Manufacturing Business Technology articles from November 2005

Manufacturing Business Technology archives from November 2005

Welch, innovation, and American manufacturers.(Up front)
November 1, 2005... Former CEO of GE, Jack Welch, was the featured speaker at a recent SAP Business Forum held in Chicago. "We've got a good economy at the moment," said Welch. "Many, many entrepreneurial-minded individuals are coming out of business schools....

Changing makeup, multi-enterprise focus mark plant IT group's coming of age.(MESA INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2005... This year's MESA International conference, with its Plant2Enterprise theme, saw a definite sea change in that organization, dedicated as it is to spreading the word about manufacturing execution systems (MES), a generic term for software...

Best-in-class report proves out commonsense guide: minimize change.(PROJECT MANAGEMENT)
November 1, 2005... Change may be the only constant in the universe, but gone unmanaged, it wreaks havoc on software projects. A recent study from McLean, Va.-based Quantitative Software Management (QSM) found that managing changes in software projects is the key...

E-mail documentation faces corporate counsel.(CORPORATE)
November 1, 2005... The average U.S. manufacturing company now faces 40 lawsuits, 18 of which were initiated within the last year, according to a survey from New York law firm Fulbright & Jaworski. There also is dramatically increased concern for constraints...

Companies in denial about disaster recovery.(OPERATIONS)
November 1, 2005... Nearly one-third of U.S. businesses don't have a business continuity plan in place, according to a recent survey by AT&T and the international Association of Emergency Managers. Of the 1,200 businesses surveyed earlier this year, 40 percent...

How to give IT an image makeover.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
November 1, 2005... CIOs are often still peppered with complaints that their departments are not adequately supporting the business, says Kenneth Rau, senior consultant with Cutter Consortium, Arlington, Mass. Those perceptions could change if IT managers start...

The latest deal makers include Autodesk, Google, and Exact.(TRANSACTIONS)
November 1, 2005... Google and Sun Microsystems say they'll offer office productivity tools in a direct challenge to Microsoft's own Office products. Some Sun programs, when downloaded, will include Google's toolbar. Although the vendors did not say how Google...

Asia Pac manufacturers say they're focused on the basics.(BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT)
November 1, 2005... Mounting competitive pressures are motivating Asia Pacific manufacturers to focus on the business fundamentals of quality and cost, according to new research from Framingham, Mass.-based Manufacturing Insights. Improving quality of...

Report advises midmarket companies to pool resources to build Chinese supplier networks.(CHINA MARKETS)
November 1, 2005... Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) caught between a rock and a hard place--that is, thinking they are incapable of entering the Chinese market, and fearful of being squeezed by Chinese incursion at home--need not idly tremble. According...

China sets its sights on "technology superpower" status.(IT INNOVATION)
November 1, 2005... China wants to be a global powerhouse in all information and communication technology (ICT) sectors by 2010, according to Stamford, Conn.-based analyst firm Gartner. The goal implies transitioning from the familiar "Made in China" label to...

Hurricanes place protective focus on supply chain risk management.(SUPPLY CHAIN OPTIMIZATION)
November 1, 2005... Two hurricanes in one month that left plants across five states blown apart or under water have caught the attention of manufacturing supply chain managers. And high time too, says Tim Minahan, supply chain expert at Boston-based AberdeenGroup,...

CIOs & CTOs aspire to IT a product innovation; CEOs less so.(PATHS TO GROWTH)
November 1, 2005... In a survey of 9,300 worldwide business and technology leaders, New York-based McKinsey & Co. found nearly 80 percent of CIOs and CTOs cite technology innovation as high on the list of things that can make their companies more profitable. But...

Vice president wannabes not likely to be found inside start-ups.(ENTREPRENEURSHIP)
November 1, 2005... The drive for success is a bedrock attribute for entrepreneurial zeal. But what's less obvious, until recently, is the principle that "organizations matter." "There are a lot of theories about entrepreneurs that focus on market factors--or...

Balancing supply and demand: sales & operations planning can conquer challenges related to managing global supply chains.(Cover Story)
November 1, 2005... Enterasys Networks is known for its proficiency at designing networking equipment--routers, switches, bridges, etc.--that protects enterprises from constantly evolving security threats. Until recently, however, Enterasys wasn't quite as adept...

A backlash to "too much information" is a real possibility.(In perspective)
November 1, 2005... When my daughters were much younger, they would cry, "Too much information," whenever my wife and I would allude to something either romantic or personal. It was silly, but we understood what they meant. Recently, passengers on a JetBlue...

ERP is in the picture for midsize manufacturers.(In perspective)
November 1, 2005... Small and midsize manufacturers are increasing IT investment because they don't have the IT architecture needed to compete in a demand-driven world. For many, this means going back to the basics: an ERP system that standardizes business...

What's in a name? Even as users see gains, vendors say lack of clarity keeps supplier relationship management from taking off.(Applications & Services)
November 1, 2005... Many companies can't resist what Purchasing Director James Polak calls the siren song of supplier relationship management (SRM): e-procurement. But when his company, PPG Industries, considered SRM, Polak says PPG implemented spend analysis...

On-demand PLM supports a virtual business model.(CASE-IN-POINT)
November 1, 2005... SafeView, a three-year-old start-up, is the epitome of a virtual manufacturing enterprise. Its product designers and other engineers are scattered across the country, but all report to a manager located at the company's headquarters in Santa...

HP applies risk management to procurement.(PROCUREMENT PLANNING)
November 1, 2005... Uncertainty in procurement can be expensive. To protect itself, Hewlett-Packard (HP) systematically assesses procurement risk with an eye toward writing flexible contracts that factor in changing supply chain conditions. Using its...

SSA Global says Oracle is imitating its strategy.(PROFILE OF A CONTENDER)
November 1, 2005... At its annual Global Client Forum, SSA Global made no dramatic announcements, other than to say that despite the odds, the company is a growing challenger to SAP and Oracle Corp. The vendor unveiled version 5.1 of its next-generation Open...

Catalyst International recently managed deployment of an SAP warehouse management and data collection solution, using SAPConsole, for Portland, Maine-based Barber Foods.
November 1, 2005... Catalyst International recently managed deployment of an SAP warehouse management and data collection solution, using SAPConsole, for Portland, Maine-based Barber Foods. The solution has 18 wireless-enabled transactions tailored for Barber from...

Invensys Process Systems.
November 1, 2005... Invensys Process Systems reports initial launch of asset performance management solutions that monitor, predict, and manage both the availability and use of industrial assets, drawing upon technology from Avantis, Foxboro, SimSci-Esscor,...

Pharmaceutical maker Merck sees flexibility needs as spur to performance solutions.(REAL-TIME INFORMATION MANAGEMENT)
November 1, 2005... In the industrial age, manufacturing decisions were made based on cost or time attributes. By the 1970s, as Germany and Japan entered world markets, quality became a significant driving force. It's been suggested that a fourth factor,...

How can companies reengineer and improve global trade activity?(Ask AberdeenGroup)
November 1, 2005... As global trade activity increases, finance execs say it's more challenging to gain a clear picture of projected cash flow, inventory, and hard and soft financial commitments. The difficulty is understandable given that international settlement...

Where planning meets execution: specialized scheduling.(In perspective)
November 1, 2005... Scheduling rarely gets attention, even though many manufacturers still schedule with a spreadsheet or a whiteboard in a "war room." The power of finite capacity scheduling drove the success of the supply chain management industry in the late...

In a state of flux: with globalization, opportunities and strategies exist for U.S. companies to take advantage of changes in the value of money.(Business Performance)
November 1, 2005... Recent fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar in global currency markets represent a classic good news/bad news scenario for manufacturers. On the one hand, when the dollar falls, products made in the U.S. become more price-competitive,...

Acquisition integration aided by business intelligence's single version of truth.(CASE-IN-POINT)
November 1, 2005... When San Francisco-based Del Monte purchased the business unit that made brands such as StarKist seafood and Kibbles 'n Bits dog food from H.J. Heinz, Del Monte management had a strategy for making the acquisition succeed. "The executive...

Guidelines for setting up outsourcing mimic M&A-style diligence.(HOW TO NEGOTIATE)
November 1, 2005... Companies would be well advised to practice the rigors of merger & acquisition (M&A)-style due diligence to ensure that outsourcing achieves desired benefits, according to a recent study by New York-based McKinsey & Co. As many as half of...

Lack of harmony in RoHS interpretation could be exacerbated if U.S. state governments take action.(REGULATORY COMPLIANCE)
November 1, 2005... Impending European legislation to more closely control use of hazardous substances in manufactured products is winning plaudits from environmentalists. Lawmakers in other countries have taken note, and a raft of copycat legislation is expected....

Emerson Process Management is using JPMorgan Chase Vastera's TradeSphere Exporter to support cross-border trade processes for Emerson's Rosemount instrumentation operations in Chanhassen, Minn.
November 1, 2005... Emerson Process Management is using JPMorgan Chase Vastera's TradeSphere Exporter to support cross-border trade processes for Emerson's Rosemount instrumentation operations in Chanhassen, Minn. During implementation, JPMorgan Chase Vastera...

Versatile machines: IT appliances are low-cost options to software for integration and data management.(Integration & Infrastructure)(Company Profile)
November 1, 2005... Eric Nichols had a well-laid plan for reducing the number of Microsoft Exchange servers on his corporate wide area network. Then he discovered what turned out to be a better idea: something called a Steelhead appliance from Riverbed Technology....

Processes--not applications--make the company go 'round.(BPM AND PORTAL TECHNOLOGY)
November 1, 2005... Companies routinely spend a lot of time--and money--creating ways of passing data between disparate applications. In most cases, what they are actually trying to do is merge disjointed business processes. That was the case at Tetra, a...

Inventory liability--the scourge of supply chain management.(Response Management)(Advertisement)
November 1, 2005... Some things never seem to change in life. Excess inventory is one of them. In spite of all the investment in state-of-the-art demand and production planning systems, improvements in inventory management have been marginal at best. In fact,...

Extracting intelligence from PDF files leads to enhanced custom reporting.(DATA CONVERSION)
November 1, 2005... Portable document format (PDF) has become the de facto standard for creating documents that need to be shared within and across enterprises. It makes all types of correspondence--from marketing brochures to purchase orders and invoices--easy to...

Users stand to win as Intel-AMD chip wars enter a new era.(DUAL-CORE PROCESSORS)
November 1, 2005... Counting the number of cores--instead of measuring clock speeds--could soon be the primary method of determining which servers and PCs to buy. The multi-core processor era officially kicked off this past spring, when both Intel and AMD...

Liaison Technologies and web-Methods will deliver solutions for synchronized product data and product information management, and a real-time XML transaction platform based on webMethods technology.
November 1, 2005... Liaison Technologies and web-Methods will deliver solutions for synchronized product data and product information management, and a real-time XML transaction platform based on webMethods technology. Liaison also recently agreed to combine...

MaintenanceNet is partnering with Zunesis for complete contract visibility via MaintenanceNet's Web-enabled application.
November 1, 2005... MaintenanceNet is partnering with Zunesis for complete contract visibility via MaintenanceNet's Web-enabled application. Zunesis allows users to communicate imminent updates and end-of-life product notifications.

How UNIX, Linux, and Windows stack up: some operating systems are more secure than others, but that isn't the whole story.(Security/Wireless)
November 1, 2005... In July 2003, a group of computer hackers held the "Defacers Challenge," a contest with the goal of defacing 6,000 Web sites in six hours. Participants scored points depending on which operating systems (OS) they breached. Web sites running on...

AT&T introduces RFID services, some say a little too late.(RFID ON DEMAND)
November 1, 2005... AT&T says in early 2006 it will begin 90-day customer trials of a "managed, end-to-end, hosted RFID service"--the first from a major U.S. telecom carrier. "It will be a completely integrated service, including hardware, software and...

Vendors respond to high-price deployment concerns with hosted RFID apps.(SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE)
November 1, 2005... IBM Global Services' new hosted RFID service targets an estimated 70,000 small and midsize manufacturers that must respond to RFID mandates from Wal-Mart, the Department of Defense (DOD), and others by 2007. The service is intended to lower the...

Vendor attitudes evolve concerning RFID technology's immediate future.(MOVING PAST PILOTS)
November 1, 2005... Visitors to the EPCglobal US 2005 conference in Atlanta had a clear window on evolving attitudes toward RFID technology and its immediate prospects in manufacturing and supply chain. Says Alex Stuebler business manager. RFID, Siemens Energy &...

Technology vendors set the stage for RFID data integration to business systems.(AUTO-ID NETWORKS)
November 1, 2005... Limited RFID pilots that are ramping up to full-scale enterprise implementations could spark a shakeout among early technology suppliers in the coming months, according to ABI Research, Oyster Bay, N.Y. Reason being: it's what you do with...

Wavelink promotes hands-off management of hands-free technology.(WIRELESS NETWORKS)
November 1, 2005... Wireless LANs offer many advantages over traditional hardwired networks, but cost-of-ownership isn't necessarily among them. A recent report from Boston-based IT research firm Summit Strategies reveals many enterprises are surprised at how...

Electromechanical supplier finds no price can be put on controlling risk.(CASE-IN-POINT)
November 1, 2005... Curtiss-Wright, Cheswick, Pa, had encountered a problem common to any company that relies on multiple types of software to run a business: deploying the required software changes and patches in an organized manner. "We had various...

NIST database focuses on software vulnerabilities.(SYSTEMS PROTECTION)
November 1, 2005... The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched a National Vulnerabilities Database--or NVD--to aid software administrators in securing computer systems against attack. The database, which went online to the public in...

BEA.(Acquisitions & Partnerships)
November 1, 2005... BEA jumped into the middleware fray with its acquisition of Connecterra, developer of a Java2 EE-based RFID edge (device) of a network solution. The deal extends the range of BEA infrastructure to integrate RFID and other device data across the...

SoftBrands recently tapped GlobeRanger for RFID and sensor-based software solutions to enhance SoftBrands' Fourth Shift ERP solution with GlobeRanger's iMotion RFID platform.(Acquisitions & Partnerships)
November 1, 2005... SoftBrands recently tapped GlobeRanger for RFID and sensor-based software solutions to enhance SoftBrands' Fourth Shift ERP solution with GlobeRanger's iMotion RFID platform. Minneapolis-based NordicWare, a manufacturer of kitchenware products,...

Symantec.(Acquisitions & Partnerships)
November 1, 2005... Symantec recently purchased WholeSecurity, a vendor of behavior-based security and anti-phishing technology. Phishing, said to be a fast-growing threat to online transactions, requires security solutions to quickly detect malicious code based...

Here's your chance to predict the future.(Back talk)
November 1, 2005... It's no secret that the U.S. auto industry is in the midst of a major transition. It's also difficult to tell sometimes whether it's actually on the road to recovery or merely delaying an inevitable fall into a bottomless pit. To...