In Consideration of Connected Manufacturing

We read with interest a blog post from Plex Systems entitled “What is Connected Manufacturing and Why You Should Care About It?”

As noted in the blog post, from the Industrial Internet of Things and additive manufacturing, to advances in product innovation, manufacturing is increasingly becoming part of the digital economy.

The Plex post notes that manufacturers are required to move faster while keeping up with quality and personalization requirements. The old, reliable way of doing things is no longer sustainable.

Plex makes the case that a “new way” involves connected manufacturing – “connecting your people, processes, and supply chains gives you end-to-end visibility and control.”

From the Plex post:

“On the shop floor, you know exactly what’s happening in real time because activity is recorded and collected at the manufacturing moment—and is visible not just to you but also to your customers and suppliers. You have the visibility into historical data, so you can build a demand and supply plan around it, then share it with sales, marketing, and operations so they can adjust their plans as needed.”

The post continues: “You can take that plan and translate it into your materials requirements and scheduling, which in turn drives your manufacturing execution. Using rich, visual, and intelligent analytics enables you to make more informed decisions and adapt as demand shifts.”

Connected Manufacturing and Today’s Manufacturer

We point to the Plex blog post because connected manufacturing is much on the minds of today’s manufacturer.

From medical device manufacturers to food processors, manufacturers are under pressure to deliver highly customized products. The market demands that manufacturers produce efficiently at optimized production costs.

We talk with many product teams who are challenged to integrate business and manufacturing systems with automation technology.

What we commonly see after conducting an in-depth business process analysis, is that these systems have run independently of each other, with many disconnects between sales orders, manufacturing orders and delivery confirmations.

Instead, connected manufacturing leverages an integrated approach so manufacturers can operate more efficiently using a variety of data sources from both operations and enterprise systems.

And even more significant is how teams leverage the data. In a connected manufacturing approach, real-time data is put into action by using advanced analytics to identify bottlenecks, troubleshoot issues, understand asset interdependencies, and reduce costs.

Connected Manufacturing in Action

From plant production planning, production and warehouse operations, to product traceability, connected manufacturing technologies are a key enabler of business process transformation.

Looking at just one area of business process improvement, connected manufacturing techniques are shown to improve traceability. Connected manufacturing systems such as integrated ERP enable transparency and collaboration across the entire enterprise and extended across the supply chain network.

Ultra’s team of independent ERP consultants recently partnered with an industrial supplier. Our efforts helped identify integrated systems to improve traceability. The company was able to increase inventory accuracy and forecasting, enabling production planning to better schedule manufacturing processes.

Integrating traceability with ERP helped the company collect and analyze real-time data and reports that revealed patterns, letting the company anticipate shifts in demand.

This is just one example of the power of putting the right data in the hands of decision makers when and where they need it. The industrial supplier can now take immediate action in response to changing market conditions.

Connected Manufacturing Archived Webinar

For project teams looking to transform operations with connected manufacturing, request an archived webinar. Entitled  “Transform Challenges into Opportunities with Connected Manufacturing” the archived webinar is tailored for manufacturers seeking to leverage technology and innovation to improve their business strategy in a digital world.

Get valuable information to help companies prepare for the challenges of transitioning to a digital environment. The webinar helps manufacturers understand how digital transformation will connect everything in their business, allowing them to tackle the toughest challenges and take advantage of new opportunities.

It’s a fast-changing world for today’s manufacturer. This timely webinar will help manufacturers drive connected, digital transformation.

Looking for further information?  Contact Ultra Consultants.