VIEWPOINT | THE KEY TO ENTERPRISE MANUFACTURING INTELLIENCE

Manufacturers who supply the auto industry know they can't be fully competitive unless they truly understand all aspects of their operations. It's what the industry

calls enterprise manufacturing intelligence. In today's hyper-competitive market, it means the ability to take a snapshot of a manufacturer's core metrics on a frequent basis and to unlock value in that data.

But how reliable is the information flowing from the plant floor? Chances are, the answer is difficult to determine, says Fred Thomas, DELMIA Apriso industry director at Dassault Syst mes, a global supplier of software-based PLM and manufacturing operations solutions. Thomas says most companies struggle with plant-to-plant variations in how data is tracked and reported and how various corporate offices analyze and use the information they receive. He says the resulting patchwork can make it extremely difficult to trust the data or aggregate it into an accurate big picture.

How big is this problem?

It runs deeper than most companies want to acknowledge. You might assume any multinational manufacturer today would be able to know in real time how its operations are running. But that often isn't the case. It can take companies weeks to determine what happened on the plant floor last month.

What makes it so difficult to get good data from the plant floor?

Acquisitions tend to introduce new systems that may not be compatible with those being used by the company elsewhere. But typically, companies are already dealing with multiple systems for collecting operational data at the plant floor level. Frequently there are people who have developed their own solutions to address specific needs defined by the plant manager. Over time, as one plant manager is succeeded by another, each facility can end up with an array of metrics that aren't necessarily consistent.

In many cases, raw data arrives at headquarters as a collection of Excel spreadsheets. Then a team at headquarters reconfigures and enters the information into the system management uses to analyze operations. It's a process that introduces delay and the likelihood of error at every step.

There's also the issue of the company's legacy manufacturing systems. Most manufacturers have a plethora of point solutions or use a centralized architecture tailored specifically to their business as it was when the system was installed a decade or more ago. But these solutions weren't necessarily designed for flexibility or adaptability. Companies make adjustments along the way, but in most cases the performance and reporting aspects haven't kept pace with the needs of the business.

What is the answer?

DELMIA Apriso manufacturing operations solutions avoid these issues and, of course, we'd like everyone to use them. But even for companies that use other execution solutions on the manufacturing floor, our Manufacturing Process Intelligence (MPI) application enables companies to aggregate data accurately from their legacy systems so they can get the trustworthy information they need when they need it. It's a solution that enables users to import all their data into existing Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to ease distribution and analysis.

DELMIA Apriso also offers an executive dashboard or console that lets managers see the big picture visually on mobile devices. It can display a configured set of key operating statistics for plants around the world, embedded in a global map. Yet it also allows management to drill down to very specific data, even to a specific machine if needed.

How does the transition to a DELMIA Apriso solution work?

The key to any transition is implementing it quickly. That's why we developed an array of what we call "Intelligence Packs," which include preconfigured, predefined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in such common metrics as production, quality, materials and machine maintenance. Each pack includes about 150 measurement metrics so users don't have to author the formulas themselves. They can use the solutions right out of the box or tweak them if necessary. Either way, it saves time.

This is a solution that can be initially deployed at a single plant. Other plants can then be rolled out as the organization becomes familiar with the process. MPI lets each facility consistently collect data and report on it against common metrics. This sharpens management's ability to identify good performance and find possible areas for improvement. More importantly, it gives them an accurate way to compare performance across sites to identify sources for continuous improvement.

How do you implement this solution?

At Dassault Syst mes, we start by analyzing the existing manufacturing systems to determine what level of uniform data is already being used across plants. If a gap exists, we work with the company to get the information they need. The KPIs generally don't change, but sometimes the way the company analyzes them does. And of course different users often require different measures. We work with our clients to ensure each stakeholder benefits from the deployment, making it a win-win solution.

Click HERE to learn more about Apriso Manufacturing Process Intelligence by Dassault Syst mes or visit http://www.apriso.com.