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Get to grips with flexibility and affordability
Creating a flexible electronic trading community doesn’t sound simple. What about integrating all that supply chain data with your back-end ERP system? Brian Tinham offers a reality check |
20/03/2008
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Cast the net
Web EDI, e-kanbans and the like entered the lexicon of manufacturing IT several years ago, but the technologies are now ready for robust supply chain use, says Brian Tinham |
22/01/2008
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Hype versus reality
Advances in IT are now so fast and potentially so transformational that it’s getting difficult to differentiate between hype and reality. Brian Tinham seeks direction |
01/06/2007
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Lean supply chain
There was a time when e-business was for the big boys. But Howard Joseph of McGuffie Brunton tells Brian Tinham that the doors are now wide open for manufacturing SMEs |
11/04/2007
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Setting the IT agenda for your business in 2007
What’s hot? What’s not? Who cares? What matters to management teams running the various aspects of increasingly stretched and complex manufacturing companies today has nothing whatever to do with what analysts, journalists or anyone else see as ‘hot’, ‘in’ or ‘fashionable’. The primary concern is simply keeping the operation going, cutting costs and attempting to get production better and smarter – meaning faster, more efficient, more flexible and the rest of it. Brian Tinham talks to senior users in manufacturing for some serious clues |
28/11/2006
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Supply chain e-synchronisation: dream now reality
The number one technical challenge for manufacturers wanting the goal of a synchronised, demand-driven supply chain is getting ‘visibility’. Put simply, lack of real-time supply chain information is the biggest barrier to achieving the promises of cost reduction, time compression and agility. So we continue to build in safety stock, lead time and ultimately inflexibility precisely because we just don’t know what’s going on this minute, and the next and the next. It’s not that it can’t be done: it can and is with web-based technologies in all sorts of sectors – but not by many. Which brings us to the number one business challenge: recognising that our bigger picture manufacturing operations aren’t anything like as slick, cost effective or competitive as they could be. We may well have moved mountains internally in production, and even progressed lean thinking, for example, into other departments so that the right information flows just in time, the right processes are automated and the rest of it. But what about extending that to our suppliers? |
24/10/2006
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Outsourced logistics runs on latest SAP upgrades
One way to get your supply chain processes very slick, very flexible and very efficient, while simultaneously cutting costs is to outsource some or all of the load to a third party organisation. Jaguar, Land Rover, London Taxis, Homebase, Halfords and Vodafone are doing just that, using Unipart Logistics (ULS). Why Unipart? Because the company has built business processes and foundation IT systems for its clients that make their supply chain operations robust, reliable and very flexible to changing demands – and it is these aspects that have been highly commended by our independent panel of judges. |
02/10/2006
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Supply chain comms go well beyond MRP
With cars now personalised fashion items, manufacturers have to deal not only with significant production complexity, but how to get late changes faster along the supply chain. This implementation at Tier One automotive supplier Johnson Controls Interiors impressed the panel with its solution. Shap Haque, director of IT operations, explains: “The problems we were facing drove us to re-think MRP. We have been using QAD Mfg/Pro ERP for nearly 15 years throughout our organisation and we have extensive knowledge of JIT [just in time] sequencing, so we decided to develop a solution in partnership with QAD.” |
01/10/2006
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Supporting massive growth on ERP foundation
Precision engineering SME CommaTECH is achieving outstanding growth in part by harnessing its ERP system’s integration and supply chain functionality. CommaTECH is a major supplier of seal housing and prismatic components to aerospace, motorsport and other specialist industries. Last year the company acquired aerospace component supplier DDi Precision in Hertford and NH Precision Engineering in Northampton. This year has since seen the acquisition of O+S Gears and most recently Braye Precision, resulting in turnover doubled to over £23 million in 18 months. |
30/09/2006
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Transformed multi-site business operations
Seating manufacturer Boss Group, or specifically its to-order division Boss Design and its designer reception and meeting room seats unit KOMAC, were highly commended for their business change programme resulting from a Syspro ERP system implementation by McGuffie Brunton. |
29/09/2006
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Distilling the secrets of a spirited success
Whisky producer Ian Macleod Distillers, deserves its place here, not only for its products, which include Glengoyne and Isle of Skye, but for an ERP implementation that turned two companies around, and has already saved £500,000 worth of finished goods and materials stocks – at least equal to the cost of the entire implementation and with another £1 million of savings still in sight. |
28/09/2006
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Zero lead time, zero admin, zero defects
Cummins subsidiary Newage AvK took first place in this category of the Best of British Manufacturing IT Awards 2006 for rising to the challenge of achieving zero lead-time, zero administration and zero error operations by implementing a lean, efficient and responsive supply chain system able to cope with short-term re-planning. |
27/09/2006
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Special report: Lean and agile thinking - appropriate IT for successful manufacturing businesses
The application of lean concepts, methodologies and supporting tools, techniques and systems to whole businesses, not just to the factory – continues to grow in popularity. As manufacturers experience worsening competitive pressures from rivals in the UK as well as those around the world, management teams seem to be realising that, while ‘going lean’ is neither trivial nor short and sharp, it’s the only way they’re going to survive and hopefully revive their fortunes.
This report examines what’s working, how well, where and under what circumstances. It looks at current preferred lean initiatives across manufacturing industry and across different departments – the choices, uptake, barriers and outcomes – with statistics derived from a comprehensive online survey conducted for Manufacturing Computer Solutions. Importantly, it provides detailed analysis of relevant IT uptake, appropriate application and potential benefits. |
16/08/2006
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Make this your online home page
www.mcsolutions.co.uk has been massively upgraded. Brian Tinham test drives the amazing new free online resource for news, reference and supplier information covering all of IT for all of manufacturing and engineering industry |
14/07/2006
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APS' true colours come shining through
When additives manufacturer Holland Colours needed to tighten up its production and supply chain operations it turned to an ERP/APS combo. Brian Tinham reports |
26/06/2006
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What's behind a slick supply chain
Unipart Logistics Systems looks after logistics for more than car majors. Brian Tinham talks to its head of IT about the systems and processes behind its operations |
19/06/2006
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Good ERP should be centre stage
Far from a bit-part, CommaTECH shows why ERP should play a central role in your manufacturing. Annie Gregory reports |
09/06/2006
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Flagging up savings
There is far more scope for cost-cutting and business advantage using automatic sensing technologies than most realise. Look to your supply chain, urges Andrew Ward |
18/05/2006
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Mission critical
With the world’s most demanding requirements for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), digital design collaboration and track-and-trace, the aerospace and defence sector has it all. Brian Tinham looks at the issues and their solutions |
11/04/2006
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An ideal standard for Ideal Standard
When Ideal Standard was going for growth across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, it solved its IT challenges using e-business and integration services. Brian Tinham reports |
11/04/2006
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e-procurement: like speed dating?
The chances of finding a supplier that matches your requirements the traditional way are pretty remote. Online matching makes all the difference, says Andrew Ward |
11/04/2006
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A new landscape for our IT by 2020
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Foresight 2020 study sheds useful light on the shape of manufacturing businesses to come – and their IT and application environments |
10/04/2006
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Sensing success from integrated thinking
Radio frequency and sensing technologies firm e2v –formerly part of Marconi but, following a management buyout, independent and now seeing considerable success on the London Stock Exchange – is proving the immense value of an IT strategy linked in lock-step to a pragmatic business strategy, particularly in times of great change. As a result of its efforts it’s currently looking at taking some 25% out of materials and finished goods inventories, worth about £5 million, as well as improving customer service and responsiveness |
01/03/2006
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