Manufacturing Business Technology - April 1, 2007

Andy Joyner remembers when manufacturing was a simple business. “We used to build a circuit board and ship it to the customer,” says Joyner, operations planning manager for Jabil Circuit, a St. Petersburg, Fla.-based company that designs and builds high-tech electronics for other manufacturers.

• Applications and Services
• In brief
• Unlocked legacy-system data leads to $850,000 annual savings for Gumlink
• Case-In-Point
• Production scheduling leads to fluid processes for coffee supplier Mother Parkers
• Continuous Improvement
• IBM buy-up of MRO Software prompts cross-fertilization of IT and EAM solutions
• Planning and Execution
• Exiting Chapter 11 just one process expedited by inventory optimization software
• Plant Data Analysis
• Give operators a tool to improve performance, and they'll use it

• Business Performance
• In brief
• Defining the right performance targets is a matter of industry and scale
• Business Process Management
• New Microsoft alliance seeks to leverage BPEL 2.0, BizTalk Server around process-based solutions
• Electronic Commerce
• 3PL's import/export trading platform eases transactions between U.S. and China
• Distribution software lets manufacturer sell direct to end users—without cutting distributors out of the loop
• Performance Management
• Unique modeler identifies business decisions with the greatest financial impact
• Regulatory Compliance
• Oracle rounds up content management, governance, and compliance apps in one tidy package
• Return-On-Assets
• Enterprise profit optimization solutions unearth the real cost of manufacturing
• Supply Chain Management
• Trading partner advantage is big motivator behind B2B operations outsourcing

• Columnists
• Back Talk
• Sidney Hill, Jr.: The health of U.S. manufacturing may hinge on insurance reform
• In Perspective
• Cindy Jutras: Globalization prompts consideration of automated workflows
• Simon Jacobson: Time to dust off that EH&S strategy
• Erik Keller: The new IT campaign: Just SLOG it
• Up Front
• Kevin Parker: Microsoft Dynamics faces up to the realities of manufacturing

• Integration and Infrastructure
• Cisco buys Reactivity for complementary firewall support
• Rise of user-friendly devices propels strategic use of wireless technology
• Enterprise Application Integration
• Enterprise Service Bus switches into drive as markets reach $190M-plus
• Midmarket ERP
• Getting closer: IBM and Lawson bring ERP to midsize food & beverage makers
• Open Source Applications
• Aras brings open source model to PLM practitioners, Microsoft users
• Protecting the Infrastructure
• Plant forum addresses control-system security
• Reporting Technology
• Database auditing solutions support compliance programs, internal security efforts
• Usability Testing
• Salesforce.com unveils Apex development environment
• Wireless Asset Tracking
• Cisco's latest manufacturing solutions combine Wi-Fi and RFID

• Special Report
• SAP and Partners
• SAP applications ecosystem spawns new capabilities, performance opportunities

• Views From the Front
• In brief
• 60 Seconds
• Analysts, researchers place their votes for software leadership
• Business Performance Management
• Leadership issues, ill-defined processes seen as major factors behind decision dysfunction
• Buyers and Sellers
• Positive attitude pervades “Microsoft in manufacturing” user group
• Content Management
• Secure, on-demand document sharing blooms in SpringCM SaaS model
• Corporate
• Right Hemisphere patents graphics system
• Domestic Manufacturing
• Trade issues cause schism between NAM and American manufacturers
• Information Technology
• Sensicast delivers Web 2.0 SaaS
• Labor Management
• Time & attendance specialist Kronos serves up manufacturing-focused workforce management solution
• Microsoft in Manufacturing
• Vista's uptake on plant floors will be based on security, graphics, and ... Office 2007
• Operations
• SMBs switching to QuickBooks