In my previous blog, on this topic, I referred to “The Machine that Changed the World” and took some insights from the book by the same name which was based upon the first “study” of Lean. Unfortunately, automation can result in massive waste built into the factory if it is not removed up front. (more…)
On a recent business trip to Cape Town, I had the pleasure of visiting a retail outlet that is operating completely plastic-free. This got me thinking about the concept of a circular economy. Visualize taking a straight line and bending it inwards on itself until the endpoints meet to form a circle. This depicts the evolution from the existing linear economy to an insular one [...]
As far as food recalls go, what a busy year it has been. In North America, the food and beverage industry has seen a massive increase in the units recalled. The USA is experiencing a 92.7% spike in FDA recalls and an 83.4% increase in recalled pounds – cited by USDA, since 2012. Most recently, here in Canada, we have all been affected by the [...]
To most families the “Festive Season” is the celebration of a relevant religious festival or significant historic event. It could be Eid or Ramadan, Yom Kippur, Diwali or Christmas. Whichever, it creates a period of local or general change in behaviour. Families prepare elaborate meals, buy presents, take trips to meetings of like-minded people or family gatherings. Goodwill is shared, spread and enjoyed. (more…)
Manufacturing is undergoing a fourth revolution (Industry 4.0). Technology and the Internet is transforming the way we make things. Software and manufacturers need to evolve to compete. For many years manufacturers relied on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to provide the “edge”. As competition increased, more and more manufacturers realized that they needed specialist solutions that focused more on the factory floor and supported the [...]
The organization is investing a sizable sum of money and resources to ensure that their manufacturing improves, and the expectation is that this investment will be recovered. However, the organization needs to prepare itself for a fundamental change. (more…)
When an organization takes a decision to purchase and implement an MES (Manufacturing Execution System) like SYSPRO M.O.M. (Manufacturing and Operations Management), it is because they have realised that they have problems in their manufacturing processes that are affecting the bottom line. (more…)
The food and beverage industry, much like any other industry, is filled with challenges: maintaining a reliable and high performing labor force, machinery uptime, shipping deadlines, bringing in enough sales, cash flow, packaging and so much more. (more…)
The Industrial Machinery and Equipment market is all about machines – designing, making, modifying, selling, and using machines. But behind these machines, like the automobiles we see on the road, are the machines that made the parts that became the automobile…and behind those machines sits an even bigger machine. (more…)
It always surprises me when I visit a shop floor for the first time and realize that some of our nation’s manufacturers are still trying to compete in the 20th century. They might be making great products. They might even make them on time with minimum defects. But the fact remains that somewhere else in the world, somebody is tooling up to make the [...]
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