Ongoing development of manufacturing sites is essential to provide future-state readiness of a continually evolving business environment. Site Master Planning is one common approach but is often misused.
SMP processes should consider growth aspirations and product portfolios that can be delivered competitively. Failing to fully understand capacity drivers of existing operations will prevent Senior Leadership Teams from defining development programmes with optimal capital employed.
With an accurate model of operational capacity, all members of the management team including finance, operations, sales, logistics and production, can make better and more transparent decisions working from a common understanding of why an investment should be made, when and where.
- Topic:
- Supply Chain
It sounds obvious, doesn’t it? So why are so many manufacturing companies struggling to access the information they need to make fast decisions and run their businesses at optimum efficiency?
Information is power - but only if you can get to what you need quickly and have complete confidence that it’s correct. And that’s the problem for so many manufacturing companies. Despite having invested in software and systems to collate and manage data, it can still be far too difficult to gain access to what is needed quickly and confidently. Separate and unconnected systems are the root cause of data problems with duplication, inconsistent update protocols and lack of formalised data cleansing. It’s easy to see why the mountain of information just gets bigger – and the ability to use the data effectively becomes ever more difficult
- Topic:
- Supply Chain
Continuously improving is key
It’s a stark fact that businesses don’t survive if they don’t improve. Competing for customers is hard work, and every business, especially in the hard-pressed manufacturing sector, must find better ways to win than simply shaving more and more off their margins. One of the most effective ways to enhance business performance is to use technology to reduce the reliance on people. Technology tools and relevant data provide access to the right information whenever it’s needed, empowering the whole team, not just the privileged few.
- Topic:
- Supply Chain
How agile is your production planning?
Maximising capacity, ensuring efficiency, meeting deadlines and delivering for customers are key components for any manufacturing business.
Having a defined schedule in place tells production managers – and those working on the line – what to make and in what order.
However, does it have the ability to deal with unexpected events? What if a new order comes in? What if a machine breaks down? What if a component isn’t delivered on time? What if maintenance is scheduled?
You get the idea.
- Topic:
- Supply Chain
The importance of ROI is well known. Certainly it forms a significant part of the investment appraisal when reviewing new software. But do you ever consider the ongoing improvements that aren’t quantifiable? Have you ever pondered where else you might make more money?
It’s likely your business has tried to tackle this issue in the past, but have you known how to extract this data and more importantly, where to look for it? We often hear manufacturers say, “We know we make money, but we don't know exactly where!”.
- Topic:
- Supply Chain
This is a very common question that we’re often asked. ERP stands for enterprise resource planning. It was once the domain of large corporations. But with the advances in technology, it’s also become a viable route for many mid-market organisations. In itself, the term doesn’t really tell us a great deal, so we’ve broken down the key elements below:
- Topic:
- Finance
