Supply Chain Planning
About the Author
Since joining forces with Plex, by Rockwell Automation, in 2016, we’ve harnessed the power of its Smart Manufacturing Platform and industry knowledge to offer a digitized supply chain planning product. It seamlessly unites your business from the plant floor to the executive suite. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit rockwellautomation.com.
Where Did My Scrap Go?
Manufacturers can build a strong operational supply chain that transforms their company by building a robust digital foundation for manufacturing processes. It allows them to streamline production processes and improve efficiency at lower costs than competitors.While implementing software to address manufacturing inefficiency, many companies miss an unseen backdoor access that creates scrap and…
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Where Did My OEE Go?
The manufacturing industry is driven by efficiency and productivity, and the search to fulfill these goals requires KPIs that light the way for improvement. One of the key metrics used to measure the performance of manufacturing equipment is Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).What is OEE?OEE is a metric that measures the effectiveness of manufacturing equipment by comparing the actual…
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Where Did My Plant Performance Go?
An ERP system must be fed with insights from several data sources or software systems, and that data must be accurate. Plant performance suffers if the data tracking and analysis are manual or the software is inaccurate. Even if companies use software, it’s critical to use the right combination of software to improve performance....
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Where Did My Forecast Accuracy Go?
Many people use GPS to navigate to their destination. It is fast, accurate, and uses advanced satellite technology to deliver people to a precise location on a map. But imagine a world where GPS only gives drivers a vague direction to point their car in with no set path or even distance. Chances are, it would fall out of favor quickly....
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Where Did My Machine Data Go?
Labor and capital equipment are usually the two most expensive manufacturing operating costs. And in terms of expenditures, capital equipment can often run into the millions. Machinery is considered a long-term investment that will remain in service for years or even decades.With so much on the line, it would make sense that every manufacturer would drill down as deeply as possible to ensure…
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Where Did My Production Data Go?
Traditionally, manufacturing companies relied heavily on manual record-keeping for production processes. Operators on the production floor recorded data like units produced, machine downtime, scrap rates, and others manually.But manual record-keeping has several problems that can immediately and negatively impact the bottom line....
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Where Did My Quality Go?
Many people only look at production operations to assess quality within an operation. But quality is imperative across all departments within manufacturing. Production processes, inventory management, maintenance, and the demand and supply planning process are all critical components of quality management.However, there are two different approaches for businesses regarding these processes -…
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Where Did My Profit Go?
While the last few years have seen significant events like COVID-19 and other disruptions impact profit for companies in every industry, staying profitable and maximizing profit is a never-ending pursuit.Companies often audit, implement improvement initiatives, and pressure suppliers to lower the cost of raw materials to increase their bottom line. But hidden in the weeds is a cumulative set of…
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Where Did My Inventory Go?
It’s happened to every manufacturing professional over the years: The computer – or clipboard – shows enough stock to make the scheduled product, but a short delivery or quick uptick in demand means there isn't enough stock on hand to fulfill orders.Inventory issues, no matter the reason, can be maddening. They can throw even the most carefully planned production schedules into chaos, leaving…
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Where Did My Raw Materials Go?
In the age before computers, supply chain visibility depended on telephone calls, snail mail, verbal agreements, and even intuition. As technology advanced, these functions were computerized to give supply chain professionals better control over data and information....
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