by I2DS | Nov 6, 2023 | 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; 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. The answer to the initial question asked at the beginning of this is- ‘YES’. Yes a LIMS application does make your lab more efficient as it makes the operation more integrated and responsive, this allows tight coordination between various functions, right from Marketing to Production and helps you cut the Total cost of your R&D endeavor.
by I2DS | Nov 2, 2023 | Blogs
What is a Manufacturing Excellence Application? Does it really work? Does my factory need such an application? I encounter these questions frequently. So, what is a Manufacturing Excellence solution? A manufacturing excellence solution, as the name clearly suggests is an IT application that helps you achieve excellence in manufacturing. No don’t worry; I do not intend to go around in circles. What I mean is that a manufacturing excellence application allows you to monitor, control and improve the performance of all the vital parameters and issues you consider critical for your Organization and your plant’s operation. Let us say that you find Safety, Quality, Communication and Equipment the top four areas of concern for your factory, a Manufacturing Excellence solution provides you an integrated platform to analyze the information pertaining to these key areas and enables you to make real time decisions.
It does work, especially for Organizations that have a culture that relies on setting high standards for themselves and achieving them at any cost. For Organizations that rely heavily on manufacturing, discreet or process, achieving manufacturing excellence is the only way to be more competitive and gain a larger market share. A Manufacturing Excellence solution helps you maintain the high standards you believe in.
Excellence can be achieved when simplicity in decision making and the subsequent action, results from monitoring and control of complex processes. Integration of the entire plant, process and personnel is vital for achieving manufacturing excellence. This integration can result only with the help of an information system that provides a seamless and holistic view of the vital process and personnel related parameters. This system should allow effective monitoring and efficient control for the entire process and aid real time decision making and action. There are many packages available in the market for Manufacturing Excellence, but is just any package the right package?
I believe every manufacturing process is unique; this is because of the fact that each organization has an inherent set of resources and unique environmental conditions. Thus a Manufacturing Excellence application should be process specific and not general. Every Operations manager gives importance to certain parameters, for the sake of this discussion lets say Quality, Safety, Equipment and Factory Communication. If the package available cannot capture the details of the parameters above mentioned, it is rendered useless for this particular Organization.
I2DS has devised a Manufacturing Excellence solution that can fit to your process and give you the power of monitoring and controlling the process parameters you consider vital. So if you believe that Safety, Quality, Factory Communication and Equipment issues are important cost centers and need to be monitored and controlled effectively, I2DS’ Manufacturing Excellence allows you to do exactly that. You have the capability to assign priorities and owners to each issue, see the real time actions and judge the performance of the entire process or the performance of individual parameters. With I2DS as your Excellence partner, you will never miss a vital issue and will be able to reduce the operating costs drastically, thereby achieving better profitability. With I2DS you can gain process excellence and this would help you become the Best-In-Class Operation. So open your doors to Manufacturing Excellence and I2DS, write into us at info@i2ds.com, and give us the opportunity to help you achieve excellence in all your competitive priorities.
by I2DS | Oct 31, 2023 | Blogs
The scenario in manufacturing is changing from highly centralized production to a distributed and decentralized production. The main drivers for such distribution is the availability of raw materials, issues related to transfer pricing and taxes, labor skills, govt./non govt. grants and proximity to markets or suppliers. Organizations manufacturing complex products or ones that are customized just before delivery are opting for highly diversified production plants in terms of capacity, location and processes. This way of manufacturing seems lucrative and a sure fire way to become more flexible and responsive, but there are many downsides to it. Such a manufacturing requires perfect synchronization between the various production units, it also requires real-time capacity planning and ability to change schedules as required. These requirements put immense pressure on the management of the plants as the success of the Operations Strategy depends on their ability to communicate and execute such production in a relayed manner.
Organizations which succeed in running production plants, which manufacture various components of a common end product, are able to do so by using IT applications which allow systematic and synchronized execution of the process. MES applications are increasingly making diverse manufacturing a reality. Through an operation wide MES system, it is possible for an Organization to plan production, design, WIP and Logistics, Centrally, while keeping the execution of the production process Decentralized. Modern MES systems are web-based and allow seamless integration of all production facilities irrespective of their geographic location. It is only through these applications that an operation can act as single entities even when it’s various components have a different geographic location.
MES applications allow for a greater degree of control as they are able to incorporate the production process being executed at diverse location as a single integrated process, residing on a single system. Which means for the system the location of activities is not a barrier any more; it portrays the execution of these activities along with relevant metrics associated with the same. So let’s say a US based company which sources its raw material from Brazil, China and India, then processes them into components in its factories Taiwan and Germany and finally assembles the finished product in USA and China, can plan, monitor and control this entire process through a single MES application. This allows for both efficient production and effective centralized control of the entire operation.
As we move towards more visible and viable globalization due to better trade environment and uniform trade policies, dispersed production will become more and more popular. To reap the benefits associated with dispersed manufacturing, organizations will increasingly move towards MES and the way in which they utilize this system will determine their profitability and position in the highly competitive and closely knit global market. So if you are a company which is willing to diversify your production and increase profitability, it is highly advisable to consider an MES application which can provide synchronization and integration for your entire operation.
by I2DS | Oct 30, 2023 | Blogs
Have you ever noticed the sea change that is taking place every day in the market, ever wondered what is driving these rapid changes and how does your Organization keep abreast with the rest of the industry? Well, let’s take it from the top, Markets today are changing rapidly because of four major factors, these are- 1) Technology, 2) Customer Demands 3) Globalization and Trade Agreements and 4) Market Forces (Competition, Suppliers etc.). These factors are the major driving forces behind the extremely dynamic and volatile nature of the present day market. Customer demands have made companies realize the importance of constantly upgrading their product, Globalization means that companies have to cater to markets world-wide to avoid saturation also it means they have to face global competition, Market forces applies constraints on the company in terms of capacity planning and market segments it can cater to, last but certainly not the least, Technology is by far the most important force as it decides the image of your Organization and how profitable your operations can be. Technology has completely transformed the way Organizations do business and how customers perceive the business. How is that? You may ask. Well have you ever purchased anything Online? Made a payment and never even thought of withdrawing it from the Bank? Yes is the obvious answer. This is how technology has changed the way we live; we think and perceive the market. About 20 years ago everything had to be done physically and the level of contact required was much higher than it is today. Technology has brought the world closer and made information more accessible than ever. So, if you are a Manufacturing Organization how does technology matter for you? Even if you have high end equipment which was a huge capital investment, are you really making optimum use of technology? Are you able to process the data from this high tech equipment and make real-time decisions? Do you need to better utilize your information? Let us reflect on the above mentioned questions and understand the importance of MES or a Manufacturing Execution System. At I2DS, we believe it’s essential to have an MES system for your factory operations; factories are the most vital part of an organization that manufactures any product. Information Processing and Real-Time decision making is critical in a modern manufacturing environment, an MES system allows you to control and optimize your operation in real time. I2DS’ MES solution is one of the best in the industry if not the best. We have been able to quench the thirst for technology by providing our clients with the right system for their operations. Our systems provide a complete automation of your operation, and enable real time SPC, APC, RFID Integration, Inventory/Vendor Management, EDC etc. Our high tech and user friendly HMI or Human Machine Interface assures that all employees can be trained to effectively use the system and the change can be managed without much resistance. MES systems are the future for all manufacturing organizations and those who have realized its importance are reaping its benefits as we speak. So then what are you waiting for, get an MES system for your Factory right away and truly optimize your operation. Write into us at info@i2ds.com and let us show you how technology can synergize and optimize the way you operate.
by I2DS | Oct 27, 2023 | Blogs
How much money do you think you loose due to excursions that occur on a daily basis on your production floor on a daily basis? Excursions that occur due to lack of planning, preventive maintenance and lack of process insight can become a major cost center. Also due to the highly random nature of excursions it becomes very hard to detect them and prevent them from happening. During a process simple or complicated, there are thousands of things that can go wrong, the more complex the procedure the more excursions that can occur. So, is there any way to detect a possible excursion and prevent it from becoming a major cost center?
Yes, there is a way. Process integration is the best way to achieve excursion prevention. The major area where an excursion is most likely to occur is generally at the interface of two subsequent operations of the process. This is because of the fact that the material under process changes hands during subsequent operations in terms of machines and personnel. With an integrated process the chances of an excursion happening become really slim, this is because there is a clear communication path and free flow of information in the entire process.
Theories like Total Productive Maintenance or TPM greatly emphasize the need for excursion prevention rather than the standard practice of excursion detection and subsequent corrective action. Most manufacturing processes in the world have become highly complex, to make it difficult for competition to imitate them, also almost every production process is unique in some way even though the equipment used might be similar to others. Information Technology and process automation and integration applications are helping organizations around the world exercise better control and achieve higher excursion prevention.
But just any ‘off the shelf’ application will not help you improve your unique process and changing the entire process to better suit the soft ware application does not make sense. A tailor made solution is required that has been designed to suit your process and then achieve the required functionality of excursion prevention. I2DS has been able to devise such solution which are helping its customers increase the effectiveness of their prevention efforts and thereby increasing their profitability as well.
Most systems lack the capability of tracking material through the production line; this may lead to a major loss in material and production time. There is an evident need for a solution that can help track material throughout the production line and I2DS has just the solution for this problem. 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 solutions are 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@i2ds.com.
by I2DS | Oct 26, 2023 | Blogs
There are two universal variables each organization deals with and it is these variables that determine the shape, size and future of the operations. These variables are Market Forces and Internal Capabilities. Both these factors are constantly changing and interdependent, this means that every organization in the world keeps changing as per changes in these factors. In present day and age most operations in the world have become customer centric and Quality of products have become the most important deliverable. The above statement implies that now the market forces are stronger than ever and most successful organizations have realized this and have been able to successfully alter their internal capabilities accordingly. Due to smarter consumers and their short attention span the cycle time for product development and market it has become shorter than ever. The total time taken from the conception of a product till it’s ready to sell is called Time-To-Market or simply TTM. The market leader has the luxury of a high TTM; the followers unfortunately do not have this luxury. For industries in which the products are outmoded or need updating continuously the TTM is even smaller for example the Software industry, FMCG industry etc. Shorter TTM means higher pressure on the R&D and Marketing function, but even the other verticals are also under a constant and ever increasing pressure. So how do you survive in such difficult times? How do you ensure you can sustain under the adverse market conditions and still improve your bottom line? At I2DS, we have got the answers to all your questions, we have a strong belief that only an Organization that has flexible operations can survive in today’s cut throat market. Our solutions are aimed at providing your organization with rapid development times, quick cycle times and fully integrated operations. We achieve this through our state-of-the-art MES, Manufacturing Excellence, Data Management and Factory Automation solutions. These solutions adapt to your operations and then integrate it to make it a cohesive and flexible unit; each solution is equipped with powerful tools that provide unparalleled functionality. These powerful tools drastically reduce your TTM, but to see these tools in action and know more about them you have to get in touch with us at info@i2ds.com.
