Manufacturing Business Technology

• Lawson Software, Avnet tap DSI for automated data capture
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  Data Systems International (DSI) will offer its dcLINK automated data-capture and RFID solution to Lawson Software users as part of a new agreement with the enterprise vendor that makes DSI a one-stop source for handheld and vehicle-mounted data-collection devices; RFID portals and interrogators, labels and tags, and implementation services.
  
• GM backs IT purchasing standards for highly effective buyers, suppliers
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  General Motors (GM) is bringing greater discipline to the software procurement process by codifying a standard for acquisition best practices, working in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute (SEI); the Department of Defense (DoD); and 50 other interested parties.
  
• ISA accepts proposals to move wireless standards forward
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  The Instrument Society of America's (ISA) call for technical proposals on wireless communication standards in July prompted some two dozen technology vendors to present schemas before ISA working groups. The ISA-SP100 Committee addresses wireless manufacturing and control systems in three areas: The SP-100 proposals cover wireless communication in the automation and control environm...
  
• Microsoft, Google, Big 3 auto press Congress for R&D tax credit
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  An election-year standoff has businesses sweating whether Congress will reinstate a popular R&D tax credit before the end of the year. The credit expired at the end of 2005, and has long served as a perennial bargaining chip in congressional tax talks. But with lawmakers seeking to leave town soon and not return until after the mid-term elections, business lobbyists are nervous.
  
• Web site demonstrates live integrated control and HMI solutions
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  The FactoryVision Web site—created by Siemens Energy & Automation—presents different overviews of live control and human machine interface (HMI) applications from the end user, OEM, system integrator, and supplier points of view. Seeing these integrated control and HMI systems enables engineers to visualize their own factory at its full capabilities.
  
• The right ESB could ensure SOA success
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  A core component of most service-oriented architecture (SOA) strategies is an enterprise service bus (ESB) functioning as an integration backbone. But IDC, an IT market research firm based in Framingham, Mass., warns that not all ESBs are created equal. If a company wants to deploy an SOA across an enterprise, IDC advises first installing an ESB that addresses simple, Web services-...
  
• Tiny HP memory chip pilots with big momentum
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  Hewlett-Packard's (HP) experimental memory chip—branded the Memory Spot—isn't much bigger than a grain of rice, yet it holds a short audio or video clip, or a substantial amount of text. The wireless data chip needs no battery, can store up to 4 megabits of data in the working prototypes, and has a 10 megabits-per-second data transfer rate—thereby “freeing...
  
• Auto suppliers fail to leverage full value of IT
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  Automotive equipment suppliers choosing to reap the full potential of information technology are enjoying stronger management commitment for additional IT investment. Those that don't find themselves constantly seeking new ways to reduce costs, according to a study by New York-based Deloitte Consulting and the Original Equipment Suppliers Association.
  
• Business process platform overcomes design-time limits
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  Exostar's ForumPass 3.0 delivers a highly secure platform to manage design- and program-related business processes in a neutral, hosted environment. The result, says Peter Scott, VP of corporate development, is a solution for overcoming the barriers of time and location—as well as enterprise boundaries.
  
• What's driving IT spending?
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  With the July 2006 deadline for RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) compliance behind them, manufacturers face possible revenue loss—or at the very least, disrupted revenue—when countries begin enforcing electronic-equipment recycling laws, says electronic-waste solutions management vendor M-Cubed.
  
• Accenture puts millions into industry-specific services
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  Paving the road to service-oriented architecture (SOA) takes commitment and money, which is why New York-based Accenture is committing $450 million over the next three years to help its clients realize the benefits of the new technology. “The objective of the investment is threefold,” says David Nichols, executive partner and global lead for Accenture's SOA practice.
  
• Survey confirms need for automation in domestic and international supply chains
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  For the vast majority of manufacturers, global supply chains are only half as automated as domestic supply chains, with the largest manufacturers possessing the largest gaps in automation between domestic and international. The primary reasons for the disparity—noted in Boston-based AberdeenGroup's Global Supply Chain Benchmark Report—aren't all that surprising.
  
• IBM reaffirms support for JDE solutions set
  
  By Staff, October 1, 2006
  Following Oracle's announcement last spring that it would continue supporting applications from its acquisitions indefinitely, IBM and Oracle jointly announced continuation of their alliance covering JD Edwards World, a Web-enabled enterprise solutions set. The announcement wasn't about new products.
  
• Search technology supports self-service on Delphi plant floor
  
  By Staff, September 1, 2006
  At its engine-component plant in Grand Rapids, Mich., Delphi Corp. is using a search solution from Centric Software to sharply cut the cost of getting manufacturing instructions to the factory floor. "Kiosks" located around the plant give operators the latest assembly and tooling instructions, tooling locations, and CAD drawings—called up by the operators themselves using s...
  
• PLM keeps manufacturer on right sideof the law
  
  By Staff, September 1, 2006
  The cost of "component traceability"—i.e., tracking every component and every input from every source in a product sold—can range from 2 percent to 8 percent of revenue. "That's the profit margin," says Eric Karofsky, senior analyst with Boston-based AMR Research and author of the report, Full PLM Assault is Needed for Compliance.
  
• Manufacturing intelligence vendor tapslean components to ease production bottlenecks
  
  By Staff, September 1, 2006
  Manufacturing performance management vendor Activplant claims to have discovered a simple way to eliminate production bottlenecks by combining elements of Eliyahu Goldratt's Theory of Constraints (TOC) and the Toyota Production System. The combination is necessary, says Dennis Cocco, chief product strategist, because most production-management approaches, including TOC, address ...
  
• ABB using machine-to-machine sensortechnology to corral robots
  
  By Staff, September 1, 2006
  Automation systems vendor ABB is deploying wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) control technology to simplify maintenance of its industrial robots. The technology, supplied by nPhase, allows ABB to transfer system data from the robots directly to ABB service centers via the Internet. "Robots are reliable and robust, but when customers encounter a problem, they often have a hard ti...
  
• Container security gettingmore than standard attention
  
  By Staff, September 1, 2006
  The number of cargo containers—some 17 million globally—plus the number of entities that own and manage their movement equals nightmarish security for governments and shippers. Part of the problem is lack of standards for solutions. In June, several solution vendors formed the Brussels-based International Container Standards Organization.
  
• Wireless finds its way to the wrist
  
  By Staff, September 1, 2006
  A wearable wrist computer from Parvus has multiple industry applications, from military and emergency response to logistics and transportation. The ZYPAD WL 1000 is a hands-free computer that enables continuous connectivity using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and global positioning system (GPS) capabilities.
  
• Microsoft and Astea integrate ERPand service-management suites
  
  By Staff, September 1, 2006
  Microsoft Business Solutions' latest bid to add vertical-industry functionality to its ERP offerings came via a partnership with Astea International, a field-service operations vendor. Astea's Alliance suite will be integrated with Microsoft Dynamics AX and GP ERP packages, enabling access to a set of CRM-like applications for field-service operations support.