Make-to-Order (MTO) manufacturing is the production of specialized or unique one-off products in quantities ranging from one to small production runs. Usually, the final product is a combination of custom manufactured components and standard components. With the recent stress placed upon the supply chain in recent years and the changing political alignment across the globe, we are seeing a trend for supply to be bought closer to home which has resulted in Australian MTO manufacturers attracting significant capital input and flourishing. MTO operations bring their own set of unique challenges ..read more

Material Requirements Planning for a modern manufacturing environment Material Requirements Planning (MRP) is software that helps companies estimate the required quantities of raw materials, maintain inventory levels, and ensure manufacturing has all the items needed to make products to satisfy demand. MRP is one of the early inventory management systems and has been widely adopted by manufacturers. Compared to the world when MRP was introduced, when it was accepted to take several days for an MRP run, doing it quickly is critical. The difference of course is that business processes are more i ..read more

Today’s manufacturers face many challenges in a business context complicated by factors such as ongoing loadshedding, soaring raw material prices, managing shop floor processes, and a weak economy. Manufacturers already understand that digital technologies are transforming the way the industry operates, particularly in improving efficiencies and driving higher levels of business performance. Technology solutions such as ERP are at the core of digital transformation. Modern Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) systems are specifically designed to help small to medium manufacturers enhance ..read more

Quality management (QM) ensures products are delivered to a specific quality standard and that processes maintain those standards. It can also help to reduce costs, rework and scrap. To be effective it requires not only investment in time and resources but also support from the top floor to the shop floor. Manufacturers who want to implement QM, or improve it, need to be aware of what steps they need to take so that QM efforts are successful. Commitment Making QM work requires commitment and acceptance of change in a number of areas. As with any major organizational initiative, support from co ..read more

Technology is becoming a major focus for Asian manufacturers. Many governments are incentivising companies to invest in new manufacturing technologies, and the manufacturing sector in Asia has undergone significant change in recent years. Manufacturing will continue to be shaped in 2024 and beyond, by technological advances. Significant trends are emerging that manufacturers should be watching. These trends will make a difference to manufacturers internally, helping them to become stronger and more flexible to deal with future changes and disruptions. 1. Industry 4.0 and Artificial Intelligenc ..read more

One of the big challenges facing manufacturers is inadequate reporting and analysis capabilities. This results in inefficient decision-making processes due to siloed data which limits the ability to respond to changing conditions quickly and accurately. Business intelligence (BI) and ERP (enterprise resource planning) software are both important technologies for businesses that want to improve their performance and gain insights from their data. ERP and BI have different functions and have been separate systems for many years. However, recently they have come together and are now able to deliv ..read more

For most companies, implementing an ERP system across the business represents a significant investment into their business, and the costs can make a management team blink. However, as organizations strive to remain competitive and efficient in the ever-evolving market landscape, the integration of ERP software emerges as a transformative investment. The return on investment (ROI) for an ERP system can be complex to assess, because it depends on a variety of factors, including the size of the business, the complexity of the operations and the specific goals of the implementation. However, while ..read more

Traditional manufacturing favored long production runs of the same product because retooling machines to produce different products could cost time and resources, and waste capacity. In 21st-century manufacturing, however, long production runs are no longer valid. Capacity takes a back seat to production flexibility as the key performance indicator for factory managers. To deal with these changes, manufacturers have to look at new software solutions, and processes will need to be adopted. Flexible manufacturing Historically, manufacturing has been about productivity — efficiency, capacity, and ..read more

Quality management is one of those things that you only realize the importance of when it does not work. When quality controls are on track, they improve efficiency and cost, and things hum along. But when they go awry, quality issues can drive up material and labor costs, threaten margins, and result in missed orders. Having a modern quality management system in place is therefore critical. Why quality management is important Quality management consists of the inspection and measurement of products to ensure that they meet specifications at various points along the manufacturing chain. It dri ..read more

The Asia-Pacific region has one of the largest number of fabricated metals manufacturers in the world. Cost efficiency, quality management and traceability are major issues for companies in this region. Many governments are also offering incentives for manufacturers to invest in energy-efficient solutions. The question company managers face is what software solution can help them keep machines busy as well as monitor performance and progress in their areas of concern. Managing costs With the demand for fabricated metal products growing so much, production runs are increasing as are the costs ..read more