and tags for item-level tracking, now offers what it calls a unique, integrated packaging approach using the world's smallest--and first adaptive--EPC Gen 2 family of tags. Called the Adaptive Kernel (AK)...

OMRON debuts UHF tag.(RFID ROUNDUP: A sampling of developments, both promising and cautionary....)
May 1, 2006... RFID UHF frequencies span 860 to 960MHz but to maximize read rates for each regional frequency band, tags need to be narrowly designed for each. OMRON RFID says its new V759 Series Gen 2 Wave tag resolves this issue. "Up until now, inlay...

Pharmas tap the brakes on item-level tagging.(RFID ROUNDUP: A sampling of developments, both promising and cautionary....)
May 1, 2006... Oyster Bay, N.Y.-based ABI Research recently downgraded its 2006 RFID item-level tagging adoption forecast for pharmaceuticals, saying the slowdown is brought on by uncertainty around government-mandated deadlines for drug pedigrees. Only 10...

Chipless tags: the future of RFID.(Integration & Infrastructure)
May 1, 2006... RFID tags that do not contain a silicon chip are called chipless tags. A new generation of chipless technologies has emerged with the potential to be both trouble-free from a technical standpoint, and produced in mass quantities at relatively...

Study says SOAs are flexible enough to enhance both the top and bottom line.(SERVICE-ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE)
May 1, 2006... By focusing on IT cost savings as the justification for service-oriented architecture (SOA) projects, IT managers may be overlooking another potential benefit: increased sales. That's the conclusion of a study conducted by Wellesley,...

Squeezing the most value from IT may require learning the definition of ITIL.(IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT)
May 1, 2006... The desire to use information technology (IT) as a strategic business tool is driving interest in a set of documents known as the IT Infrastructure Libra, or ITIL. This document set contains emerging de facto standards for delivering and...

Multi-vendor effort seeks easier way of eradicating rogue programs.(SPYWARE DEFENSE)
May 1, 2006... Spyware infestations are a headache for enterprises, and while few expect the problem to disappear, a new multi-vendor effort should help by bringing greater consistency to the testing and evaluation of anti-spyware software. Announced in...

Technology holds promise for tapping device-level data; vendors promise solutions later this year.(WIRELESS MESH NETWORKS)
May 1, 2006... Wireless mesh networking--a technology with similarities to the Internet's infrastructure--could offer an easier, cheaper way of pulling data out of industrial automation devices. But for now, says at least one expert, such sensor networks need...

Infor customers don't see consolidation as cause for concern.(Back talk)
May 1, 2006... Vendor consolidation is a topic many business application users have pondered lately, with new sets of suppliers seemingly agreeing to merge every day. A typical question is: How long will it take the new owner to kill my system and force...