by I2DS | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
By Vivek Bhachawat
Quality, Speed, Dependability, Flexibility and Cost, these are the vital competitive priorities that are considered most crucial for Organizations today. All these parameters are dependent on the availability of relevant and potent information. It is the acquisition and manipulation of the right information that has helped market leaders get the no. 1 spot in their respective industries. To acquire correct information, data collection, database management and data processing is mandatory. Organizations today lay a great emphasis on collection of data generated both inside the organization and outside.
Let’s first consider the importance of Data, its management and why is it so important to have robust data architecture? Each Organization in the world generates large volumes of Data every day, every hour, every minute; practically all the time. However this data becomes useless if not stored in a proper Database and not processed in a strong Database Management System. Today IT is the biggest concern globally and opposed to normal belief these concerns are not being eliminated rather they are escalating, as the products being manufactured worldwide are becoming more and more complex and the need to have the right info as and when required is more intense than ever.
The process of achieving a robust IT infrastructure begins with the purchase of the right hardware, followed by the correct software applications. The right database architecture and features like, data mining, data processing and data reports are very important for a successful IT implementation. At I2DS we have a strong belief that the results achieved today should amplify and improve in the future. We provide the best knowledge management services in the industry today, because we plan for tomorrow by applying solutions today. With I2DS as your Data Management partner you can achieve the desired level of data proficiency today and also plan for the future. We are committed to providing the right solutions for you.
I2DS provides many solutions and services such as- 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. So if you are an Organization that plans for future success with the application of right solutions today, if you wish to incorporate Organizational learning in your culture, I2DS is the best choice for you. Just e-mail us at info@i2ds.com and we will get back to you with the best possible solution for your data management needs.
by I2DS | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
By Vivek Bhachawat
The biggest requirement of Big Data Analytics can be considered the paradigm shift required in the perspective of the Top Management of the organizations wanting to implement the same. The management has to realize that the economy has become heavily dependant on information and the work force needed for survival in such an economy has to be a knowledgeable workforce. This means that the organization has to make Analytics an active part of Strategy making, where information obtained is used to strengthen competitive position. We have seen in previous Blogs, what are the challenges that lie in the path of Big Data Analytics implementation. Today however we want to focus on what else is required for the endeavor to succeed even if the management is aware where it will source the info from, where it will use it and who will make the applications.
Yes, even if the Organization has overcome the primary challenges in the Analytics application, there are many perils that lie ahead in the path of sustained value addition and success from the implementation of Big Data Analytics. The major one being the training and conditioning required to be given to the personnel. The major source of resistance to any change, which changes the way in which work is performed, faces major resistance in every Organization. In the case of Data Analytics, employees need to learn how to make sense from the complex information that they encounter and how to best use it, to add value to the operation. The exercise of applying an analytics application would bear fruition only if it is used with dexterity by workers and staff capable of properly using the valuable information they receive.
The challenge for the management here is to manage the changes required by the analytics application along with the actual implementation of the application itself. The process has to begin from Top, with the top executives taking initiative and making the importance of the endeavor felt throughout the Organization’s hierarchy. One key activity to facilitate the change from status quo to the desired state, is the systematic description of Job Roles and Responsibilities, based on the Analytics implementation and how they would impact the remuneration, incentives and bonuses of all the employees in the Organization. The HR and Functional departments and their heads would play a key role as change agents, as they would play an active role in conditioning the employees and slowly steering them towards the use of the application or the part of application intended from them. It is very important to train the front-line employees in analytics as they represent the company at the customer end, their being knowledgeable and informed would have a great impact on the company’s bottom line. The Organization should also look for partners who not only develop tailor-made Analytics applications, but who are also capable to act as active change agents and are capable of transforming any resistance from the workforce to a thrust for the successful implementation of the application.
The road to a successful Data-analytics implementation is filled with challenges and requires careful planning both in terms of the application deliverables and the actual implementation of the same. Just a decision to purchase an application from a well-known vendor, might look like a smart move, but what you should ask yourself is- Have we done enough home-work on how and what the application should be? Is our workforce capable of using the info which will be generated through the application? Who will train the workers and what would be the time and capital required? So, if you are looking to turnaround your business with Analytics, this Blog should give you a better picture from an Organizational Perspective.
by I2DS | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
By Vivek Bhachawat
Most management and quality theorists believe that Quality comprises of 9 dimensions, which are- Aesthetics, Conformity, Durability, Features, Reputation, Response, Reliability, Service and Performance. Now out of these nine dimensions, depending on the nature of service or type of product offered a dimension or a few dimensions become more relevant. So for an apparel manufacturer, aesthetics, reputation and durability may be of more importance, quality wise, in contrast for a pharmaceutical manufacturer, the importance of conformance, reliability and the performance of the drug are vital. So, although the dimensions of quality remain almost the same in every industry, their relative importance keeps changing. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial when you consider Quality management for your process as it is important to understand the real meaning of quality from a customer and market perspective. Once you have established, what really matters for you, in terms of quality, you can begin the process of achieving world class quality levels.
Let’s consider a typical modern manufacturing process to understand how and where quality excellence can be pursued and achieved. Generally, most modern manufacturing processes are automated to a large extent in terms of process equipment, with the role of workers, restricted to operating the equipment or monitoring their performance. In such automated production floors the role Quality Control and Quality Assurance has become very different from that in manual processes. In an automated environment quality is dependent on the performance of the machines and the ability of the productions staff to keep the machines working to the optimum level. Also the interface between subsequent processes is extremely important to ensure the product being manufactured conforms to standards at every stage of production. The best way to achieve this is through strict quality control and monitoring, which can be achieved in a faster and more productive way through Information Systems, such as the MES and SPC.
These systems provide a seamless integration of your process and provide end-to-end visibility, this allows for further automation of the process and ensures activities are performed to ensure effectiveness and elevate efficiency. SPC applications have become so evolved that they not only provide a visual representation of the product/process quality, but are also capable of providing various perspectives to look at the process, in terms of metrics and their combinations. This means a user can view charts, graphs and process performance data, from multiple viewpoints and perform a myriad of calculations, by just a click on the display. When IT applications give such visibility and coverage, it is nearly impossible not to notice a quality related issue, they also help determine assignable causes and help curtail or eliminate them entirely. Besides SPC, an MES also allows you to monitor the process in terms of the equipment, and their efficiency. It helps determine the overall process Quality and helps achieve the desired level of performance.
To reach high levels of Quality, it is important to analyze the process from both an Internal and an External perspective. IT applications help you do exactly that, they help you achieve improvement which is both continuous and sustainable. If you know what the customer’s perception of Quality is, these IT applications are capable of helping you incorporate these parameters in your Quality Management process. Reaching world class quality levels is more about understanding the definition of quality that exists in your environment and then successfully translating it into your process and its performance, through the IT applications discussed above. So then don’t wait around for a miracle, start analyzing what does, World-Class Quality really mean in your industry segment and go on and achieve it through the miracle called IT.
by I2DS | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
What are the true metrics of Manufacturing Excellence? Is it merely a phrase or has a deeper more palpable meaning? Why is excellence in Manufacturing desired? Are the Manufacturing Excellence packages available today capable of achieving their namesake? Let’s try and understand and answer these questions from an organizational and operations point of view. Quality, Cost, Speed, Dependability and Flexibility are the top five competitive priorities for any Organization. It was always thought that to achieve excellence in one of the above priorities another one has to be traded off. This school of thought still exists, but another theory advocates that the pursuit of attaining process excellence can help attain excellence in most of the priorities above mentioned. These competitive priorities in my opinion are the true metrics of excellence of any manufacturing operation. 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.
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 | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
By Vivek Bhachawat
It has been a common belief amongst top officials around that excellence in any operation can be achieved only by a paradigm shift in business outlook and through reengineering of the processes. I believe that although the above perspective is one way of looking at improvement, it is very disruptive and should be used only when the business needs disruptive innovation or is in dire need of a complete and comprehensive turnaround. A successful business would consider pursuing excellence in diverse ways depending on the extent of uncertainty of the external environment and the ability of the internal capabilities to meet or exceed the expectations from the external players.
Our focus today will be more on the manufacturing part of business and the pursuit of excellence in manufacturing through product and process improvement. Manufacturing in present times has become very different from the way it was perceived and operated in the previous century. It is still a strong sector and continues to be the driving force behind innovation and R&D efforts. However, manufacturing has transformed from a provider of mass employment to being the seeker of technically skilled and specialized executives and workers. The volumes of workforce have reduced and the influence of Technology and IT is on the rise, even in developed countries. This means that both the definition and the means to achieve excellence in manufacturing have changed. Now, excellence goes beyond achieving supreme quality and customer satisfaction, it is more about the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the entire manufacturing endeavor of the organization.
I make the above arguments based on recent researches which show that the percentage of services offered by manufacturing companies has increased to 40% in the USA alone and an organization pursuing excellence in manufacturing has to consider all aspects of the business and not just manufacturing. This means that an organization which wants to become excellent has to view/control its entire process in an integrated manner and use information technology and Big Data Analytics to improve all aspects of its business. Companies, whose core competence lies in manufacturing innovative products faster and cheaper than their competition, achieve excellence through IT applications such as Manufacturing Excellence which are capable of providing information based on process metrics that are valued by the market. Such IT applications provide end-to-end visibility to process owners and reduce the need of drastic measures to achieve excellence. Manufacturing Excellence applications perform tasks that range from Quality Management to Training and Appraisal.
I strongly believe that IT has truly empowered organization and due to its flexible nature it provides organizations with the opportunity to achieve excellence. Manufacturing Excellence applications work well when they are modeled to the process and cover all important metrics. Such applications lead to excellence and make the process more agile, this agility is a requisite for survival in modern markets. An organization that is able to implement process specific excellence applications will be able to use its internal capabilities better and be able to match the ever-changing expectations of the market. I do not mean to undermine the importance of disruptive innovations, but want to stress the fact that it should be pursued when required and not as the only mean to achieve excellence. Process based excellence is sustainable and since it is achieved using IT applications it is also flexible and proactive. Organizations of the world who wish to be excellent in their business, should seriously consider Manufacturing Excellence as a way to achieve it.Excellence is a myth only for organizations which do not realize the true potential of their capabilities and remain indifferent to IT applications.
by I2DS | Jan 30, 2019 | Blogs
By Vivek Bhachawat
My experience with production lines has taught me that managing the WIP or Work In Progress, is considered a difficult task, more so because of the inability to track it, than any thing else. Operations Managers often complaint of many issues, such as, being unable to track the material, the shifting of bottlenecks, higher machine downtime, higher cycle time, higher material consumption and the list can go on and on. The reason why some of these issues exist or are perceived to exist is because of the inability to properly track the material on the production line, the inability to know the machine status in real-time and the glitches that appear in a supposedly rock solid planning due to a myriad of small yet unavoidable issues. It is this feeling of being in the dark, coupled with the unpredictable nature of day-to-day operations that make it hard to manage the work in progress.
But if we analyze the abovementioned statement, is it really the nature of operation or the actual work that is the problem area, or is it something else? Well, I believe that the nature of work and type of tasks have nothing to do with managers struggling to manage the work in progress. Yes, I think it is the lack of actionable and potent information that drives most managers crazy when it comes to managing the WIP. When you think about any process and by any process I mean any process, manufacturing or service, what makes managers fly is the information they have, to act upon and take decisions. Even in the most unconventional processes what makes them work is the information derived from the process and careful analysis of the process metrics. The need to have a continuous flow of information from the process has been realized by many industries.
However the actual work-in-progress has been neglected by most companies, be it the process owner or the IT firm developing so called solutions for them. I believe that WIP is an extremely important facet of any process in fact it is the blood that runs through the veins called machines and supports the function of the body which is the process. WIP should be carefully tracked, monitored and analyzed; this will help detect problems before they become serious and lead to an overall improvement in process efficiency and ultimately throughput. But, who can you rely on for developing an information solution that can not only help you analyze your WIP but a solution that can help you realize true gains out of your process? Well, for that you need a technology partner that understands operations management and the unpredictable nature of WIP.
For this very reason choosing a simple software company does not fulfill the need, you should consider someone who knows how a factory works, what the importance of process metrics is and how WIP should be managed. You need an automation expert that is well acquainted with how the flow in the factory happens and why bottlenecks get created. Having said that the most important part is to realize the need to have real-time actionable information from the WIP and then choose the right partner for your process. If you have any suggestions regarding this Blog or questions about how to manage you WIP just write into us at info@i2ds.com or just leave you comment on this web-page.
