CDC Software has launched a packaged manufacturing operations management solution that integrates finite factory scheduling, manufacturing execution systems, real-time performance management, quality, maintenance and analytics processes so all users-from shop floor operators to executive management-can make real-time actionable decisions throughout the plant and across the enterprise.

Called CDC Factory, the solution reportedly standardizes the best practices of lean manufacturing, "overall equipment effectiveness" and continuous improvement. It is designed to provide a real-time framework that "unlocks hidden capacity on the factory floor" by managing production scheduling in real time, pinpointing the causes of plant inefficiencies and providing immediate feedback on key operating metrics, including rate, yield, utilization and per-unit cost.

CDC Factory is a packaged solution specifically designed for process manufacturers in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods industries. Installation typically should take no more than eight weeks, says Mark Sutcliffe, CDC Factory general manager.

"This is the industry's first and only out-of-the-box manufacturing operations management system," Sutcliffe says. "This is also the first system that combines real-time finite scheduling with real-time operations management."

Visit www.cdcfactory.com.