Using IT for effective health and safety management is a must, but there are several ways to do it. Brian Tinham looks at how to get the most from your compliance software
|
It’s not so much about looking under the covers: getting best value from ERP today is less about functionality and more about proper business analysis, good old-fashioned ITTs and due diligence, says Brian Tinham
|
Paper-based systems are well suited to delivering on the compliance requirement, but they’ve had their day. Brian Tinham looks at Dales Pharmaceuticals’ latest move into the digital age
|
The argument over monolithic versus best-of-breed IT has raged for years, but the pharmaceutical sector has real experience – and doesn’t like the latter. Brian Tinham talks to Napp’s business projects head, Chris Jones, about why and what he's doing about it
|
The pharmaceutical industry is no stranger to IT, but if you’re looking for an example of validation strangling development, look no further. Brian Tinham reports
|
For larger greenhouse gas producers, European directives have presented real challenges. Brian Tinham reports from Elsta in the Netherlands on its successful transition
|
Finding information fast for good business decision-making is becoming increasingly important. Keith Ricketts tells us how to do it well
|
As we need ever greater access to plant and factory systems and machines, ensuring IT security requires special attention. Andrew Ward explains
|
Business continuity and disaster recovery planning are rightly higher up the agenda than in days gone by. Antony Adshead examines what ‘good’ looks like
|
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
|
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
|
Since foils and llaminates manufacturer API went live with Oracle’s E-Business suite at its Laminates Division in the north west about 12 months ago, it has rolled the ERP system out across five UK locations despite the usual business challenges. API IS director Iain Anderson reckons that by the end of this year, the company will be live across all its global businesses: that’s five operating groups and 15 locations. And he says that speed of deployment is because of Oracle’s On-Demand hosting and consulting services, its BPEL (business process execution language) Process Manager, which uses Web Services interfaces, and its templated business processes – and prioritising
|
Working capital significantly improved, business processes and information flows streamlined and a firm footing for growth: these are key benefits achieved at £37m injection moulded parts supplier Birkby’s Plastics in Liversedge, as a result of its QAD ERP system upgrade. That’s all good, and there’s more. However, one of the most important lessons from this implementation is the importance of keeping on top of your upgrades, systems and infrastructure – and how easy it is to let business pressures push all that off the agenda, with potentially disastrous consequences
|
German egg handling machine builder Bergmeier Maschinenbau reckons it's found a better, quicker and much cheaper way to design its complex products.
|
When Specials Clinical required a secure label printing system to satisfy the requirements of the Medicines Healthcare Regional Authority (MHRA) and the Food & Drug Agency (FDA), it turned to Prisym Medical software.
|
It’s odd that in business, many management teams treat the security of their factories differently to the security of their networks. With IT, there’s often a focus on how individual products will deliver security, but the same isn’t true of physical plant security. Chances are that will have a monitored burglar alarm system that’s service-based. The infrared motion detectors and sirens aren’t the point; it’s the alarm system vendor’s round-the-clock operations centre and hotline that matter. It should be the same with networks. To deliver security, products need to be deployed and managed knowledgeably, and supported by plans that can be rapidly implemented to secure breaches and limit risks. But that can be a tall order for many SME manufacturers’ relatively compact IT teams
|
Significant cost savings are being achieved, on top of conformance with Wal-Mart’s RFID directive for key suppliers, at flag maker Annin. The company, which is an SME manufacturing some 10,000 different flags and accessories, is rolling out RFID on SAP’s NetWeaver platform following a three-month pilot with implementer Ciber Novasoft in readiness for the January 2006 deadline
|
Trade moulding company Seaborne Plastics, which specialises in high quality vacuum and pressure formed component manufacturing to an accuracy normally associated with injection moulding, has upgraded its K3 JobBoss make-toorder system with the automatic information alerting module. AlertBoss automates the process of running reports and proactively informs users and customers by email of current status across production and other areas based on user-defined criteria. It can run any Crystal Report and email task and action lists on a regular basis in formats like PDF,Word and Excel
|
If ever there was an idea that went in cycles of popularity, it is IT outsourcing. In the early days, uptake was forced by the technology’s costs and limits; then it waned as minicomputers and client/server systems changed the cost and data access model. Then outsourcing grew again as fashion dictated a view of IT as non-core, only to fall away as companies found problems with going too far
|
Sheffield-based Edward Pryor produces permanent marking
products, systems, software and services for non-paper materials – mostly metals, but in all sorts of applications. Recently, the firm has grown into high tech, specialist computer-controlled, machine-readable marking systems using laser, chemical etching, inkjet printing and 2D Data Matrix technologies for applications in, for example, aerospace.
|
Charles Wells brewery in Bedford represents a microcosm of much of manufacturing and business IT, with some excellent lessons for us all
|
Manufacturing Business IT Award winner George Adams is reaping the benefits of a convincing top-to-bottom ERP-plus implementation
|
Pork pie and sausages producer George Adams is well on the way to reaping the benefits of a top to bottom ERP implementation
|
MOD engineering supplier Weir Strachan & Henshaw says that using Computer Associates' Unicenter has cut its software installation and programme management times from months to just days. CA's suite covers IT asset management, remote control and software delivery, desktop DNA and service desk across WSH's 500-employees, and IT manager Glyn Barnett reckons it's also enabling his team to deliver better value to the business.
|
Manufacturing businesses need a more adaptive framework capable of better connecting all aspects of their operations – from supply chain to the plant. Dom Pancucci reports on an innovation from Hewlett Packard
|