Leading companies are using database applications in Manufacturing to reduce cycle times, stream line operations, & oprimise their manufacturing processes, using innovative methods. Business Intelligence Management has been the key word in maintaining a continuous process to improve. For such results, integrated information access allows better decision making in Enterprise environment.

New Product Engineering

Reduced time to market requires coordinated communications, amongst engineering, production, marketing & customers. The unique ?Work Flow? solutions, presented by some of the larger database applications, organise all communications within & even outside the enterprise through-out the engineering design & change cycle. Database applications in engineering further reduces engineering design through some of the most powerful item catalog offered in such application packages, helping the enterprise to find existing common items. Manufacturing engineering applications can quickly prototype & flexibly schedule implementation of new designs. It also helps to identify the cost impact of engineering changes & minimise obsolete inventory using Cost Management solutions & Material Resource Planning (MRP) solutions.

Planning & Simulation

Minimising inventory requires timely, streamlined multi-plant planning, simulation & order launching processes. The database application packages provide comprehensive simulation capabilities that span the complete enterprise business cycle, from creating forecasts to launching production schedules, replenishment of orders & purchase orders. Material schedulers can automatically launch & even electronically transmit orders directly to suppliers & factories. They can also act on planning.

Strategic Procurement

Today's competitive environment demands reduced cycle times. A database application on 'purchase', simplifies routine transactions, reduces paper handling & provides an electronic communication framework for the daily procurement activities of the enterprise. These database applications offer online item catalogues & approved supplier lists. These applications enable the creation of requisitions & purchasing documents. The applications allow electronic transmission to communicate purchase orders & delivery schedules, with advance shipment notices & associated invoice-less payments.

Production

Typically, one manufacturing system cant handle all the production system of an enterprise. This results in the need for multiple systems. With the ?Work in Progress? applications, high volume of repetitive runs, or schedules of each assembly operation, can be uniquely built to meet the manufacturing requirement of the enterprise. For example, critical path analysis in the production cycle could be performed through these applications, providing high reliability in maintaining delivery schedules & customer relations. Order Entry automatically launches production schedules from Material Resource Planning (MRP) & even the applications allow re-scheduling from external scheduling systems.

Cost Management

The challenge for most enterprises is knowing their cost drivers. Using ?Cost Management? & ?Financial Analyser? the application helps to create, control & analyse the operational profitability of the enterprise. Some applications offer extensive activity based management, unlimited cost elements & cost simulations.

Quality Management

People spend too much time extracting data from multiple quality systems & therefore do not have enough time for analysis & take action. The available applications offer Quality Management modules, which provide easy access to the quality data with its enterprise-wise data repository. Such an application is ideally a closed loop system providing easy-find root causes, consistent performance of analysis & take corrective action.

Prabir Sen, M.Sc Engg (London)

prabirsenuk@yahoo.co.uk