Many manufacturers today are getting caught on the wrong side of a technology adoption wave that is quickly gaining momentum, according to a recent study by the Aberdeen Group that PLANT ENGINEERING readers participated in. Of the more than 200 surveyed manufacturers 54% are planning on adopting Manufacturing Intelligence systems within the next 24 months. Additionally, 56% of manufacturers having already implemented manufacturing execution systems did so within the past two years.
Moving forward, it is important that manufacturers embrace technology in order to either solidify or gain competitive advantages. However, in the many fast paced, low-margin, environments that make up the manufacturing industry it is crucial that manufacturers do not adopt technology for technology’s sake.
“Best in Class manufacturers are 52% more likely to utilize MES, three times more likely to utilize MI. and 61% more likely to integrate MES with ERP.Additionally, 77% of Best in Class manufacturers utilize automated data collection for production, inventory, and quality data and are 67% more likely to provide this data to the necessary job roles for effective decision making,” said
Based on these finding, Littlefield adds the following recommendations for action:

• Focus on efficiency and cost reduction by adopting MES or MI and integrating with ERP.

• Utilize production scheduling optimization, quality assurance and control, and work in process resource management functionality.

• Measure on-time delivery, throughput, and manufacturing cycle time; ideally in real time and at a minimum daily.

• Adopt automated data collection and dashboard visualization for production, inventory, and quality data.

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