It has become impossible to keep pace with the UK government’s Brexit shenanigans, and business leaders are in despair about the impact the impasse is having on manufacturers. According to the latest figures from the ONS, the productivity growth of British workers slumped to a two-year low in the third quarter of 2018. On average, UK employees produce 30% less per hour than those in France, Germany and the US.
Topics: ERP systems, ERP for Manufacturing, Technology (or Enterprise Technology), ERP and Technology, ERP and Digitization
We are living in the dawn of a new era. Whether you call it Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), or Smart Manufacturing, there’s no denying that manufacturing is evolving at a pace never seen before.
With the dawn comes illumination, but not necessarily clarity. The breakneck speed with which companies are figuring out how to collect (and find value in) massive amounts of data, and integrate digital technologies such as industrial robotics, 3D printing, machine learning, OCR, cloud computing, augmented reality, and sensors, can make the Industry 4.0 revolution seem intimidating and enigmatic.
Topics: Technology (or Enterprise Technology), ERP and Technology, Digital Business and ERP, ERP and Digitization
A question on many lips these days is: how can Digital Transformation (DX) solve my manufacturing challenges?
Manufacturers are under competitive pressure to deliver better goods at lower costs. They want to reduce costs and streamline processes in their supply chains and factories. At the same time, customers are asking for more unique features in the products they buy. Customization versus standard products are often difficult trade-offs with implications in design processes, production costs, and schedules.
Topics: Technology (or Enterprise Technology), ERP and Technology, Digital Business and ERP, ERP and Digitization, Return on Investment
I recently had the experience of upgrading my Samsung phone to the S9+. Now for all the iPhone fans out there, this is not your cue to stop reading, this story has relevance to you too.
Upgrading a phone is always a contradictory emotional experience, on the one hand, you are excited to experience all the new features and capabilities, but on the other, you’re also a bit nervous as the transition may not be as seamless as it is supposed to be. Nonetheless, we soldier ahead.
Topics: Business software, Technology (or Enterprise Technology), ERP and Technology, Digital Business and ERP, ERP and Digitization
As I noted in Part 1 of this blog, financial workers have always been at the forefront of data collection, structure and management. That doesn’t mean, however, that our careers are impervious to obsolescence. Industry 4.0 is a technological revolution, and this is no time to rest on our pre-transformation laurels. Everyone in the finance ecosystem needs to be on top of incoming technologies, and understand, as best as one can, their long-term implications.
Topics: ERP and Financial Management, Technology (or Enterprise Technology), Digital Business and ERP, ERP and Digitization
There is no doubt that the packaging industry is a complex spider’s web of intertwined uses across a broad spectrum of subsections. However, environmental issues and new material developments are becoming big drivers of growth right across this complicated industry.
Topics: Technology (or Enterprise Technology), Supply Chain Management
The author, Edward Payson Powell, had a great way of saying farewell to the year: “The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!”
Topics: Selecting ERP, Planning for ERP (or Purchasing ERP), Technology (or Enterprise Technology)
Although metal shops have actively engaged in automation over the last decade, incorporating robots for precision-driven or dangerous functions, such as welding and material handling, it is only fairly recently that what once seemed like a science-fiction writer’s daydream is becoming a part of everyday fabricated metal processes.
Topics: ERP for Manufacturing, Technology (or Enterprise Technology)