By Ed Potoczak, director of industry relations IQMS In a recent conversation, an executive at a South Carolina-based injection molding and vacuum forming manufacturer described how the company culture has evolved to enable greater operational performance and efficiency while increasing employee morale. The gains are the direct results of automating the company's real-time … [Read more...] about Four Strategies for Optimizing Production Scheduling in Real Time
ERP/MIS
Focus on Lead Times: Using QRM to Get Ahead
by Lara Copeland, contributing editor Plastics Business Over 30 years ago, at a time when a new home in the US cost an average of $90,000 and many Americans were embracing "Hands Across America," a small group of four entrepreneurs collaborated and - contributing $300 each - established a plastics manufacturing company in the middle of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National … [Read more...] about Focus on Lead Times: Using QRM to Get Ahead
Effective Inventory Management Adds to the Bottom Line
by Dianna Brodine, Plastics Business According to a presentation from a Grainger representative at the MAPP Annual Benchmarking & Best Practices Conference in October 2014, more than $110 billion in MRO (maintenance, repair and operating) supplies were purchased in 2013, ranging from light bulbs and cleaning supplies to maintenance parts. Unfortunately for the bottom … [Read more...] about Effective Inventory Management Adds to the Bottom Line
The Value of Real-Time Data
by Glenn Nowak, IQMS What is real-time information? For some manufacturers, accurate data only can be acquired when a shift ends and the production reports are logged or the data from the shop floor is uploaded, resulting in an unfortunate up to eight-hour "real-time" reality. For others, the real-time information range is shorter, and depends on the design and technology … [Read more...] about The Value of Real-Time Data
Why ERP Systems Fail to Perform
by Glenn Nowak, IQMS You have invested in a new ERP system, endured the implementation process and began using the software solution to manage your business. But, somewhere along the line, you start to lose momentum. Slowly, without realizing it, employees begin reverting to their old ways and processes. Frustrations with the system surface and suddenly, you find that the … [Read more...] about Why ERP Systems Fail to Perform