Manufacturing Business Technology

• Gas for the trip: 3PL specialists rely on Information Builders BI platform to counter fuel costs
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 13, 2008
  
  
• Share the wealth: Product information tool embraces MDM initiatives
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 13, 2008
  
  
• Econ survival 101: Best-in-class manufacturers respond to operations challenges via uniform KPIs
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 13, 2008
  
  
• The legal side: Brush up on the “do’s and don’ts” of SaaS
  
  Thomas J. Hall, Of Counsel, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz, PC, October 13, 2008
  
  
• Centralization first: For Coca-Cola Enterprises, standardized printing bubbles up with Lean opportunity
  
  Frank O Smith, senior contributing editor, October 9, 2008
  In a time when companies are seeking to leverage every opportunity to reduce costs, Lean's core tenets are delivering big benefits in unexpected places. For Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), printing touches business-critical processes in plenty of places: pick lists in the warehouse, interbranch transfers, and shipping documents. A centralized printing management initiative reaped millions in savings for CCE's green-minded managers.
  
  
• For fast results: Success in economic downturn requires best practices in pricing
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 8, 2008
  The current state of the economy should not be thought of as a disaster, but an opportunity to come out ahead of your competitors. Per Sjofors, a pricing expert and managing partner of Atenga Inc., says to secure your business, improve profits, and outlast your competitors during a financial crisis, the key is to implement best-practice pricing strategies.
  
• Deloitte advisory: Service and parts operations can refresh automotive industry stall
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 8, 2008
  “Besides the potential positive impact on sales and profit, companies that focus on improving their service and parts operations stand to gain from reduced cost and improved customer loyalty,” explains Jeff Glueck, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP.
  
• Enteprise effect: SAP says business turmoil hurting its revenue
  
  Associated Press, October 8, 2008
  
  
• Six tips: Experts issue protection strategies after record-level declines in factory orders
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 8, 2008
    Headlines report the worldwide economy is in crisis as new orders in the manufacturing sector have fallen at record rates. Tighter credit conditions may prolong the downturn. What can manufacturers do to win in such a tough and volatile economy? Here are six recommended actions to consider now.
  
• Kyocera Wireless puts in Oracle demand management
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 7, 2008
  
  
• Suite release: Labor management goes paperless
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 6, 2008
  
  
• Suite release: Labor management goes paperless
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 6, 2008
  
  
• MBT Lean Blog-cerpt: It's not the map that counts
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 6, 2008
  
  
• Task taker: Enhanced project solution honors users’ requests "on demand"
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 6, 2008
  
  AtTask, a provider of project and portfolio management software, says a new version of its @task on-demand software includes several user-requested features and product enhancements, including business systems integration via mashups.
  
• Strategic advice: MESA International conference generates guidelines for process innovation
  
  David Greenfield, editorial director, Control Engineering, October 6, 2008
  As with this year’s political campaigns, the 2008 MESA International conference—held Sept. 21-23 in Orlando—focused on change. 
  
• Industrious resource: Three survival steps in a struggling economy
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 1, 2008
  Take time to review just a few steps companies can follow right now to innovate in tough times—a business issue unfortunately shared by many industries. You'll also learn how to leverage product life-cycle management to drive profits.
  
  
• Butler advisory: Act now to take a leadership role in IT strategy, service delivery
  
  Butler Group, October 1, 2008
  The gap between IT capability and business needs cannot be allowed to continue, and any attempts to align IT strategy with an abstract business vision or strategy are doomed to failure, says IT advisory firm Butler Group. Adoption of an end-to-end architectural approach and development of an enterprise model can help.
  
  
• Confirming quality: Ariba enhances spend management in Supplier Network
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, October 1, 2008
  As the world becomes increasingly flat, few things are more critical to the success of any business than finding the world’s best suppliers. New features and capabilities found in Ariba’s Web-based business commerce network likely will fuel greater collaboration among buyers and suppliers globally.
  
• Emerson unplugged: Wireless technology highlights user conference
  
  -- Control Engineering, October 1, 2008
  
  
• For Coca-Cola Enterprises, standardized printing bubbles up with lean opportunity
  
  By Frank O Smith (fosmith@thewritinggroup.com), October 1, 2008
  With deep roots in manufacturing production, Lean's key premise—the reduction or elimination of waste—has broad applicability across business processes. It entails taking a fresh look at entrenched work patterns and sharply questioning assumptions. In a time when companies are seeking to leverage every opportunity to reduce costs, lean's core tenets are delivering big benefits in un...