Manufacturing Business Technology

• 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...
  
• Licensing solution simplifies asset management in SAP, other software deployments
  
  By Frank O Smith (fosmith@thewritinggroup.com), October 1, 2008
  Acresso Software (formerly Macrovision) says its License Manager for the SAP Business Suite helps companies using SAP reduce their license requirements by 30 percent. That's a significant amount, given that an enterprisewide SAP system represents the top one or two technology investments that an organization will make over a 10-year period, according to Cambridge, Mass.
  
• Total clarity: Timely reports, data flexibility power up business intelligence
  
  By Karen Dilger, contributing editor (kadilger@comcast.net), October 1, 2008
  Upper management at CLARCOR Air Filtration Products has good data, but making it easily accessible is no small task when that data must be extracted, sorted, analyzed, and presented to the right people in the right format. That's why CLARCOR chose to implement a business intelligence (BI) and enterprise performance management system from Bitam, which is accessed by nearly 30 users.
  
• Manufacturing life-cycle solution finds defects before it's too late—or too costly
  
  By Karen Dilger (kadilger@comcast.net), October 1, 2008
  A flawless inspection process is essential to building a 20-foot power boat that costs $50,000 to $90,000. Production defects can result in astronomical scrap and rework costs. Correct Craft, with an 83-year history in boat manufacture, plans to prevent such costly defects with a new quality execution system from AIMS Co.
  
• ICONICS partnership focuses on OPC training
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2008
  ICONICS, which offers Web-enabled, OPC-based, HMI/SCADA visualization and manufacturing intelligence software for Microsoft Windows, is extending its partnership with the OPC Training Institute (OPCTI). ICONICS' OPC-integrated solutions allow real-time data to be redirected to more than one location.
  
• Recovery, reuse, revenue fuel the Sustainability boom
  
  By Carol E. Smith, Managing editor (csmith@reedbusiness.com), October 1, 2008
  Environmental awareness and social responsibility haven’t just geared up for the election year. They are dominant themes found in business initiatives that have been in place for decades.
  
• Filling the gaps: Performix brings MES to SAP Industry Value Network for chemicals
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 29, 2008
  
  
• Regulatory submissions: Process-based help for quality management, compliance is on the way
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 29, 2008
  
  
• Anytime, anywhere: GE Fanuc supports MTConnect standard
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 29, 2008
  
  
• Beyond process automation: Invensys Process Systems hails its consulting successes
  
  Sidney Hill, Jr., Executive Editor, September 29, 2008
    While nearly every vendor in the industrial automation space now claims to be a “solution provider” rather than a mere technology supplier, Invensys has something to support this claim that most of its competitors lack: its own global consulting organization.
  
  
• High profiles: Webcasts serve up best practices in ERP, IT systems management
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 29, 2008
  If your company is moving into the globalization era, maintaining multiple plants, or merging acquired companies and systems, MBT offers on-demand Webcasts that can keep you heading in the right direction, especially when it comes to linking plant software with higher-level ERP.
  
• Many hats: Visibility ERP supports end-user versatility for packaging solutions specialist
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 29, 2008
  Small companies routinely rely on key people who are well versed in a number of functional areas. That's why they need all the help they can get from systems that let them quickly shift from one function to another. For Campbell Wrapper, the solution was Visibility ERP, a system with the familiarity of a Microsoft environment and the flexibility to carry the business well into the future. 
  
• Discrete advisory: Infor ERP XA speeds inventory management
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 29, 2008
  
  
• ERP integration: BreconRidge uses response management to meet customer demand
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 29, 2008
  Using Kinaxis RapidResponse integrated with SAP ERP, design and manufacturing services supplier BreconRidge now offers its customers more accurate original-commitment information and supporting details for constraints or problem materials through improved “capable-to-promise” analysis.
  
  
• Central monitor: Licensing solution simplifies asset management in SAP, other software deployments
  
  Frank O Smith, senior contributing editor, September 26, 2008
  Acresso Software (formerly Macrovision) says its License Manager for the SAP Business Suite helps companies using SAP reduce their license requirements by 30 percent. That’s a significant amount given that an enterprisewide SAP system represents the top one or two technology investments that an organization will make over a 10-year period, according to Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research.
  
• Export efficiencies: Dutch filter manufacturer automates export processes using enterprise-integrated documentation
  
  Malcolm Wheatley, senior contributing editor, Heerenveen, The Netherlands, September 26, 2008
  Integrating QAD’s MFG/PRO enterprise application with theTRAXi3 transportation system from Precision Software—a vendor recently acquired by QAD—looked much too good to pass up for Dutch filters manufacturer Filtrair. And they were right.
  
• Five-day countdown: European Manufacturing Strategies Summit begins 6 October
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 26, 2008
  This event promises to reveal best practices and technologies for effective supplier relationship management, lean manufacturing, operational excellence, and environmental protection.
  
• Cross-industry cause: October is National Quality Month
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 25, 2008
  
  
• User survey: Who’s practicing Enterprise PLM?
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 23, 2008
  Manufacturing Business Technology and Oracle invite you to take a nine-point survey to identify how your company is doing when it comes to adopting nine key business processes that fall under the umbrella of Enterprise PLM . Upon completion you will qualify for a drawing to win a $75 gas card.
  
  
• Supplier satisfaction: Confusion surrounds innovation in IT services
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, September 23, 2008
  A new survey from Pierre Audoin Consultants, polling IT services buyers, finds innovation the key factor in their choice of supplier.