We cannot afford to ignore what is fast becoming a significant presence even in the industrial world for managing transactions along the supply chain. Until a few months ago, blockchain was associated strictly with cryptocurrency transactions - at least in most of our minds. Over the past year, dozens of Fortune 100 companies have started to adopt blockchain technologies, and the term blockchain has become more common in...
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A range of technologies have changed the industrial landscape. Companies that can successfully manage those technologies will also change the way they manage their supply chain. My last three articles analyzed the relationship between digitalization and the manufacturing execution system (MES), considering MES as a key component of any digitalization initiative. At the time, I touched only briefly on the impact MES has on the supply...
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Following on from a debate about manufacturing execution systems and how they relate to your digital initiatives, this third and final part of the series brings Industry 4.0 into the discussion. In Italy we say, “There’s no two without three!” So here is the third and last part of my thoughts on the relationship between a manufacturing execution system (MES) and digitalization. It began as a...
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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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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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