Manufacturers these days face a tough row to hoe. Trade uncertainty, tightening labor markets, increasing customer demands and other variables can make running a factory difficult, if not downright precarious.
One tool that can ease some of that pain is manufacturing management software, which can help manufacturers:
- prevent unnecessary downtime
- increase manufacturing efficiency
- improve quality
Implementing manufacturing management software can provide the opportunity to take control of your total operation and improve processes, giving overall efficiency a major boost.
Most importantly, manufacturing management software can help a business meet customers’ unrelenting demands for higher quality on-time and on-budget production. Manufacturing management software runs the gamut in capability, from full ERP systems – that manage everything from finances to CRM, engineering, production and supply chain management – to very focused production software that manages a particular area of the business while offering full integration with other plantwide systems.
Fujitsu Glovia offers a comprehensive manufacturing ERP system with a wide range of software modules that exemplify the variety of solutions available to manufacturers. Examples include:
Supply Chain Planning pulls together disparate sales, production, inventory and purchasing data, allowing the manufacturer to aggregate total demand and centrally plan for the production capacity and supplies required to satisfy that demand.
Kanban, a major component of just-in-time delivery, ensures supplier-provided parts arrive as and when needed, based on actual manufacturing rather than on sometimes faulty predictions.
Repetitive Manufacturing adjusts repetitive production schedules with little user intervention, providing the flexibility required for high-volume or continuous-flow production.
Production Management provides control over all aspects of production planning and materials management to reduce finished good inventories and increase resource utilization.
Project Management is an end-to-end solution that manages complex, engineered products with long manufacturing lead times.
Another manufacturing software provider, WintrissControls Group, also offers manufacturers the necessary means to improve their operations. Its ShopFloorConnect® OEE and Shop Floor Data Collection Software works in real time to collect factory-wide details on downtime and productivity efficiency, simplifying shop floor data collection.
The software includes a cutting-edge approach to calculating OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).
Whether a manufacturer is concerned about inventory management, project planning, shop floor resources or more, manufacturing management software can provide the necessary tools to get the job done.