Remember when your only supply chain worries were mechanical malfunctions, unreliable suppliers, and natural disasters? Not that any of those couldn’t cause serious problems, particularly natural disasters (see my recent blog), but at least unknown parties weren’t actively out to sabotage deliveries and hurt citizens. In a world of increasing uncertainty and chaos, you need to manage complexity and make your supply chain more resilient. The US government is working on a holistic, government-wide plan to improve the security of international freight transportation, but you need to do your part. Cutting-edge, business-specific technology can help. Think about it. Not only…

Japan’s March 2011 tsunami and other recent natural disasters got me thinking about supply chain planning—specifically, how automotive companies need to proactively plan for such disasters. But how can you proactively plan for a natural disaster, when you don’t have any idea what it will be, or when or where it will take place? You need to think seriously about multi-sourcing vs. single sourcing, a lesson learned from the Japan tsunami and the succeeding shutdown of a Hitachi plant that produced airflow sensors for automakers around the world. If you rely on a single supplier and that supplier has to…

I speak with a lot of people in the manufacturing industry every day, and I wanted to address one of the common themes I hear from these folks: Their frustration level with manufacturing software system implementations. The people I speak with have been directly involved with the purchase and implementation of manufacturing ERP software. Many of them tell me stories about near failures—and, in some cases, total failures—when it comes to these implementations. This is when the finger pointing begins and the relationship between vendor, consultant, and client begins to deteriorate. Not a good scene. So why can these implementations…

Did you see last week’s post? After you viewed the first webinar, were some of your common misconceptions of ERP squashed? What did you think of our next generation of ERP? Did you find it to be more collaborative and personalized? Lots of questions, I know, but your opinion matters, and we want to hear from you. This week, I’d like to talk about complex manufacturing. Complex manufacturers face some of the same challenges as other manufacturers, but also some unique issues. If you’re a complex manufacturer, you know you must contend with a highly engineered environment that requires much…

When you hear the word “ERP,” I’m sure it brings up myriad emotions. You’re not the only manufacturer to feel that way. But you can change your way of thinking about ERP. Instead of viewing it as an inflexible and costly beast, you’ll begin to see it as a necessary component in your organization, no matter how simple or complex your organization may be. We’d like to share the latest research that explains why you need an ERP system. Learn all about it in a two-part webinar series that covers common misconceptions and demonstrates the true value of an ERP…

You know that companies can’t afford to be without an ERP system. But how do you break through the complexities of your business and achieve operational excellence? Everyone wants to do more with less, and to commit to Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Business Process Management. You need to collaborate among all segments of your business to succeed. Take this interactive tour of Tricon Manufacturing, a virtual manufacturing plant, to see how Infor ERP can help you: Operate more efficiently. Leverage your uniqueness. Get company-wide visibility. Once you’re in the plant, you’ll see six hotspots representing Infor ERP and Infor…

Statements of the obvious can take you on an interesting and educational journey. In recent research conducted by IDC Manufacturing Insights, which looked at what manufacturers will be doing over the next two years, retaining and growing existing customers came out as the top strategy in the boardroom. In order to do this, the top initiative manufacturers are looking to undertake is the improvement of customer fulfillment. So far the obvious – keep customers happy to keep customers. But interestingly the second initiative that manufacturers are most looking to undertake – improving bid and project profitability – suggests that they…

Never mind the mantra that the customer is always right, according to the findings of research from IDC Manufacturing Insights into the strategies of the discrete manufacturing sector, the customer is seriously high maintenance. Whether you are a CEO, COO, CFO or CIO in the manufacturing sector, you’ll be well aware of, and no doubt responsible in part for, the dynamic of living in the ‘now’ society. We expect products how, when and where we want them, and this trend shows no signs of abating. But cultural and social implications aside, this market characteristic is making an already tough manufacturing…

Every day around the globe, millions of people work on the processes revolving around the manufacturing of goods. Some work with simple or complex machines, others plan the process, while still others purchase the supplies to manufacture their product—the list goes on and on. Every department, direct and indirect labour, and even customers (remember, they create the demand for your product) are involved in the quest for manufacturing excellence throughout the entire process. And, we’re all very aware of this process. My blog today deals with a different sort of manufacturing quest, a journey that began back in 2002. I…

Guest post by Mark Lilly, Co-owner, Synergy Resources, Inc. I’m very happy to report that over 300 customers and partners from across the US and Canada attended the Synergy Resources ERP VISUAL User Conference in Atlantic City, May 15-18, 2011. I believe that the conference was a win-win for everyone, fostering an environment of learning and sharing, and giving attendees useful information to take back for improving and streamlining their business operations. Throughout the conference, we encouraged customers to look for one or two new ideas that would significantly impact the productivity, profitability, and overall business performance of their companies….