Information Technology for Manufacturing: Reducing Costs and Expanding Capabilities

Information technology is ubiquitous in every aspect of business—or should be, say the authors of Information Technology for Manufacturing. If your manufacturing organization is not reaping the benefits of lower costs and new capabilities that IT can provide, read on. The book addresses the recent decades' changes in manufacturing such as increased powers for consumer and retailers, more quality control, increased regulatory compliance, more mergers and consolidations, and a tightened supply chain. To implement computer technology and its intelligent use in the plant, ERP needs to be redesigned to make plants, as opposed to corporations, run more efficiently. The focus is on cutting costs and increasing capabilities and the book provides tools for improving manufacturing processes in five areas: manufacturing execution, product management, data collection and analysis, planning and scheduling, and maintenance management. The tools prove useful for anticipating project life cycles and requirements and strategy. Browse the success stories in Chapter 6 for inspiration—Wendy Guild Swearingen.