Enlightened manufacturers are increasingly turning to maintenance for more than mere cost cutting – with improved efficiency, product quality, uptime and even customer service on the agenda. Brian Tinham reports
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There's no shortage of third party providers begging for a maintenance contract. But is outsourcing really the best route in times of economic peril? Steed Webzell weighs things up
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If you're stuck in the rut of the production-versus-maintenance blame game, it could be time to take another
look at your maintenance software, says Brian Tinham
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When Allied Bakeries wanted to improve its manufacturing
performance and customer service across its 13 bakeries it had first to tackle its lack of reliable performance measures in order to identify real hotspots.
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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
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Manufacturers have improved productivity immensely – in one case here by 54% – by collecting very simple data from their shop floors. Some have even recorded significant productivity hikes without actually doing anything with the data they collected! However, shop floor data capture (SFDC) projects can be as long as a piece of string, so the key to achieving improvements is judging exactly what information is likely to be useful, and how often it needs to be collected. Often, simple is best, as soft and freeze drinks manufacturer Calypso Soft Drinks found out
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Whether retailers’ Tier One suppliers face delisting or a strong revenue stream depends very much on their ability to comply with customers’ production, quality and audit standards. That, in turn, is a function of how well they maintain their manufacturing assets – machines, equipment, tooling etc. “Maintenance isn’t an afterthought,” says Hallam. “It’s a foundation, it’s being able to do what you do.”
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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
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Digital cinema provider Arts Alliance Media is using web-based maintenance management software to help streamline remote operations and ensure smooth-running of its film distribution and running equipment.
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AAutomation systems developer Hoerbiger-Origa attributes last year's revenue growth to the success of its online interactive catalogue. That's led to a 75% cut in printing costs – and part searches and configuration times of two minutes instead of two days.
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Vacuum systems manufacturer BOC Edwards, which supplies the semiconductor, industrial and scientific markets, says it's cut 3D animation times for new products from around one week to one day.
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I didn't believe you could get meaningful information from machines every two minutes: but it's not just about counting production cycles." So says Denver Higgins, production co-ordinator at £26m soft drinks giant Calypso, based in Wrexham, North Wales. He's talking about the firm's advanced shopfloor data capture (SFDC) system, which has now been rolled out throughout production, and is already being requested by other parts of the business.
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When it came to replacing an ageing business system, CRM was high on the agenda at £20m boiler designer and manufacturer Hamworthy Heating in Poole, Dorset. In fact, the firm went for £250,000 worth of Sage Line 500 ERP, with SalesLogix CRM and the Sage product configurator embedded in CRM, all via system integrator CPiO.
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BAR Honda's determination and vision with its business-wide IT project won the judges votes: our overall champion is an inspiration
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Protective clothing manufacturer finds e-procurement system provides more than just cost reductions and automation
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Even Toyota, the birthplace of IT-free lean manufacturing, is now investing in shopfloor IT and analytics – and to great effect. Brian Tinham reports
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How Worcester has been transforming its ex-stock inventory holding, while simultaneously improving its after-sales business provides useful lessons. Brian Tinham explains
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By introducing global strategic sourcing, IBM estimates that it has saved several billion dollars. Adding e-procurement software saved a further $300-400 million. Dean Palmer visits the company’s European manufacturing site
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Supply chain event management might sound futuristic, but although few will tell you about their current successes, it’s starting to happen – and with some big names. Brian Davis reports
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By introducing strategic sourcing and leveraging procurement globally, IBM estimates that it has saved several billion dollars. And adding e-procurement software has saved a further $300-400 million. Dean Palmer visited the company’s European manufacturing site to discover the secrets behind the success
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Web exchanges, hubs and portals are being paraded as the way forward for lower cost, browser-based, real time information exchange. But how much of this talk is vendor hype? Dean Palmer gets the low-down from manufacturers who’ve been there and are still doing it
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With survey after survey finding manufacturing behind other sectors on take-up of ‘e’, while anecdotal evidence suggests a leadership rooted somewhere between pragmatism and scepticism, Brian Tinham urges more realism and ambition founded on business sense, others’ experience – and some detail
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e-procurement software and web portals have much to offer companies when it comes to spare parts buying and inventory management. Geoff Lock and Brian Tinham report
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e-procurement and e-markets, although apparently less the talk of the town than during the dot.com rush of last year, are now gathering momentum. Dom Pancucci reports
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With the scale of high profile dot.com and web marketplace crashes, it’s easy to discount them as a blip on the business landscape, or at best appropriate only to e-procurement of commodities and non-production items. Brian Davis seeks out what makes sense, and how to get there.
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