Standards need to be revised and updated to take into consideration how the landscape has changed. They are still useful for mapping processes, but cannot effectively capture the more fragmented and complex approach process description requires. Part 1 of this discussion focused on how a good old-fashioned Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is still an effective way to enable a digital initiative. Here, we address some comments...
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You can’t judge a book by its cover? Think again. Presentation is just as important as the content inside. It might be time to update your user interface. What if iPhone X were sent folded in ugly ruined boxes? Would customer satisfaction and loyalty be the same? Whoever says, “You can’t judge a book by its cover” is usually wrong (or at least not completely correct). The...
Read More The idea that new digital technologies replace the manufacturing execution system is confusing and risky. A serious digitalization initiative should start with a good MES/MOM system. In the past six months, we have been talking about digitalization almost every day. Going digital has become the main initiative of many manufacturing companies, and task forces and funds have been allocated to achieve the goal. Digital transformation seems set...
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In the early days of cloud computing, IT insisted that cloud was evil. Now that they’ve learned the benefits far outweigh the risks, they need to pass the word along to operations. Cloud computing has become an integral part of our lives. We use it for storing pictures and data, listening to music, navigation services and many other activities in our personal lives. Companies commonly use...
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Today’s Industrial Internet of Things platforms enable the quick development of customized applications. But manufacturers might find that they are tied to a tool that doesn’t meet their long-term goals. The advent of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platforms has made it possible for a proliferation of narrow solutions that target specific and well-defined problems. Most of the available platforms provide a development environment designed to...
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