Are you running your plant operations with serious risk? Most industrial applications lack recommended updates and security patches, which make them a target for hackers. Outdated architectures, backups and spares can also create problems.
While Airbus and other aircraft manufacturers have been taking a leading role in deploying radio frequency identification for the management of airplane parts, one aviation company has leveraged Airbus' knowledge to create its own solution. Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) - a third-party provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul services - has deployed an RFID system at its facility to manage work-in-progress for the parts it services for its customers, which include Airbus and other aircraft manufacturers. The system has helped ADAT reduce turnaround times, and has provided information that the firm can employ to further improve efficiency.
Demand planning has a big impact on business performance. Planning error can put revenue at risk by driving component shortages. Persistent planning biases can tie up cash by driving excess inventory. Furthermore, the act of planning and dealing with planning error is time consuming and drives costly overhead. In fact, it is common for supply chain management executives to cite "planning errors" as the greatest obstacle they face to achieving their goals and objectives.
LLamasoft Inc., a vendor of supply-chain design software, has developed a new release of Transportation Guru, its application for transportation network design.
Tim Voulopos grew up around transportation, majored in logistics and then worked his way up to an executive position at Cardinal Logistics Management. Today there is more technology and fewer drivers, which presents a real challenge, but the basics of trucking really haven't changed, he says.
Are we to add the Internet of Things to the pantheon of top strategic technology priorities for the decade? That's the question increasingly in front of IT decision makers these days as tech vendors add the buzzphrase to their marketing and practitioners evaluate the rapidly growing array of related tools and technologies.
When Jim Bowes established the National Logistics & Distribution Conference 10 years ago his aim was to provide a small, non-sales oriented conference for senior supply chain executives. Bowes discusses how NLDC has evolved and what he thinks the future holds.
Changes in the work force are driving companies to automate as much as possible and, where automation isn't feasible, to implement labor management best practices using standards and incentives, says Mike Romano, president of Associated Integrated Supply Chain Solutions.
Last year Target opened 124 stores across Canada, with disastrous consequences that are only just starting to be felt financially. Items were coming into the distribution centres sporadically and then piling up in storage, partly due to the barcodes not corresponding with the warehouse management system.
The speed of change, sustainability and customization are three issues currently impacting the supply chain, says Dan Whitnable, director of business development at Hilmot Corp. He explains what these trends mean for the warehousing sector and its customers.