In brief
Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 12/1/2003 12:00:00 AM
Acsis and interLink take aim at wireless materials replenishment
Acsis' Data-Link solutions take users' data from the warehouse and factory floor to external suppliers and customers for data optimization in an SAP environment. Now, in an agreement with interLink Logistics Technologies, manufacturers using TigerLink—interLink's wireless hardware device and call button for two-way communication into 802.11 and 802.11b infrastructures—will be able to retrieve real-time data from SAP systems on the plant floor. The partnership will allow creating a wireless material replenishment environment with or without direct interfacing with SAP's kanban module.
"[Manufacturers have] typically relied on paper-based reporting to track materials replenishment needs—unarguably an outdated and inefficient method of conducting business," says Mitch Allen, president of interLink. "Uniting our wireless materials replenishment with Acsis' data collection and wireless integration will [create] a cardless kanban environment for greater visibility into the supply chain."
Personal care products maker picks Finmatica for supply chain gains
Avlon Industries will use Finmatica's FINeCHAIN Demand Forecasting, Strategic Inventory Planning, Requirements Planning, and Sales & Operations Planning modules to improve forecasting and materials planning processes. Avlon, a maker of hair care products, says it needed a flexible solution that would reduce stock without compromising customer service.
"With FINeCHAIN, we saw that we could gain better control over inventory, and plan materials in the same package," says Mustafa Mahmood Bhatti, planning & scheduling manager, Avlon. "Our sales executives and materials planners will be on the same page, and we'll have more visibility to review cost of inventory. The inventory planning piece will allow us to look at customer service levels required by sales and marketing, and the materials planner will be able to say, 'Okay, that's going to cost you X dollars.' "
Historian vendor InStep announces partnerships
InStep Software, a plant data historian vendor, is working with SmartSignal Corp. for integrated predictive maintenance capabilities, and with Matrikon for visualization of plant information.
InStep and SmartSignal have created an interface between SmartSignal's equipment condition monitoring product and InStep Software's eDNA data historian to deliver an integrated solution that supports serial number-specific, proactive maintenance. Meanwhile, InStep has built a connection between eDNA and Matrikon's ProcessNet process plant data visualization offering. ProcessNet allows access to plant information, along with associated reporting, trending, and alarming.
Candy manufacturer sweet on Intentia's ERP system
HARIBO—a manufacturer of fruit gums, licorice, and candy foam—will deploy Intentia's Movex enterprise suite. As a first step, HARIBO will deploy Movex at its U.K-based operations in Dunhills, and then roll out the suite at its five German sites.
The implementation includes functionality to manage purchasing, development, production, logistics, quality control, sales, financial, and business processes. "Intentia was able to prove its industry know-how," says Rainer Heisel, HARIBO's manager of IT. "International availability, modern technology, flexibility, high competence, and excellent references in the food industry convinced us to select Intentia as our strategic partner."
Audi extends Tecnomatix's MPM environment with logistics planning system
Tecnomatix Technologies says German automotive giant Audi is using a logistics planning solution called Virtual Logistics (ViLog), which is based on Tecnomatix eMPower solutions for manufacturing process management (MPM), including eM-Planner and eM-Reports. These solutions integrate with Audi's existing MPM environment.
Prior to the ViLog implementation, logistics planning data was distributed among several small applications. Now, eM-Planner handles data management and provides the basic planning functionality while ViLog allows for more detailed planning and control of logistics processing times; costs (external and internal transport); and space requirements.
Audi also has been using Tecnomatix eM-Planner for process planning in several car body and tooling projects.
Solutions Spotlight
01/31/2004Less clutter, more customer
04/01/2006
Featured Company
Most Recent Resources
- FICO™ Xpress Optimization Suite Schedules Big Profits For Clients
- Strategic Pricing: Three Steps to Higher Profit Margins
- Driving Innovation Through Lean Product Development Practices
- Demand Planning Maturity Model Strategies for Demand-Driven...
- Simulation-Driven Product Development:Will Form Finally Follow...
