Manufacturing Business Technology

• Enhanced customer service, flexibility, accuracy put dental supplier on growth curve
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Denver-based Rocky Mountain Orthodontics (RMO) was ready for the enterprise system of the future. Not only did it want to save time, reduce administrative tasks, and improve accuracy, but it was looking to enhance the entire sales experience for the customer as well. Customer service is the top priority for any salesperson, and RMO reps are no different: They focus on client needs a...
  
• In brief
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar is using StatSoft's PROCEED software to optimize engine designs and overcome conflicting manufacturing process requirements. PROCEED finds the root cause of process issues, recommends new process-control strategies, and allows making virtual changes to the processes per customer requirements.
  
• Spotlight on transportation management and logistics
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  
  
• Manufacturers look to ERP for the "granularity" needed for lean, global supply chains
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  There is consensus that software applications are necessary to support Lean operations, especially for global supply chains. The question surrounds what ERP vendors are doing in response. Says Colin Masson, director of supply chain operations for Boston-based AMR Research, "Not only are many of the simple lean calculations attributed to the Toyota Production System inappropriate for...
  
• Sterling Commerce tackles logistics costs with on-demand solution, networked providers
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  While consumers rarely think about how products get to the store shelves, many manufacturing executives are preoccupied with the cost of delivering goods. "Most companies are seeing double-digit growth, in percentage terms, in transportation costs," says Ken Ramoutar, a director for EDI services and support vendor Sterling Commerce, which recently extended its footprint in logist...
  
• How software application pricing models are likely to change
  
  By Erik Keller, principal, Wapiti LLC, January 1, 2006
  With every technology platform innovation there comes a change in the pricing model. The software market today is at the height of such change, which last occurred in the early 1990s with the advent of client/server technology. At that time, software pricing went from being tier (hardware)-based to user-based.
  
• Vita-Tech goes for simplicity, manageability with QAD enterprise system selection
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Working in a highly regulated industry is no walk in the park. It demands thorough record keeping and strict attention to detail just to meet the daily pressures surrounding government standards. For Vita-Tech—a $40-million, Santa Barbara, Calif.-based contract nutraceuticals manufacturer—any way the company can support managers in meeting regulatory burdens is a step in...
  
• MESA moves metrics framework to the next level of operational improvements
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  The challenge inherent to manufacturing performance management is in knowing what drives improvement and delivers strategic business benefit—next comes how to track and measure it. MESA International, in conjunction with Cummaquid, Mass.-based Industry Directions, recently completed the first phase of its Metrics that Matter project, launched in June 2006.
  
• How is globalization changing inventory policies?
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Properly managed, inventory policies drive revenue and increase efficiency. But as the nature of supply chains change, so must the policies. Traditional inventory management practices are being made obsolete by the complexity of global supply chains and contract manufacturing, more dynamic product life cycles, and multichannel distribution.
  
• Find the right balance between enhanced customer service, less inventory
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Is it possible to reach supply chain utopia? Some would define this as achieving both enhanced customer service and low inventory levels. Yet even attaining a balance between the two remains elusive, as a company typically concentrates on improving one side of the equation only to see the other side suffer.
  
• In brief
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Paper makers adopt inventory-reduction strategies ToolsGroup announces inventory-optimization solutions contracts with three leading paper manufacturers: Fater, a joint venture between Procter & Gamble and Angelini Group; Jofel Industrial; and Georgia Pacific. All three companies must ensure optimized customer service to a diverse customer base while simultaneously reducing i...
  
• Report indicates upswing in satisfaction for manufactured nondurable goods
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Customer satisfaction for manufactured nondurable goods typically is high, but the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) says it's getting better than ever. Generated by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business in partnership with The American Society for Quality and CFI Group, an Ann Arbor, Mich.
  
• Enterprise security measures may heighten vulnerability of plant-floor solutions
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  As manufacturers integrate plant, enterprise, and supply chain operations, in many cases looking for a real-time view of production, the threat of a cyber attack becomes more of a concern—or it should, anyway, say industry insiders. Integrating mission-critical, real-time control systems with historians and databases on the enterprise network—and potentially the Inter...
  
• In brief
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Symbol Technologies mobile computers and RD5000 RFID readers are available via Rockwell Automation's Encompass Partner Program. Other Symbol products approved by Rockwell include XR400 and XR480 fixed RFID readers that comply with Rockwell's Ethernet IP standard, DPM readers and mobile computers, and bar-code scanners.
  
• Intermec pledges 40 more years serving data collection, mobile solutions users
  
  By Jim Fulcher, contributing editor, January 1, 2006
  Mention auto-ID, and one of the first vendors that comes to mind is Intermec. The company's longevity certainly contributes to that recognition. Intermec—known for its RFID, data-collection and mobile computing solutions, bar code printers, and label media—recently celebrated its 40th anniversary.
  
• Specialized handheld devices deliver situation-specific advice on demand
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Expert systems—applications that mimic the human decision-making process—have proved their worth in many situations, from IT help desks to online sales and process control. One promising area for expert systems is field service, but as of late, a lack of mobility has inhibited use, with field-service workers often constrained from taking a laptop computer to the work site.
  
• In brief
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Ontario-based Info-Tech says U.S. companies will spend a total of $61 billion on IT security for 2006, or 7.3 percent of all IT spending for the year. The proliferation of mobile devices in business means IT managers need to ensure data stored on these devices outside company firewalls is well managed to avoid corporate information leaks, says Carmi Levy, a senior analyst at Info...
  
• Market expands with acquisitions, funding
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  
  
• Greenspan and AMR Research on innovation in enterprise software markets
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Two opposing viewpoints on prospects for continuing innovation in enterprise business applications were debated at the recent AMR Research Executive Leadership Conference, and no less a personage than Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve chairman, contributed to the discussion. Asked about the impact of vendor consolidation in high-tech markets, Greenspan said, "When you move a...
  
• Dell Global Services grows with new hires
  
  By Staff, January 1, 2006
  Despite losing the personal computer lead to HP, Dell's global services division is one of its fastest-growing businesses. In addition to three other recent hires to the Global Executive Management Committee, Steve Schuckenbrock, former cochief operating officer of Electronic Data Systems, was appointed new head of global services.