Manufacturing Business Technology

• Partnership targets China's global trade management capabilities
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  The ability of Chinese manufacturers to produce at low cost has rendered them ascendant, but to stay the course they need to optimize their global trade details processes, says TradeBeam, which recently announced a 10-year partnership with China International Electronic Commerce Co. (CIECC) to bring TradeBeam's global trade management (GTM) platform to the Chinese market.
  
• Lack of IT governance is putting business value at risk
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  Leveraging the value of IT investments and governance goes hand in hand, but formal adoption continues to lag. “There's been a lot of publicity given to IT governance over the last few years, yet the understanding and penetration of formal IT governance processes among organizations of all sizes is much lower than I would have expected,” says Tim Jennings, research director at Butl...
  
• ViewSonic gets clearer picture of business process management with Sterling Commerce integration suite
  
  By Jim Fulcher, contributing editor, August 1, 2007
  ViewSonic has won numerous industry awards for its visual display products, which include plasma and LCD screens and monitors. But the Walnut, Calif.-based company, which recently announced plans to go public, would have difficulty selling those innovative products without the strong relationships it maintains with a global network of distributors and retailers.
  
• Siemens set to track assets and people over Wi-Fi networks using Ekahau RTLS
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  Siemens Communications remains on the lookout for ways to get more out of the network. Its latest endeavor involves a partnership with Ekahau to offer wireless real-time location system (RTLS) capabilities as another integrated service for Siemens' global customers. The plan is to deploy the Ekahau Site Survey (ESS) tool; Wi-Fi RFID tags; and the Ekahau Positioning Engine (EPE) in conjunction w...
  
• Server virtualization suits Subaru's plant uptime needs
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  For all the logic behind server virtualization—namely its ability to cut down on hardware costs—most people think of the technology's benefits as data center-oriented. Not so for Subaru of Indiana (SIA). The Lafayette, Ind.-based automotive manufacturer has cut hardware costs via virtualization, but the biggest impact has been the reduction in downtime of plant-floor systems, says J...
  
• Partners pair tag/reader solutions to foster new RFID apps at lower cost
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  While enforcement of Gen 2 tags represents another big stride in RFID's evolution, users are still looking for greater ease of use. Offering prepackaged solutions of tags and readers is one way to streamline the path to RFID—at lower cost. Labeling supplies specialist Avery Dennison recently announced a plan to combine its RFID inlays with Motorola's hardware and tag design expertise.
  
• UGS PLM Software outlines its post-acquisition strategy for product- and production-management convergence
  
  By Kevin Parker, editorial director, August 1, 2007
  Automation giant Siemens' acquisition of what is now called UGS PLM Software is being seen as a potential landmark in the evolution of manufacturing systems. “When the dust settles, this whole Siemens/UGS deal will be seen as a real game changer,” says Dick Slansky, senior analyst, ARC Advisory Group.
  
• Product development worries trigger technology investments
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  Manufacturers worldwide will spend more than $4 billion on product life-cycle management (PLM) software over the next four years, according to an April study released by London-based Datamonitor. More than 150 manufacturers in North America and Europe cite increase priority on agility in product development over production-process improvements to address growing market demand for innovative pro...
  
• AeA issues favorable figures for high-tech sector
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  Most indices reflect positively that the high-tech industry is coming back from its collapse following the dot-com bust, according to AeA, the nation's largest trade association representing all segments of the industry. AeA's CyberStates 2007 report confirms the industry added 147,000 new jobs in 2006—a 3-percent gain.
  
• Rockwell Automation strengthens integrated architecture platform for the long haul in process industries
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  Rockwell Automation has long been known for its strength in discrete manufacturing control, but recently has increased its focus on the process industries as well. “We think Rockwell Automation is doing an effective job in the process market, and consider them a player in the space—just like ABB, Invensys, and others,” says Craig Resnick, research director for Dedham, Mass.
  
• Supply manager role takes on strategic nature to meet value-add expectations
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  The process of requisitioning materials has evolved from a department function 25 years ago, to a sourcing role 10 years ago, to a strategic element of achieving the corporate business strategy today. The forces behind this evolution are competition, globalization, and partnering—and the expectations of CEOs as to what constitutes a “strategic supply manager.
  
• ERP and VoIP to gain favor in SMB market, despite thin IT budgets, staff
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  The ERP market could see a significant uptick over the next 24 months as systems installed by large enterprises to address Y2K age out. But increased adoption likely will involve smaller manufacturers with smaller budgets—i.e., those with under $50 million in annual revenues. This will pose challenges for large ERP system vendors, according to a recent report out of Ontario-based Info-Tec...
  
• Few IT departments budget for green purchases
  
  By Staff, August 1, 2007
  Despite rising energy costs, power shortages in data centers, and the call for corporate environmental responsibility, actual green strategies lag far behind the level of concern cited, says a study from Ontario-based Info-Tech Research Group. The Green Index, which surveyed more than 700 people in North America this past February, reveals one-quarter of IT leaders are either “very”...
  
• Blue Vector RFID automation platform gains pharma edition
  
  Staff, July 30, 2007
  The solution is scaled in three products—Edge, Network, and Global Managers—providing local, network, and enterprise management.
  
• Solectron ups visibility using Kinaxis response management solution
  
  Staff, July 30, 2007
  Kinaxis RapidResponse permits real-time ‘what-if?’ analysis and generates resolutions, given available inventory and capacity that are best aligned with corporate strategies.  
  
• RFID project exceeds expectations for Toshiba
  
  Staff, July 30, 2007
  Looking to dissolve a bottleneck at its Brussels-based Notebook PC Configuration plant that serves it growing European, Middle Eastern and African markets, Toshiba TEC turned to RFID for processing laptops out of assembly into finished goods inventory.
  
• Partnership yields optimal media theft protection
  
  Staff, July 30, 2007
  Besides cutting down on theft,  new technology from NXP Semiconductorsand Kestrel Wireless will aid in cheaper, simpler, “greener” packaging and retail display.
  
• Manufacturers can hit product innovation targets with PLM/MES integration
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, July 30, 2007
    A European weapons maker is among the first manufacturers to forge a working link between its product life-cycle management (PLM) system and manufacturing execution system (MES).
  
• Infor powers more complex supply chain optimization
  
  By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff, July 30, 2007
  Inforreports release ofSCMAdvanced Planner 5.0, its supply chain planning and optimization solution, which boosts the power to process more complex supply chain configurations and calculations based on a new 64-bit architecture.
  
• Intermodal tracking system to expand nationwide
  
  Staff, July 25, 2007
  Horizon Services Group wants to expand the RFID intermodal tracking system it created inAlaska, thereby lending visibility to containers once they leave shipment terminals.