DECEMBER 20209MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTStemperature and humidity to quality data to predict when you expect problems to occur on the line.Add large screen TV's and very cheap computers from people like Raspberry PI to run a web browser and now you have visibility to production in real time on the shop floor. This management by eye capability has been around for some time, but the cost to provide it has dropped to the point where it is feasible to put it almost everywhere. Not we are displaying a combination of ERP and Manufacturing Execution System (MES) data on one screen. The production team can see where they stand on numbers and why they are there.Now, add the cloud and Software as a Service (SaaS). These licensing and connectivity models simplify access to allow suppliers and customers into the company's extended value stream. Small suppliers can get into portals to print labels that can be read once in the facility rather than forcing the receiving team to print the labels on site. FIFO utilization can be supported at the customer level by providing screens and requirements directly in their warehouse. All of these capabilities reduce waste and effort and save money.I've just scratched the surface in what is available technically. The teams and teamwork between Operations, Engineering, and IT are what can really drive this forward. We can all provide great insight­when we combine them we can develop great results. I am very fortunate to have people in my IT organization that have spent a number of years in Operations. This insight brings new ideas to our team. In a number of our plants, we have developed new interfaces and applications and various ways of implementing and exploiting them due to our diverse backgrounds. For you leading edge folks and fast followers, you're probably already doing much of this. I'm really speaking to the rest of the manufacturing space. We tend to be a little behind in technology implementation due to inertia within the business and thin budgets. But, these are areas where you should be able to show an improvement to the bottom line of the company. Test the waters! What we as technologists must do is to be the bridge between the startup world and operations
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