Information Technology for Manufacturing: Reducing Costs and Expanding Capabilities

Published:
November 24, 2003 by CRC Press - 328 Pages
Author(s):
Kevin Ake, EnteGreat, Inc., Birmingham, AL, USA; John Clemons, EnteGreat, Inc., Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Mark Cubine, EnteGreat, Inc., Birmingham, AL, USA; Bruce Lilly, EnteGreat, Inc., Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Purchasing Options

Hardback
$83.95
Add to cart
ISBN 9781574443592
Cat# SL3593
 

Features

  • Uses examples from the authors' experience with real-life implementations, including common pitfalls and success stories
  • Analyzes how Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) alone often fails to meet manufacturers' IT needs, and explains the advantages of plant-focused applications versus generic corporate applications
  • Describes ways to justify a project and demonstrate a payback on funds when making an IT investment proposal
  • Provides a thorough understanding of the IT project lifecycle to ensure smooth integration in the plant

    • Summary

    The rate of change in manufacturing today is faster than ever. Retailers and consumers demand flexibility and responsiveness, regulatory oversight is on the rise, and increasing consolidations require companies to demonstrate cost and efficiency improvements.

    Information Technology for Manufacturing describes how IT can help manufacturers effectively respond to all of these changes. By reviewing common strategic errors and pitfalls as well as success stories, the book outlines how manufacturing companies can use IT to their advantage in two fundamental ways: to cut costs and to add valuable new capabilities. Citing examples from their work in the field, the authors recount how savvy companies use IT to improve manufacturing processes, and subsequently save millions of dollars, become more competitive, and avoid fines from regulatory agencies.

    The book takes a comprehensive look at five major areas where IT systems can play a pivotal role in improving any company's manufacturing processes. Going beyond theory, the authors show how to ensure that IT investments bring a real payback to manufacturing companies.

    Table of Contents

    MANUFACTURING CHANGES IN RECENT DECADES
    Textiles
    Steel
    Automotive
    Pulp and Paper
    Food and Beverage
    The Big Picture
    The Future Role of IT

    MANUFACTURING IT FROM THE BEGINNING
    The Development of Corporate IT
    The First Engineering Applications of Computer Technology
    "Lights Out Manufacturing"
    Computer-Integrated Manufacturing
    The Gulf between Engineering and IT
    The Emergence of Personal Computers and Networks
    The Aftermath of the Turf Wars
    The Rise of ERP
    The Invisible Computers
    What Engineering Achieved
    Y2K
    The Dot-Com Boom and Bust
    Conclusion

    THE STATE OF MANUFACTURING IT TODAY
    The Cavalry to the Rescue
    ERP in the Plant
    The Reasons behind ERPs Shortcomings
    The Legacy of the Gulf between Corporate IT and Plant Engineering
    AMR Research Report, February 2000
    Unfulfilled Promises
    "Bring on the Data Entry Clerks"
    The Need for - and Lack of - IT Support
    Filling in the Gaps
    Was ERP Worth the Price?
    Technology Mania
    Buying on Faith
    IT Budgets - Past and Present
    The New Order - Hard Justification
    Conclusion

    WAYS TO CUT COSTS AND ADD CAPABILITIES
    The Value of Focusing on the Supply Chain
    Manufacturing's Place in the Supply Chain
    Manufacturing's Role Gets Overlooked
    How Manufacturing Systems Can Achieve Real Payback
    Reducing Waste and Loss
    How to attack the Waste Streams
    Informed Decision Making
    Reducing Waste through Supplier Integration
    Reducing Waste through Management of Quality
    Providing New Capabilities
    Supporting Regulatory Compliance
    Conclusion

    THE PORTFOLIO
    The Integration Chasm
    Building a Bridge between ERP and the Plant
    The Portfolio
    Conclusion

    ACHIEVING PAYBACK WITH THE PORTFOLIO
    Snapshots of success
    Examples of Real Payback
    Conclusion

    HOW TO MAKE IT SOLUTIONS A REALITY
    Why the Process is Difficult
    The Project Lifecycle
    Conclusion

    STRATEGY
    Why Requirements Matter
    General Guidelines for Creating a List of Requirements
    Benefits of Requirements
    The Requirements Document
    Using Requirements to sketch Out Broad Solutions
    Various Approaches to IT Architecture
    Involving the End Users and the Stakeholders
    Conclusion

    FRAMEWORK
    Design
    Guidelines for Technology Evaluation and Selection
    The Value of Standards and Models
    Standards
    Models
    Justifying the Capital Expense for IT Projects
    The Three Main Ways to Justify Projects
    The Importance of Business Strategies
    Conclusion

    IMPLEMENTATION AND SUPPORT
    Implementation
    Support
    Conclusion

    PITFALLS
    The 10 Most Common Pitfalls
    An Even Longer List of Pitfalls
    Dodging Pitfalls
    A List of Why Projects Succeed
    Climbing Out of Pitfalls in Five Steps
    Seven Habits of Highly Effective Manufacturers
    Conclusion

    CONCLUSION

    APPENDICES

    INDEX

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