Despite what may already feel like an overwhelming alphabet soup, Simon Holloway gives us two more in a recent article posted to IT Director: CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) and OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).  For those who prefer to live in an acronym-less world, you are in luck as these acronyms easily combine into just one overall discipline: plant maintenance.

CMSS and OEE basically address two different sides of the plant maintenance coin: CMSS aims to create a database of information about an organization’s maintenance operations, while OEE is aimed at measuring actual machine performance.

I posted before about how proper plant maintenance leads to overall better plant performance. By leveraging plant maintenance best practices, many manufacturers actually improved plant operations and business metrics during our recent economic downturn.

Allowing these best practices to be guided by plant maintenance solutions afforded companies the ability to make the decisions necessary to prevent equipment breakdown and improve the efficiency and productivity of staff.

Overall, it really doesn’t matter what we’re calling the solutions and systems we use, as long as they are in place and providing us the data we need to make proactive decisions. Regardless of lettering, plant maintenance ultimately spells out Peak Plant Potential – or – PPP

I’d welcome your thoughts on the importance of plant maintenance, or any new discrete manufacturing acronyms, via a comment below.

Plant Maintenance: Key to Manufacturing No Matter What it’s Called was posted at To-Increase Blog. | http://blog.to-increase.com

How to Balance Technology, Processes and People with Labor Management Systems
This article has more on the delicate balance manufacturers must try to find between their technology, processes and the people they work with.  Learn how are some companies are using labor management to balance the seemingly un-balanceable.

How are Food Manufacturers Targeting Supply Chain Savings?
Just how important is the hunt for supply chain savings to businesses?  Considering that nearly 2/3 of managers in food and drink companies around the country are looking to generate significant supply chain saving next year, I’d say fairly important.  Check out more on how they want to achieve that in this article.

What Happens when the Supply Chain Council Partners with the Institute for Supply Chain Management?
Two huge U.S. organizations, the Supply Chain Council and the Institute for Supply Chain Management have come up with a plan to allow member access and training access to each other.  It will be extremely interesting to see what kind of developments this makes in the supply chain world. 

Woolworths Grabbing $2bn Profit With Supply Chain Investment
Woolworths reportedly has received more than a 10% increase in profit to over $2 billion as its unveiling new plans to even further improve its supply chain operations.  How they plan on adjusting to further capitalize on their supply chain remains to be seen, but how things are going are a great indicator to potential success .

More on the Supply Chain 2020 Project, Strategy through Scenarios?
Here is a brilliant video and article about the Supply Chain 2020 Project.  Essentially it’s a multi-year research effort to try to identify and analyze factors that can make or break supply chain success.  This is completely worth a read and a viewing.

Be sure to stop by again next Friday for another roundup post with the latest news in supply chain management and manufacturing.

Or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to hear about the top stories as they occur.

Balance Technology, Processes & People…and Read More Manufacturing Headlines From This Week was posted at To-Increase Blog. | http://blog.to-increase.com

More on WalMarts Supply Chain Move to Inbound Freight Being a Game Changer
Even more information on the possible industry impacts that WalMart’s new supply chain move relating to inbound freight could have.  Many think it could be a complete game changer, and this article has more to support that.

How Crucial is Software Standardization in Manufacturing?
A very interesting and relevant question posed in this post that wonders just how crucial software standardization is when it comes to manufacturing.  The post shows evidence as to just how much time and money can be saved when software standardization and manufacturing meet in the middle.

What the Heck is a Sustainable Supply Chain?
With all of the talk of going green and making operations sustainable, many are left wondering exactly what a sustainable supply chain is.  This article investigates that question and tries to answer the best ways to bring sustainable supply chains into the 21^st century. 

Could the Future of American Auto be in Supply Chain, Not the “Big 3”?
The decline of the American auto market is by now, no longer big news.  What is, however, is the fact that Detroit’s vision of the future of American auto might be a move to transform themselves into a supply chain hub, rather than the “Big 3” of carmakers.  There is more information in this fascinating article.

What are some of the Identifiers of the New Supply Chain Agenda?
Many experts believe that the supply chain agenda is drastically different today than it was 5 or 10 years ago.  A “new supply chain agenda” is upon us and they believe it has some very different and very clear identifiers.  This great article goes into detail about what exactly those are.

Be sure to stop by again next Friday for another roundup post with the latest news in supply chain management and manufacturing.

Or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to hear about the top stories as they occur.

Supply Chain Management & Manufacturing News Roundup – 8/27/10 was posted at To-Increase Blog. | http://blog.to-increase.com

In the article “Steps to PLM Success,” Vice President of PLM Solutions for Siemens IT Solutions and Service Ed Shinouskis discusses how a sound Product Lifecycle Management integration plan helps transform these challenges into opportunities.

Shinouskis believes, and I agree, that proper PLM integration can “reduce time to market, cut down on product costs, and increase yields on new product investments.”  In working together with Siemen’s on a PLM software solution (full disclosure), I have seen proof of this firsthand.

Essentially, true PLM integration allows the manufacturer complete access to all of the knowledge from the start of a product’s lifecycle until its logical end in the hands of the user.  Everything along the way, from plans to shipping receipts, can be easily and instantaneously located and reviewed.

Benefits of this – again, benefits I have seen firsthand – include:

• Elimination of rework and reductions in materials usage
• Cost reductions, corresponding with operational expense decreases
• Revenue increases, as manufacturers more easily beat competitors to market

We encourage you to read Shinouskis’ article and share what you think via a comment below.

We’d also like to hear about your experiences – good or bad – with PLM integration.

Product Lifecycle Management Meets A Sound Integration Plan was posted at To-Increase Blog. | http://blog.to-increase.com

The Surprising Success of the Green Supply Chain
Suppliers, lead by Wal-Mart’s ambitious plan last year to track and reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, many multi-national corporations are now on board.  The ‘green supply chain’ has become a success story that will hopefully continue to spread.

Some Key Drivers of Successful Supplier Risk Management
This great article covers some of SCDigest’s editorial staff’s feelings on what some of the most important aspects are of successful supplier risk management procedures are.  A key point is the big difference that exists between how the companies are saying their risk management is so important versus what they are actually doing about it.

Ford to Optimize Supply Base to Reduce Complexity
Simplify is the name of the new plan for Ford Motor Company.  According to reports they are looking to simplify how they work with suppliers by directly reducing the complexity of the relationship and expanding the part commonality.  How this will affect their supply chain remains to be seen.

Could Wal-Mart’s Inbound Freight Move be a Supply Chain Game Changer?
Wal-Mart has reportedly made an inbound freight move that many are thinking could be a game changer for their supply chain.  They’ve made the move to control all inbound logistics and its left people wondering how this will affect everything having to do with their operations.

Obama Signs New Manufacturing Bill
More information on the brand new manufacturing bill that Obama has recently signed.  The bill is aimed at reducing costs for U.S. manufacturers and hopes to help them regain their lost footing in the currently shaky economy.  The bill could increase production by almost $5 billion and support around 90,000 jobs.

Be sure to stop by again next Friday for another roundup post with the latest news in supply chain management and manufacturing.

Or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to hear about the top stories as they occur.

Supply Chain Management & Manufacturing News Roundup – 8/20/10 was posted at To-Increase Blog. | http://blog.to-increase.com

Guru Panel Weighs In on How to Define Supply Chain Flexibility
Excellent insight offered in this article about the best ways to actually measure and define supply chain flexibility.  As a variety of viewpoints are always present in this debate, hearing from some of the experts in the field is a great way to learn more.

What are Some Strategies for Combating Supply Chain Price Increases?
In need of some tried and true strategies for helping keep supply chain prices down but production still up?  This is a great insight into some simple tips and hints on how managers and manufacturers can cut costs without cutting productivity.

Some Tips from the 2^nd Edition of Supply Chain Management Best Practices
Learn what it takes to develop a truly “best-in-class” supply chain with some tips from this, the 2^nd Edition of “Supply Chain Management Best Practices.” Part of this article goes into how leading companies are doing it, and what you can learn from that.

Lear Announces New Detroit Assembly Plant
Great manufacturing news as Lear Corp. has announced the planned opening of a manufacturing plant in Detroit.  The venture will effectively create over 200 jobs and also will bring in over $5 million in parks and mentoring programs in Detroit.

$5 Million in Boom Truck Crane Orders Shines Positive Light on Manufacturing
Always refreshing to see news about big increases in manufacturing and production and this is no different.  Manitex International, Inc. has received $5 million in new boom truck crane orders, showing that production here and elsewhere is still rolling smoothly along.

Be sure to stop by again next Friday for another roundup post with the latest news in supply chain management and manufacturing.

Or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to hear about the top stories as they occur.

Supply Chain Management & Manufacturing News Roundup – 8/13/10 was posted at To-Increase Blog. | http://blog.to-increase.com

For some time, a question asked by discrete manufacturers is whether PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) or PDM (Product Data Management) is a more relevant term to describe our needs and pain points.

Oleg Shilovitsky at PLM Think Tank sounded off about it recently, leveraging simple Google searches to find out what others in the industry were saying.  His conclusion is one that we share, but won’t reveal just so quickly.

Essentially, PDM tends to focus on the intricacies of design, CAD models and specifications of a certain product.  While this is clearly relevant to manufacturing, it makes it much more of a subset of a broader Product Lifecycle Management system.

The demands placed on companies in the manufacturing industry have grown from the simple production and delivery of products to a full-service enterprise that controls every step from design to delivery, production to support.  PDM is one link in that much longer chain, and in a way, PLM is the chain itself.

Shilovitsky’s conclusion – again, one that we share – is that PLM allows for the management of data in a much broader and larger scope than PDM. It not only creates the benefits of PDM, but overlaps some of the data management solutions.  Bottom line, PLM can do what PDM can, while encompassing a whole lot more.

By no means is my opinion the be-all, end-all on this issue.  I’d like to hear your thoughts on the PDM vs. PLM debate.  Or if you have no opinion on this debate, I’d be interested to hear more about what you are looking for in an enterprise software solution, whether we call it ‘PDM,’ ‘PLM’ or ‘purple pancakes.’  I encourage you to share your thoughts via a comment below.

Do You PLM or PDM? was posted at To-Increase Blog. | http://blog.to-increase.com

PLM Streamlines Oil, Gas & Mining Machinery Manufacturing. Learn How With Free Video

Oil, gas and mining machinery manufacturing used to be a lot simpler – even before the environmental and public relations disaster still plaguing the gulf.

Simply delivering machinery and components was the ‘be all and end all’ for most companies in the industry.  But now, if you’re not a full-service provider, from design to delivery, from installation to maintenance, new opportunities for business may prove elusive.

To stay both relevant and competitive, oil, gas and mining machinery manufacturers must adapt to an ever-changing landscape of business demands.  This adaptation can be far more efficient a process for manufacturers that integrate Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems into everyday operations.

I discussed PLM in a previous post, charting its evolution from American Motors Corporation brainchild to a critical component of many of today’s manufacturing processes.

Many benefits of PLM that I shared in my previous post could strongly benefit current oil,  gas and mining machinery manufacturers.

PLM enables manufacturers to:

• Manage all bids and quotations and create new ones instantly and efficiently
• Master complex “engineer-to-order” processes, common in oil, gas and mining machinery manufacturing
• Provide the strongest possible support by ensuring instant access to all customer and order data

If you are an oil, gas or mining machinery manufacturer, I would like to hear more about what you are looking for in a PLM solution.  Feel free to connect with me directly via our contact form or leave your thoughts via a comment.  You may also download a complimentary video via the form to the right which provides more information.

If you are a manufacturer (in any industry) who has already implemented a PLM system, how has it made your life easier? Or what improvements would you like to see?  I encourage you to share your thoughts via a comment below.

PLM Manages To Simplify Oil, Gas & Mining Machinery Manufacturing was posted at To-Increase Blog. | http://blog.to-increase.com

The Beauty of a Sustainable Supply Chain
This is a great piece on just how attractive the idea of a completely sustainable supply chain really is.  The article sums up what the author believes to be the “three-legged stool” that is the new age of sustainability.  The first two legs of that stool are customers and energy or transportation, while the third leg involves products.  Great read.

University Hospital Shares Ideas on how to Improve Supply Chain Financial Performance
How are innovative hospitals increasing the transparency between materials management and the revenue cycle?  How do they propose that others can innovate and improve their own supply chain financial performance?  Answer those questions in this article.

Wind Power: Getting the Scoop at Michigan Supply Chain Meeting
Over 300 business men and women are meeting in Michigan to discuss the wind energy industry.  How will the Supply Chain Summit bring about innovative ideas for incorporating alternative energy into supply chain strategy?   I guess we’ll see.

Manufacturing Defect Causes Toyota to Recall 412,000 Cars in U.S.
Another big problem for Toyota as they are now being forced to recall 412,000 cars in the United States due to a manufacturers defect.  16,420 additional vehicles are being recalled in Japan.  The manufacturers defect comes in the steering system and can cause potential locks which could then lead to crashes.

Truck Makers in Supply Chain Collaboration Talks
Interesting news as truck makers Scania and MAN are in talks of combining forces and working on a supply chain collaboration.  If it occurs, the collaboration would take place in component supply and pre-development.  It’s interesting to think how this could be applied in other industries and what other collaborations could be great.

Be sure to stop by again next Friday for another roundup post with the latest news in supply chain management and manufacturing.

Or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to hear about the top stories as they occur.

Supply Chain Management & Manufacturing News Roundup – 8/6/10 was posted at To-Increase Blog. | http://blog.to-increase.com

Hybrid Boat Manufacturer to Employ 400 in Louisiana
Great news for the manufacturing industry as a new hybrid boat maker coming to the Louisiana area is going to end up employing 400 people with new jobs.  There are reports that the company may also produce two electric car models in the future.

Georgia Economy Boosted by Boom Production for Oil Spill
In an attempt to find something positive in the aftermath of the oil spill in the Gulf, at the very least the local economy in Georgia has been boosted.  Reports are showing that production of booms to use during the clean up process have helped various counties in Georgia with new business and manufacturing.

Can Washington Deliver on the National Manufacturing Strategy Americans Want
Many Americans now believe that the U.S. has lost its position of the world’s strongest economy.  The reason they cite:  allowing its manufacturing base to wither and move offshore.   Can Washington deliver on a new strategy?

Join the Movement to Elevate Supply Chain Careers and Profession
A critical need for supply chain professionals has lead to an actual coordinated effort to increase the talent pool and create a new abundance of career paths.  The Supply Chain Talent Academic Initiative (SCTAI) is a global partnership that began as a simple call to action in 2007.

DHL Testing New HCV Hybrid Trucking
DHL Supply Chain will now trial the world’s very first 18-ton hybrid distribution truck.  If all goes well, DHL predicts a savings of up to 15% on fuel.  The truck will be powered by an electric motor and a diesel engine. The two can work separately or together to reduce fuel consumption, emissions and noise levels.

Be sure to stop by again next Friday for another roundup post with the latest news in supply chain management and manufacturing.

Or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn to hear about the top stories as they occur.

Supply Chain Management & Manufacturing News Roundup – 7/30/10 was posted at To-Increase Blog. | http://blog.to-increase.com