by I2DS | Feb 5, 2021 | Blogs
Ever since the beginning of human civilization, what sets us apart from other animals in the world is our ability to communicate, express thoughts and process information. Human beings have come a long way from gathering food, scavenging and hunting to building super cities and living in well established industrial societies. Do you ever think how has that been possible, it cant be just intelligence right? When I think about the growth of human beings on the whole, it strikes me that the main reason for our amazing growth is our ability to innovate and the pursuit of being better. Yes, human beings are inherently dissatisfied with what they have; we aspire to be better, faster, stronger and safer than we were yesterday. This active discontentment has lead to the innovation of almost everything man has created.
Most evident example of the above statement is the growth and complete transformation of manufacturing as an industry. Ever since manufacturing became an industry, it has been transformed and evolved, to achieve more than it did yesterday. This is true for all industries irrespective of the end product or genre of manufacturing. Major leaps have been taken in how the work is performed; the level of automation has increased from 0 to a 100 percent in some industries. The credit for this massive change goes to the very discontentment I mentioned before and I am an ardent admirer of it. It is this discontentment that drives the development and implementation of technological innovations.
Besides the high level of automation in terms of machinery, what else has changed in manufacturing industry? It is the way industries process information that has completely changed. However the development of highly efficient manufacturing information systems can still be considered to be in their nascent stage. But information systems and applications are undoubtedly the future of manufacturing Organizations. It is the same need of being faster; better, more efficient and more profitable that is driving this change and the revolution called IT. Yes, IT applications are making manufacturing processes more efficient by providing better process control, higher throughput, lower costs, real-time decision making and thereby greater profitability. Even for industries at the pinnacle of technology in terms of equipment and process capability, IT applications can still lead to better process performance, faster cycle time and a boost in profitability.
The need of having better information processing and higher level of transparency coupled with the desire to achieve better quality and control are the key drivers of the proliferation of Information systems in manufacturing. The level of excellence that you desire and crave from your process is only possible through the application of IT solutions. You will be amazed to see how IT has influenced every aspect of production right from design to dispatch of the end products. Now that we have established the necessity of IT applications and justified that they are the future of manufacturing, let me introduce to you the premium provider of these innovative and efficient IT application, I2DS.
I2DS has realized the need of the futuristic organizations to manage and retain their knowledge and has developed Information solutions to meet these needs of future, today. We offer a seamless integration for the entire Organization, our services and solutions range from Database Management to Manufacturing Excellence. We can achieve the level of integration desired by the Organization as we have developed solutions that are aimed at automation of Information Processing and better Knowledge Management. Let’s have a brief glance at all our verticals; they are, Data Management, Factory Automation, Factory MES, Manufacturing Excellence and IT/Software services.
Our verticals have been designed specially to provide integrated platforms, which have the functionality of converting raw data to information and providing seamless information to achieve smooth learning resulting in an Organization wide Knowledge Base. We have experts in all verticals mentioned above, which gives us the ability to empathize with Organizations and realize their pain points better, our solutions are aimed at resolving present information problems and better dealing with the future ones. So if you are an Organization that aspires to be a market leader through effective and efficient Information Management, I2DS is the right partner for you. If you want to get a glimpse of our world class product line e-mail us at info@i2ds.com or hit the Request Live Demo button on this page.
by I2DS | Jan 20, 2021 | Blogs
By Vivek Bhachawat
It is often a matter of debate whether or not the pursuit of excellence is feasible economically? Organizations around the world have a divided opinion about the pursuit of excellence in operations and production process, this is because of the fact that the technology is changing at a very brisk pace in most of the prominent industries. The top management of such organizations is always in a dilemma that the pursuit of excellence would prove to be very costly and become redundant if there is a dramatic change in the technology of the industry. Also another impediment in the pursuit of process excellence would be the effort required towards the achievement of overall process excellence.
I believe that there is a basic flaw in the above perspective which is the way the top management of organizations associate process excellence with costs. I believe excellence should be pursued in every aspect that the customers associate with the end product’s end. A process being the set of activities and tasks which add value to a product, excellence is desired in all facets of the process which correspond to the customer’s perspective of value. Only when excellence is pursued in terms of the resultant value it can provide, it starts to seem economically feasible. Also, the application of flexible IT systems in manufacturing operations, make the achievement of process excellence easier. Modern IT applications such as the MES, Manufacturing Excellence, Data Analytics and Manufacturing Intelligence packages are able to incorporate and adapt to any technology changes that might occur in the future, without having to change the basic design and operation of the application. Such IT applications enable operations personnel to view the process as a set of value adding activities and pursue excellence in those activities that have a major impact on the customer value.
IT applications allow economic and systematic improvements to be made. An Organization may follow any of the excellence techniques from TQM to BPR, if it has the right IT infrastructure to support their efforts it would be able to succeed in a way that will reflect actual enhancement in the customer’s value. So the real question that arises here is, whether or not my IT infrastructure can support the pursuit of process excellence? If the answer to this question is No, then I am afraid the economic outcome of excellence efforts might not be very pleasing to the management, if the answer is Yes, then the organization is capable of achieving excellence if it sticks with the value perspective explained above. So if you are a customer centric organization and you lay emphasis on the value your process can add, the pursuit of excellence will be economically feasible if you have the IT infrastructure to support it.
by I2DS | Jan 4, 2021 | Blogs
How do you think Organizations that are market leaders get to the position they are at? I have wondered about this question myself and 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, only 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. 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 | Dec 29, 2020 | Blogs
Have you ever wondered what sets apart a great company from a mediocre one? Why is it that some companies achieve a Six Sigma level of production and others fail, even though they have adapted the same theoretical practice? How can you achieve this new paradigm of Manufacturing Excellence? Let’s take a shot at each question one by one. A great company is driven to achieve excellence at any cost, customer satisfaction is their top priority closely followed by Quality. Great companies adopt and apply tailor made technology for integrating and improving their operations simultaneously. Achieving Six Sigma level production and productivity is only possible is the process is stable and controlled and there is a clear knowledge of all process variables and attributes. Again such high productivity requires an integrated process that can be controlled in real time. Achieving Manufacturing Excellence is possible for any organization which is willing to adopt information technology that can provide integration and real time decision making capabilities. But purchasing any ‘Of The Shelf Package’ available in the market might not be the solution, simply because it is difficult to adapt your process to a standard software application. What you require is a Tailor Made Package made just for you and a right partner to help develop the application, train your work force and manage the entire change process with you. I2DS has developed one of the best Manufacturing Excellence package in the market today, which has high adaptability and provides seamless integration of all verticals and amazing real time control capability. The Manufacturing Excellence application we offer covers all critical areas such as Quality, Safety, Factory Communication and Equipment related issues. Due to the all pervasive nature of the application every issue that needs managerial attention is captured and can be resolved in real time. Achieving Six Sigma level production is highly dependent on detecting and removing assignable causes of process disruption. This is possible only when every disruptive issue related to all process specific parameters can be detected, its cause can be determined by drill down analysis and requisite action is taken as fast as possible. I2DS’ Manufacturing Excellence application has the ability to adapt to the parameters you deem as vital; this makes integration with your process easier and faster. However I know that you may want to look at the application before believing me, so write into us at info@i2ds.com and let us show you how to achieve Manufacturing Excellence. Let us be your partners in the journey towards achieving Process and Product Excellence.
by I2DS | Dec 11, 2020 | Blogs
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. 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 | Nov 5, 2020 | Blogs
TQM, Lean, Lean-Six-Sigma and Six Sigma are various theories of Operations Management or management on the whole that are helping organizations become more efficient and profitable around the world. I believe that these theories or management philosophies have a lot in common and should be pursued in spirit. We should try and understand the end goal of these theories rather than trying to implement them blindly without proper consideration. These theories should be treated more like guidelines rather than a set of rules or do’s and don’ts. What all these theories tend to stress on is the reduction of operational costs, increase of throughput, attention to Quality, better relationships and involvement of customers, employees and suppliers and above all the pursuit of sustainable profitability.
These theories lay emphasis on understanding the external environment and internal capabilities and achieving a dynamic equilibrium between the two. The approach to achieving this end goal is different in different theories, but the goal is the same. One major pointer that is emphasized in all modern management theories is that management should be fact based, that management decisions must be based on hard evidence and not managerial whims and fancies. The fact based approach brings me to the topic of my blog, which is implementation of management practices through IT applications.
IT applications can prove to be an effective way to apply and practice management theories. The beauty of such IT applications is that they can be tailor made for your process, which makes it easier for the staff to implement and can help improve the operations in the future. Depending upon the industry, IT applications can be programmed to monitor all vital process metrics, analyze the process performance, impart training, aid communication, facilitate supply chain integration, control production, improve safety, achieve quality excellence and the list can practically go on for ever. We need to understand that IT applications are not and elixir to our problems but are tools that can help us better resolve existing problems that we face on a day-to-day basis.
The idea is to implement IT applications in such a way that they facilitate real-time, fact based and potent decision making at all three levels of decision making i.e. at the Strategic level, Tactical level and at the Operational level. The design of the IT application should be such that it can suffice the decision making needs at all three levels and yet be comprehensive in its reach throughout the Organization. IT can help any organization and at any desired level of management, the need and scope of IT applications remain debatable and are best analyzed when considered for a particular process. My agenda here is to highlight that IT is a great tool because of its speed, agility and accuracy and should be given a consideration by all Organizations who are in pursuit of Operational Excellence and Profitability. I do not believe in following any management theory blindly without understanding its possible outcomes and neither do I promote blind faith in IT as an ultimate cure for all management problems.
I believe it is important to understand what your business needs to achieve the goal it has set for itself, besides the obvious goal of profit maximization. I strongly advocate fact based management and believe the IT applications can help achieve better results in a faster more organized manner. However, it is very important that before jumping to a so called IT solution we analyze our needs both external and internal, we understand the problem areas or pain points and then decide how and to what extent an IT platform can help appease our needs. I would like to conclude by reemphasizing a few pointers that I believe should be a part of any endeavor made towards improving management and improving profitability, they are, never choose a management practice blindly, use management practices as guidelines, try and improve profitability and quality and above all consider IT as a vital tool available to achieve your goals. If you have any questions or comments about this blog feel free to write to us at info@i2ds.com or just leave a comment in the comment box and I will get back to you.
