From inventory tracking to supply chain transparency, manufacturers
have always been pioneers in the capture and use of data for real-time
business operations. But today’s leaders are taking that up yet another
notch: to gain a competitive advantage, manufacturers must have tools
and systems in place to collect, combine and analyze vast volumes of
product, production, customer and market data in order to inform
business strategy.
Fortunately for forward-thinking manufacturers,
the cloud and the Internet of Things have intersected to provide
exciting new sources of intelligence. That’s why companies such as Caltherm and FloraCraft, now have real-time, accurate data at their fingertips.
Caltherm designs
andbuildscustom thermal and pressure control solutions. In spite of a
long history of innovation and market leadership, the company was
saddled with an ERP system that forced awkward business processes and
made data collection a largely manual process. This led to inaccuracies
in inventory recording, barcode printing, shipping and quality
management. It also made higher-level data analysis effectively
impossible.
FloraCraft grew from a small,
family-owned organization into a major craft supplier by shifting its
strategy to focus on mass-market production. Today, the company has a
portfolio of 3,500 SKUs. But in the process, the company outgrew its
data management technology.
“We
had fortified our logistics and supply chain capabilities but we were
quickly outgrowing our technology needs,” says Jim Scatena, FloraCraft’s
President and CEO. “The expansion of new products brought increased
lead times for our overseas manufacturing operations.”
Both of these manufacturers found the solution to their data challenges in the cloud. By deploying a cloud ERP
system from Plex Systems, they connected their best minds to analytical
tools and real-time data that make faster, smarter decisions possible.
At Caltherm,
the data capture rate is now 100 percent and efficiently automated. The
ability to collate real-time information has given decision-makers a
totally new perspective on business operations. For example, Caltherm
can now measure overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) in an additional
30 percent of its business. After determining that its OEE had recently
decreased from 74 percent to 68 percent, the company is targeting areas
for greater effectiveness in the long run.
FloraCraft is
using Plex’s business intelligence tool to improve decision-making.
Managers and operational staff across all departments now have greater
access to insights.
“We’ve
created production dashboards for associates that provide real-time
data on rates per hour, fill rates, and shipping metrics,” says Scatena.
“This is something we could only dream of before, and it’s something
that is really motivating our staff.”
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