Business Applications Reference Materials

Description: In an industrial environment defined by speed, complexity and constant disruption, siloed operations undermine efficiency. That is why global manufacturers are adopting MOM as the critical link ...

Description: The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry is undergoing significant expansion, with market size projected to increase by USD 377.5 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 2.87%, according to a ...

Description: The manufacturing sector saw a 23% increase in occupational injuries from 2022 to 2023. Slips, stumbles, falls, and mishaps involving machinery were the top causes of substantial injuries in the ...

Description: The U.S. Department of Labor recently reported a loss of 8,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector in June. While this figure might initially raise concerns, it's crucial to delve deeper into the labor ...

Description: With the industrial machine industry constantly evolving due to robotics and other advances, meeting new demands can seem to be a logical nightmare - not to mention put serious strain on your ...

Description: When your supply chain is functioning smoothly, it seems that mistakes and interpersonal friction are non-existent. However, misalignment between your design, purchasing, and operations departments ...

Description: Missed deadlines, our-of-line pricing, and issues on the assembly line may seem to be completely isolated issues at first glance. However, when an organization takes a detailed look at their ...

Description: Engineering and purchasing departments at many manufacturing companies have different ideas about success. Both want it, but they use different criteria to measure it, which can lead to disconnections ...

Description: Selecting a vendor for your product offerings can have a huge impact on your production line. However, the impact that your vendors can have on all other areas of your business is often overlooked. ...

Description: When key suppliers miss their deadlines, a lack of materials could cause a manufacturer to experience a decline in cash flow, missed shipments to customers, and a drop in quality due to subpar ...

Description: Finding and retaining good engineering talent has been a perennial challenge for manufacturers, but today's crop of freshly minted engineering grads differ from those who have come before them. They ...

Description: As more and more discount suppliers are entering the global economy, the availability of a "low-cost" solution may seem like a dream come true. However, currency fluctuations and high shipping costs ...

Description: Innovations involving high-tech production technology and the "Internet of Things" have allowed manufacturers to stay competitive in the face of globalization, rising wages, valatile materials prices, ...

Description: Managing your workforce can be challenging. With a shrinking available labor force, tightened budgets and shortened timelines there's constant pressure to optimize your teams and processes. How can ...

Description: Avoiding errors in a complex process such as machine design may seem impossible. A seemingly minor error made early in the process can have a major impact to your bottom line once the design hits the ...

Description: When choosing suppliers and components, it's not enough to look solely at the bottom line. Using the right suppliers can improve value and ultimately achieve higher quality without sacrificing ...

Description: As low-priced products from emerging economies enter the market, it can be tempting to purchase cheaper components. Unfortunately, lower prices often come with lower quality, and the up-fron reduction ...

Description: A strong supply chain is the foundation of any manufacturing business, yet many organizations overlook the importance of their supplier's supply chain. If a business partner is unable to provide parts ...

Description: Maximizing Efficiencies on the Supply Chain - Starting with the Source shares how your organization can minimize the common risks found in supply chain management, by focusing on the source, Utilizing ...

Description: Each year sees shifts in the marketplace as new suppliers enter and existing ones change. Making sure that your strategic relationships are with the right organizations is crucial to the success of ...

Description: Centralized stocking is a widely adopted concept, yet many businesses only apply it to components of their products, leaving out components involved with their production equipment. Those same ...

Description: For global business environments, outsourcing or offshoring supply chains are a common tactic used for keeping costs down. While this can be effective initially, using this approach can often present ...

Description: In How to Define Your Value in the Marketplace you will learn the importance of selecting the right solution versus a part with the lowest sticker price, and how to select a vendor that aligns with ...

Description: Amidst soaring inflation, heavy competition, and supply chain strain, many industries seek technology solutions to get a competitive edge, like those that align with Industry 4.0 goals. ...

Description: In the world of manufacturing, consumer packaged goods (CPG) is an extremely competitive sector. Customers can easily switch from one brand to another as options grow wider every day. Prices are ...

Description: 5S is a process to ensure a clean, orderly, safe and productive workspace, i.e. there's a place for everything and everything in its place. 5S is based on principles starting with the letter "S" - ...

Description: The Covid-19 pandemic exposed major vulnerabilities in global supply chains, causing uncertainty, shortages and long lead times. These events challenged supplier relationships, with status quo ...

Description: High demand in production is forcing automation players to deliver maximum uptime, all the time while maintaining a high level of quality. ...

Description: Even the world's biggest manufacturers have admitted that climate change poses an enormous threat to human flourishing and are now taking steps to fulfill their duties to the planet. But the only ...

Description: At first glance, there may not seem to be many fundamental differences between a warehouse and a distribution center. Many people who use the terms don't bother to differentiate between them, so it's ...

Description: By definition, waste is the unusable byproduct of something. However, because no process is totally efficient, every process necessarily contains some amount of waste. With company origins in the ...

Description: This white paper reviews common KPI measures, and explores options for sharing results using visual management techniques to help drive optimal productivity within organizations. This paper also ...

Description: How to strategically manage your supply chain by implementing manufacturing safeguards ...

Description: Medical device manufacturers must comply with governmental agency standards, such as Food & Drug Administration (FDA) 21 CFR Part 820, and commercial standards for medical devices, such as ISO 13485 ...

Description: In today's global business environment, supplier information management is vital to the finance champions for a wide variety of reasons. Gartner' research estimates that companies typically spend ...

Description: Organizations around the world face many types of challenges today. The current tumultuous economic scenario, coupled with an ever-intensifying competition in the global market, has placed them under ...

Description: As any 15-year-old teenage girl can illustrate as she texts her BFF and updates her Facebook page before your desktop computer can even finish booting up, handheld mobile devices have arrived. We are ...

Description: Most of us know the benefits of a 3D CAD strategy - reduced rework, shortened time-to-market, improved product features and more. But smart companies succeed because they make smart decisions. They ...

Description: SMB manufacturers (small- to medium-sized businesses with revenues between $7 and $700M) are seizing the opportunity to improve their product design and development processes through investments in ...

Description: Verhoeven Oss BV Engineering Works designs and manufactures internal transport systems for an international market. Its customers operate in a range of industrial sectors, including food processing, ...

Description: Burner Systems International (BSI) is a leading global supplier of components, assemblies and system solutions for the gas appliance industry.With six facilities operating in five countries, the ...

Description: As our economy stretches, technology continues to play a key role in determining success or failure in the marketplace. And as business processes become tied to computerized business systems, ...