by I2DS | Aug 16, 2022 | Blogs
By Vivek Bhachawat
All Operations professional know and would agree that no matter how fool proof a process might be there is always a possibility of an excursion. The later an excursion is detected the more loss it causes. Detecting an excursion becomes even more important in discreet manufacturing as every product is different and tailor made. Even in an HMV production line an excursion can cause a massive loss if it remains undetected, thereby causing both financial and non financial loss. The financial loss caused by an excursion can be calculated, but the non financial loss, such as loss of customer goodwill, loss to the brand value, product replacement and product recall can permanently damage the image of an Organization.
Each Lot that is produced is of great value to the factory and any excursion during production process is a definite loss. It is imperative to be proactive in checking all production requirements are appropriately filled even before the material leaves the Ware-house. Being reactive will only lead to analysis of the loss that has already occurred rather than preventing it. Today most Factories are employing standard ERP systems that give material traceability to and from the warehouse, but what if the excursion occurs during production or when the material has already gone through the first stage of processing? Most systems lack the capability of tracking material through the production line; this may lead to a major loss in material and production time. The chances of an excursion occurring during the production process is higher as the material under processing changes hands a number of times and even in a completely automated process non conformities may occur at any stage of processing.
So what is required is a better information system that allows us to monitor the material during and after the production process. When we have a system that is capable of recording and reporting all the metrics relevant to a production lot, the chances of detecting and preventing an excursion are increased. Employing an integrated system that can track material throughout the production process is very important. I2DS is a pioneer in design and application of such innovative and cutting edge information systems. We have developed a unique Inventory Management Solution, which allows you to track your material even after it leaves the Ware-house. Our system gives you the ability to track the exact location of material, anywhere and everywhere in the production line, right up to the finished goods stage.
Our system is capable of collaborating with your existing ERP system to give you better control and complete traceability for your material. Our system is in-line with JIT theory and helps you monitor the inventory at each and every step of production and insures you not only detect but prevent any excursion that might happen. Our system allows you to detect excursions faster and thereby helps you to prevent losses which might have otherwise occurred. So if you are interested in cutting your losses and improve traceability of your material, contact us right now and get a free demo of our path breaking solutions, e-mail us at info@i2
by I2DS | Aug 12, 2022 | Blogs
By Vivek Bhachawat
Every Top Boss of every Organization of the world strives to make his/her organization the best in its class. If you read the Vision or Mission statement of any organization in the world this desire to be the best and even better, will become very evident. Irrespective of the line of business every company strives to be labeled the best in business, today we will talk about achieving this dream and making it a reality for manufacturing organizations, for whom their factories/plants are the main source of revenue.
To become the Best-In-Class operation, you need to realize that there is much more to the endeavor, than benchmarking the present best in the industry or otherwise. Benchmarking is very helpful but the main reasons for the success of the best organizations around the world can be attributed many factors, such as, strong leadership, clear vision, pro technology outlook, innovation, process control, quality ownership, zero error philosophy and above all 100% customer satisfaction. When the above mentioned features are embraced by the entire organization and these beliefs and practices enter the value system of each and every employee in the organization, becoming best-in-class is just a matter of time.
To develop such value system, integration of the entire process and involvement of employees along with ownership of process in critical. Information Solution like MES are providing process integration and automation for Organizations globally, which is helping them develop a more efficient, coherent and profitable operation. So what is an MES solution? Well, an MES application, as the name suggests helps better and more reliable execution of a manufacturing process, it gives higher degree of control over the process and facilitates real-time decision making. MES applications integrate every aspect of a production process and ascertain that no vital information is ever missed. Real-Time decision making happens when the MES keeps the process owners informed of every value adding activity at every step and ensures that tasks are performed as scheduled and are conforming to the perquisite standards. Such applications have proven to be extremely successful in controlling costs and increasing throughput.
There are many players in the MES space, that provide MES solutions, but who is the right partner for you? I2DS has the most revered automation and MES implementation team in the industry. Our experts specialize in MES, Factory Automation, PLC, APC, SPC, Data Tapping, Database Management and RFID Implementation. Our approach to automation is highly professional and customer centric. We believe that every process is unique and the level of automation required varies for each organization. Our experts provide automation solution that is not only leading edge but also highly efficient, there by assisting your team to make your process the Best-In-Class process in your industry. I2DS’ customers have experienced a higher throughput, better flexibility and greater profitability ever since they chose I2DS as their automation partner. Our goal is to provide process specific automation and manage the resultant change; this makes us a preferred partner in the industry today. So if you are in need of Leading Edge automation for your production plant, look no further, I2DS is here to assist you in this endeavor. For getting a better idea of how automation can improve your process and achieve a greater profitability, e-mail us right away at info@i2ds.com or just drop your inquiry in the comment box and we will get back to you
by I2DS | Aug 10, 2022 | Blogs
What helps the Organizations that are market leaders get to the position they are at? After wondering about this question myself, I realized that there is one major common factor, Evolution. Yes, the organizations that have made it big have all kept evolving, just like human beings, but only much faster. Organizations that have been proactive in their efforts to understand the needs of their customers and change their products and services accordingly, have been able to capture a larger portion of the market share than those who decided to stick to their old ways of doing things. Companies that spend a higher amount on R&D, also experience a higher volume in sales. It is through systematic and well funded R&D efforts that companies of the modern world have been able to devise much more sophisticated products and services and generate better business than their competitors.
But just having an R&D Lab is not a panacea for all future needs. It is extremely important how you manage the operation of your R&D facility and whether you have effective control on the process. R&D facilities have become more efficient by using technology and IT for managing operations. LIMS or Laboratory Management Information Systems are helping many Labs achieve their diverse objectives. Due to the dynamic nature and needs of an R&D facility no standard LIMS package can be suitable for your Lab. A Pharmaceutical lab has completely different objectives and operational needs than lets say an Aircraft development lab. This makes the design an application of LIMS a highly process specific and complex task.
The core function of LIMS is sample management and to ensure speedy and effective product development; this includes the request from sample from the customer, the process of sample creation and also the tracking & delivery of sample to the customer. This requires data management expertise that is compliance oriented and process specific. A LIMS application can also have features beyond sample management, such as, equipment integration, electronic data exchange, export to excel/spreadsheets, audit management, barcode/RFID applications and the list virtually is endless. The presence of a good sample management application is pivotal for a successful LIMS system as the most important operation of any manufacturing R&D Lab is sample generation as per customer specs, effective sample creation and timely delivery of the said sample.
I2DS has successfully implemented the best-in-class, process specific, LIMS system for its customers. We have the expertise required to understand the diverse needs of different operations and design our solutions accordingly. Our sample management provides the desired functionality to our customers through effective data management, sample requisition tracking, material flow tracking, equipment issue resolution, Quality control, Inventory management, scheduling tools, sample analysis and a comprehensive database related to approval, rejection and compliance matters related to a particular sample. With our LIMS you can rest assured that your R&D facility will be working at optimum efficiency and achieve the desired results for your customers. So if you want to be a leader of innovation and achieve the coveted spot of market leader, I2DS can help you in this pursuit of excellence. All you have to do is e-mail us at info@i2ds.com and we will take care of the rest.
by I2DS | Aug 8, 2022 | Blogs
There 2 basic categories of innovation, one aims at sustaining the current process and product through incremental improvements, or through developing new products from the existing ones, the other type of innovation is disruptive in nature where the products or services being offered start a new trend, by satisfying needs of a needy yet neglected segment of the market and aim at disrupting the flow of innovation through by altering the path used by sustainable innovation. Irrespective of its nature innovation is what keeps the economy expanding, and satisfies the new and ever-evolving needs of the modern customers. Global economic landscape is getting more and more diverse every-day, the buying power of Asian and other third world countries is growing and organizations are contemplating a combination of sustainable and disruptive innovation to make most of the new and emerging global economic trends.
Manufacturing organizations truly have their work cut out for them, the metrics which used to guide strategy and performance have changed and new metrics for both economic performance and process performance have replaced them. Metrics like multi factor productivity, delivery time and R&D efficiency are becoming more important than old metrics like labor costs, process efficiency and other such single dimensional metrics. The infrastructure required to be a market leader in the modern high-tech market has become very complex and depends heavily on innovation and the speed with which innovative solution can be tested and commercialized. The emphasis has shifted from product life cycle measures to total technology growth cycle. To achieve a better position in the modern market, organizations are pursuing innovation through a systems integration perspective.
Today collaborative R&D programs run by the private and government sector has become common and this further substantiates a need for internal and external integration for a better and more productive collaboration. MES technologies will play a crucial role in reducing the over-all R&D cycles and proliferating innovation through comprehensive integration through integration across the entire manufacturing domain. This integration is a vital parameter for successful innovation as each and every activity performed for achieving it needs to be linked to other activities of the process and the process owners need to control the flow and expedite of the entire endeavor. This can be achieved when an MES solution is being employed and it is capable of adapting the process as is, with the ability of making it more flexible and fast, by ensuring decisions are made on hard facts and are made as an event unfolds. Only when the manufacturing of an organization is truly integrated it can achieve the level and speed of innovation it aspires. MES solutions have become pivotal in the pursuit of innovation and will continue to impact the way an Organization approaches and executes innovative endeavors.
by I2DS | Aug 5, 2022 | Blogs
Technology has drastically transformed the way manufacturing industry functions today; it has become the major differentiating factor and is helping the top companies maintain their competitive supremacy in the market. Technology has become a potent weapon for the Best-In-Class organizations and has helped them achieve monopolistic positions in their respective markets. Since the advent of mass customization and delayed differentiation, technology has been used very differently by different companies of the same industry. This means every process has become unique in a bid to achieve differentiation and technology is the main driver behind this subtle differentiation. Thus whenever an organization is contemplating an increment in technology, it is important to consider the entire process as an individual entity, especially when considering an application like MES.
Operations management is also a pillar on which organizations build their competitive advantage. Operations management encompasses the entire organization, expertise in operations management can ensure that the process used by a particular organization remains the best in the industry. Operations Management in manufacturing industry revolves around the idea of managing the process by facts and doing things right the first time. Operations managers have moved from a fire fighting role to a planning role. QBD-Quality By Design, QFD-Quality Function Deployment, SPC-Statistical Process Control and Taguchi’s Quality Function are some of the theories and practices that advocate the involvement of Operations professionals in product planning, product design and process control.
Successful Organizations have realized the importance of Operations Management and Technology. These are the two factors that can make an ordinary operation a very efficient and successful one. An MES application combines both these facets of Operation; it is a combination of Information Technology and Operations Management. Manufacturing Organizations can benefit immensely by the application of MES application, as it provides both automation but also Integration of their entire production process under one comprehensive system. But choosing just any MES application can be very risky and lead to massive losses and develop a negative attitude in the workforce.
To be able to design the perfect MES application, expertise in both Technology and Ops Management are prerequisites. As I mentioned earlier, every manufacturing process has some unique attributes, an MES provider should be able to assess these unique feature and use them in the MES application so as to further benefit the customer’s Organization. I2DS is one such company that can boast of expertise in both Information Technology and Operations Management. The team of experts at I2DS has worked for few of the top organizations world wide and is renowned for its skills in Factory Automation, Information Technology, Data Management and Operation Management. This means that the team does not take any manufacturing process for granted, each process is carefully analyzed to determine the scope and functionality of an MES application.
I2DS brings more to the table than any other MES application provider in the industry. Every MES solution provided is tailor made to suit the present and future technology of the client, with the main aim of making Operation Management more efficient and decision making more concrete. If you also value Technology and Operations Management and believe that your MES application should facilitate these factors, I2DS is the best partner for you. To know more about our solution or to get your process analyzed by our panel of experts, e-mail us at info@i2ds.com or hit the Request Live Demo tab on this webpage and we will get back to you
by I2DS | Aug 4, 2022 | Blogs
By Vivek Bhachawat
Yes, why are LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) applications so popular? Is it just a new fad where everything is blatantly put on an information system irrespective of the organization’s needs? Is LIMS a necessity for every lab? Let’s try and reflect on each question one by one and try to come up with a logical view on LIMS, its effectiveness and the need to equip a lab with it. According to recent public data the annual spending on Research and Development crosses 1000 Billion US Dollars. This fact emphasizes the importance of R&D and the dependence of global economy on R&D efforts. LIMS like other information systems have gained in popularity due to several reasons; let us consider them briefly before going deeper in the topic.
First and foremost LIMS provides an end to end integration of the lab within and across the organizational functions. Second it helps increase efficiency and assigns ownership of activities. Third it helps improve the agility of the operation and helps disseminate information faster and gives correct info to the correct person. Last but certainly no the least, LIMS can be used to gain competitive advantage by modeling it to reflect and amplify the core competencies which are unique to a particular lab and its operating process. LIMS if applied only because it is popular and bought off the shelf, without even considering the process and needs of the R&D function of the organization, it becomes a fad. Although LIMS is a vital tool, buying it off the shelf and ignoring the actual process and needs can be a huge mistake.
LIMS is a necessity because of its ability to improve the internal capabilities of an Organization and can provide a sustainable competitive advantage if applied and managed effectively. There are certain aspects that organizations need to consider internally before selecting a LIMS vendor or a LIMS application. The organization needs to analyze what type of lab they have currently, what do they want from it in the future, how is the technology changing in their industry, what are the needs of process owners from a LIMS perspective and what are the competencies unique to their lab and how can it be preserved and amplified by the application of LIMS. So let’s say that you have a Global R&D lab, which works on developing new products for all your operations world-wide. You need to analyze what is it that makes your lab unique (not necessarily better) and how can you use LIMS to ensure your R&D efforts can improve through LIMS.
Once you have conducted a thorough internal review and established the key areas of the process that make your process unique, you will know to a certain extent how a LIMS application can be beneficial to your lab. The vendor selection and application design should be based of the requirements manifested after the internal review and the final application should be able to make your process more integrated, agile and visible. If you follow the above methodology, I believe your lab will be able to reap the maximum benefit from a LIMS application. So to sum up, LIMS is a necessity, buying LIMS off the shelf is more a waste of money, to realize true benefit of LIMS analyze your R&D process and select a vendor who can help you effectively meet/exceed your needs.
