5 Supply Chain Metrics That Matter The Most
It’s a well-known management axiom that you can’t improve what you don’t measure. This concept has been attributed to such varied sources as management guru Peter Drucker, Sir William Thomson, also known as Lord Kelvin, and W. Edwards Deming, father
... ContinuedMaterial Requirements Planning (MRP): Why Choose a Unified ERP System?
Material requirements planning (MRP) software, also known as material resource planning, was first developed in the 1960s when computers began to become an integral and widespread part of the manufacturing sector. What is an MRP system? Material requirements planning is
... ContinuedMore Effectively Track Vendor Managed and Outsource Inventory
In this age of virtual reality, I pose a question: “Do you know where your inventory is located?” Not your physical inventory – that’s probably somewhere on your plant floor and you probably have a very efficient system to track
... ContinuedWhat is Supply Chain Management (SCM)?
What is Supply Chain Management? Many business people talk or read about supply chain management (SCM) without really understanding what it means or the impact it can have on a company’s profitability and market share. Whether you’re a seasoned professional
... ContinuedOEE: How to Calculate Overall Equipment Effectiveness
OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) takes the three sources of manufacturing productivity loss: Availability, Performance and Quality, and creates metrics that provide a consistent way to measure the effectiveness of a machine or process. Availability Factor The Availability Factor of the
... ContinuedModernizing the Medical Device Supply Chain
At the recent American Medical Device Summit in Lombard, Illinois, several FDA officials delivered presentations to help the device designers and manufacturers successfully engage with the FDA, physicians and the patient end-consumers. Yet, with the cost of development and launch
... ContinuedLogistics Management: Why Manufacturing Decision Makers Must Prioritize Efficiency
Logistics management is undergoing a disruptive transformation that has implications for decision-makers in manufacturing and other industries. Amazon is a herald of these changes, which the Journal of Commerce says are reshaping logistics as we know it. Over the past
... ContinuedLot Traceability Software for Manufacturing
Lot traceability in manufacturing has made a lot of headlines recently. We’ve all read how a popular automaker has been under fire in recent years for their quality problems. You can just imagine how devastating it must be to find
... ContinuedCloud ERP Software: The New Reality for Manufacturing
In the world of manufacturing where mission-critical enterprise applications such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) are used to run factories, companies have historically been hesitant to embrace cloud based software. Recently, IQMS CEO and president
... Continued2025 Emissions and Fuel Economy Regulations Driving Automotive Innovation
Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) chief technology officer, Brian Dougherty, reports that U.S. vehicle makers and their suppliers are still a major part of the U.S. economy. According to Dougherty, automotive suppliers themselves account for 2.7% of U.S. employment (734,000
... Continued3D Metal Printing Trends, Risks and Opportunities
At the 2016 3D Metal Printing Experience Conference held in metro-Detroit on August 19, manufacturers gathered to understand commercial and technical trends as well as best practices in metal additive manufacturing. The 3D Metal Printing Magazine publishers hosted parts makers,
... Continued3 Mega Trends in Automotive Creating New Opportunities for Tier 1, 2, & 3 Suppliers
Recently, IQMS participated in the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) in Traverse City, Michigan and observed several three undeniable trends that the automotive industry OEMs and suppliers must address in their strategy and plans for the
... ContinuedBest practices in labeling are as important as best practices in production
Why the label can be worth as much as the part Automated and high speed manufacturing operations have upped the ante in product labeling. Best practices in label quality are now often just as important as best practices in part
... Continued5 Must Have ERP Tools for a Successful Product Launch
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in highly-regulated industries like automotive, heavy truck, medical device, defense and aerospace are firmly telling their Tier I or prime suppliers to be launch ready. Safety regulations and end-consumer expectations are driving the OEMs to be
... ContinuedCrystal Reports Writer: 5 Tips for the Rookie User
Crystal Reports Writer is a report writing program I’m very familiar with. It’s easy to use, and the savvy report writer has a lot of tools at their disposal while the rookie Crystal Report writer can write simple reports in
... Continued