by | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
What is the most important requirement of effective operations management? I believe there may be many answers to this question, but after asking it to a lot of colleagues, managers etc. I came to a conclusion that it’s Information. Yes, Information is absolutely vital for effective management and efficient operations & not just any information, for the information to be of any use it has to be relevant, accurate, streamlined and available when required. Information that has above mentioned features aids effective decision making which in turn helps improve the bottom line. Having established the need of information the next question is- What is the source of this information? The most common source of information is Data Reports. Every organization no matter how big or small generates many reports, these reports then help Managers make decisions which are supposed to cut costs, improve productivity, enhance efficiency etc. But unfortunately even detailed reports that provide a deep insight on the subject fail to elicit great decisions. The major flaw in traditional reports is that they are hardly ever streamlined & although they may have potent information, the important data gets lost in cumbersome and wordy report body. Another flaw is that Real-Time decision making requires Real-Time reporting tools, which is not the case in most reports generated today. By making the above statement I do not wish to undermine the traditional ways of reporting but rather my aim is to inform you how can these reports be made even stronger and more effective. We at i2DS strongly advocate the importance of streamlined reports and real-time report generation. All our products have the feature of generating reports in real-time within our system. Our MES and Manufacturing Excellence solutions have the capability of creating reports in various forms and these reports contain all the vital information you require for decision making right now. My personal favorite is the Graph Reporting tool, which allows you to analyze the information in graphical form, appraise each issue owner-wise, equipment-wise, issue-wise or what have you. I call this tool the ‘Manager’s Delight’. All of us know that we would prefer to look at a graph to make better and faster decisions and then if required drill down on a particular issue to gain clarity rather than reading a huge, wordy and cumbersome report. At I2DS we have made reporting what it should be i.e. relevant, accurate, streamlined and fast, we know time is of the essence and we have made our systems accordingly. So do you want to see these amazing tools I have just mentioned, in action? Do you want to see how your operations can become more efficient? Then write into us at info@i2ds.com. & we will amaze you.
by | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
Inventory is one of the major cost-centers that industries deal with, it has been the center of many studies and theories, for example Just In Time Manufacturing Theory revolves around the reduction of inventory costs. Inventory is considered to be one of the three major pillars of any successful organization along with Operational Expense and Throughput. So is it vital to manage inventory effectively? Obviously the answer is Yes. But the more valid questions here are – Is my inventory Management System effective? Does it save money? Can it be improved? Let us discuss these questions in detail but first we need to understand the concept of Inventory. My definition of Inventory is really simple ‘Any material that enters a facility is Inventory till it is converted into a product and shipped.’ So that means good arriving as raw materials, work in progress materials and even finished goods not yet shipped are all inventories. So if you have an inventory management system that supports only ware-house inventory or WIP inventory or Dispatch inventory then the system is ineffective and it will make your operations inefficient. At I2DS we have a solution for this predicament; our Inventory Management System integrates all types of inventory in one feature. What our system does is it tracks material right from the time it enters the Ware-House to when it’s being processed, right up to the EOL or the end of your production line. Also our inventory management has the ability to integrate itself with your present ERP application if any and provide you with a seamless inventory management solution.
We at I2DS have the best and most experienced professionals who have a wealth of experience in managing factory ops and MES implementation. Therefore our Inventory Management Tool will give you the results you have always desired, because we know the importance of inventory and effective inventory management. To get a glimpse of this amazing solution all you have to do is get in touch with us at info@i2ds.com or Request Live Demo. Let us at I2DS make your Inventory Management effective for you, we are waiting to hear from you.
by I2DS | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
Factory performance is often neglected by even the most diligent of management professionals and top bosses. There is a high attention paid to Sales, Marketing, Customer Service and Finance, these verticals are given extra attention as they are considered to be direct contributors to the bottom line. Well, I think this is the first place where Organizations go wrong, factories should be given ample attention and production/operation should be considered one of the most important verticals if not the most important. Production function directly affects costs, inventory and throughput; if all these parameters are not managed properly your factory is already loosing money, even before you can actually sell your product in the market. Factory performance should be monitored perennially and sincere efforts should be made towards optimizing the performance of the factory unit.
Technology plays an important, rather a pivotal role in profit and performance optimization for modern factory units. Yes, gone are the days when engineers would spend hours doing complex statistical analysis of the process to find assignable causes of production issues. Today, technology has given engineers the power to monitor and manipulate the process and process parameters in real-time. IT applications are making operations more profitable today and moving them towards operational excellence for tomorrow. Information solutions like the MES or Manufacturing Execution Systems, Factory Automation, Manufacturing Excellence applications and Data analytics are vital for improving profitability of a factory unit. With the help of these information applications factories are improving their performance in all three vital parameters related to production, i.e. Inventory, Operational Expense and Throughput.
So you need to ask yourself, is my factory making enough money? But before asking this question first ask this, do I know what is happening in my factory? Is it running at optimal efficiency? Is my performance improving on a regular basis? Does my process locate and eliminate the bottlenecks before any loss in production? If you are able to answer these questions first, you would get a good idea of how much money your factory is making or loosing. It is important that organizations understand the importance of technology in achieving a profitable and integrated factory operation. If you find that you are unable to answer above questions effectively, you need the help of an expert that specializes in providing optimization solutions for your factory performance. You need to plan strategically, develop a time-based plan to improve profitability and implement process specific IT applications to help automate and integrate your process.
I2DS is one of the leading experts in factory performance optimization and has been able to improve the performance and profitability of organizations world-wide. Information Solutions being developed by I2DS achieve not only high productivity but also make a difference to the bottom line by reducing costs and increasing profitability. The range of products we offer are- Factory MES, Communication Management, Manufacturing Excellence, Inventory Management, Safety Management, Quality Management, Equipment Management, Database Management and Process Automation. The above mentioned solutions are tailor-made to our client’s needs and can be applied individually or as a complete package. With solutions such as the ones I have just discussed you can better control your process and set achievable targets for boosting productivity. Our solutions are helping our customers increase their profitability and cut operating cost at the same time. I2DS systems have the capability to integrate your entire process irrespective of location, equipment type, level of automation and process complexity. So if you agree with me and need a partner who will make your operations more productive and profitable write to us at info@i2ds.com.
by I2DS | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
FIS stands for Factory Information System; it is an application which is considered crucial by automation experts. There are many versions and variants in which an FIS can be applied in a factory but we will look into that part a bit later in the article. Right now let’s focus on what an FIS really is and what makes it so necessary for modern factories. To begin with let us focus on the value of information, and the need to have real time info about the factory floor. Every manager irrespective of position or function will agree with me when I say that the correct information obtained at the right time is considered priceless. The reason behind this statement is that information that is gained a little too late has already caused some amount of damage, even though it might not be palpable at that point of time.
There is an ever present need to obtain information at the right time and for that information to reach the right person. Let us imagine a scenario where an engineer notes a leakage from a very expensive piece of machinery, he changes the seal which was causing the leakage and notes it in his journal. This particular episode is not noted any where else and the maintenance manager remains completely unaware of the event. Now, the leak still persists and is noted by another engineer, he too does what the first engineer had done. This way the root cause of the problem remains undetected, till it is brought to the manager’s notice and by the time an important part of the machinery has already failed. This causes losses that are multifaceted in nature; there is loss of money, machine up-time, labor, spare parts etc.
Such events and losses become hard to miss when an FIS system is in place. The FIS system is designed to record every event on the factory floor and can be viewed by the entire factory team. This application can also be used to provide training, inspiration and motivation to the workforce. However like I had mentioned earlier the functionality of the application can be defined by the management committee in-charge of deciding the extent and features of the application. The key thing is to realize the importance of the application to begin with and then comes the features and functionality of the application.
I2DS has developed a unique FIS solution. Our FIS system is truly at the forefront of technological advancements in the manufacturing space. It enables rapid data communication from the production floor and provides the organization with a real-time status on equipment status, WIP profile, and other factory metrics. We at I2DS realize the importance of process related information and how the flow of this information can affect the bottom line of your organization. Our FIS gives management a complete picture of what is happening on their Factory Floor, this helps better and faster decision making, that in turn increases organizational flexibility and aids continuous improvement.
Factory Information Systems help you better utilize your equipment, make better tactical plans, improve cycle time, locate and relieve bottlenecks and achieve your true capacity. FIS system can provide above mentioned functionalities because it makes all the important metrics available for analysis and subsequent decision making in real-time. FIS Technology if used effectively can change the way your factory operates, let I2DS be your automation partner and reach the pinnacle of efficiency and profit optimization. To get an experience of our amazing FIS solution and other Factory Automation Solutions e-mail us right away at info@i2ds.com
by I2DS | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
Is Safety the first priority in your Organization? Is worker safety and a hazard free working environment really what you strive for? It is seen that many organizations have fancy policies and documents portraying the concern they have for the safety of their workforce, but the reality is very different. Safety is the most basic and primary need for any individual and the duty of the management of any organization to fulfill this need is implied. As per Maslow’s theory about ‘Hierarchy of needs’, Safety, at the workplace is the most first and foremost need of any worker. So when we say Safety First, we should mean it and work towards achieving it, because no one would like to work in an unsafe working environment.
Today there are various industrial safety standards around the world that are helping Organizations better understand and develop safety related policies and procedures, OSHA Act 1970 USA- Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act, is one such example, where a clearly defined set of rules have to be adhered to for Safety and Health. Almost every country has similar rules for the minimum safety requirements for industrial establishments. Companies around the world need to better monitor and achieve these safety standards, but the problem that they face is that the efforts made for safety management are not fully integrated, there is a need for a system that would provide a greater insight on what is happening and what needs to be done for safety across the entire Organization.
At I2DS we truly believe in the Mantra- ‘Safety First.’, we have developed the most comprehensive Safety Management Solution for Organizations like yours. Our system has the ability to integrate the safety efforts of your entire organization on a single platform; it will ensure that safety is not just a priority on paper, but in practice. Our system gives you amazing functionalities such as, the ability to plan and organize safety events, provide trainings, assign owners to safety tasks, view safety events such as Audits as they happen, prioritize safety issues and so much more. If you really believe Safety is your prime concern, then don’t wait, get in touch with us right now and help us make your working environment safer than ever before. Our e-mail id is- info@i2ds.com, or you can also hit the Request Live Demo link and we will get back to you.
by I2DS | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
MES applications are transforming the way production units operate, they are making factories more integrated, efficient and quality oriented. MES applications are basically software solutions that have the capability to provide seamless integration for a manufacturing facility, right from warehouse to the EOL or end of production line. An MES app helps you manage production in real-time and prevent formation of bottle-necks, monitor and control your process and above all improve the overall efficiency of production. The major advantage of having an MES app is the clarity you have about your process and how fast and accurate decision making becomes. The major contribution that such an app provides is towards the Quality of the end-product. An MES app can help you monitor every aspect of product quality and ensure that the end-product is compliant and perfect.
The heart of an MES app is an SPC tool, it is through this SPC tool that real-time data analysis and decision making is possible. An SPC application allows to enter and analyze all process and product related metrics. Such a tool can lead to not only 100% compliance but also help improve quality by removing assignable causes of errors. Companies that aim for a Six Sigma level process or the ones aiming to achieve Lean management in the true sense can hugely benefit from an SPC system embedded in their MES application. This saves not only cost but precious time that is otherwise wasted doing complex calculation, which is subject to human error or calculation error if performed manually. An SPC application also provides visual tools that help understand the Data better and achieve better process control. I believe an MES application is incomplete without an SPC application.
So the real question here is, how important is SPC in your Organization? Is your SPC application capable of delivering high class and potent decision making info? Do you need a better SPC application, embedded in your MES app? These questions are extremely critical if you are a manufacturing Organization that has highly complex processes and high quality standards for your final products. SPC application today requires being highly efficient and delivering much more than just basic trend charts. If your SPC application is delivering just Trend Charts you are not fully utilizing the power an SPC application can truly provide. A truly potent and capable SPC should be capable of applications like CpK Charts, Real-Time Process Data, Trends feedback, Tool Shutdown, SMS Text Capabilities, E-mail alerts and other process specific charts and reports.
At I2DS we realize the value a good SPC tool in your Organization’s system can add value to your entire operations. Our SPC solution is integrated in our MES system and it allows the above mentioned functionalities in real time. This makes your control function extremely powerful as you can monitor SPC data in real time and make decisions simultaneously, that too without having to use any other system/tool for analysis. Our SPC might appear magical to a common man but it’s a powerful tool for a manager who deals with issues like quality and cost of production. I2DS’ SPC has the capability to integrate and compare the process data from multiple factories of the Organization, providing you a comprehensive analysis tool. Our SPC is the perfect Quality and Equipment ‘Doctor’, because it helps you diagnose and cure every issue pertaining to them. The reports that our SPC generates helps you get a 360 degree view of the entire operation and this helps you make more accurate and profitable decisions. So for a live demo e-mail us at info@i2ds.com or request a Live Demo on this web page.
