Manufacturing And Warehousing IT News For VARs — September 8, 2014
By Trisha Leon, contributing writer
In the news, technology trends including 3D printing, automation, and data analysis are predicted to drive changes in manufacturing with 2016 as the tipping point. Also, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and Big Data solutions can benefit your manufacturing clients.
Technology Trends Predicted To Reinvent Manufacturing
A Citrix technology report cited in Manufacturers’ Monthly predicts that 2016 will be a tipping point for manufacturing. Brett Balinski writes that trends in areas including 3D printing, automation, and data analysis will reinvent the industry. Guy Bieber, Citrix’s director of strategy and architecture, explains advances in 3D printing, the increasing affordability of robots, and flexible technology solutions will continue to drive efficiency and customization, enhancing the customer experience through 2016. VARs can assist their manufacturer clients to take full advantage of these developing technologies, thereby enabling them to meet customer needs better and capture a larger share of the market.
ERP Solutions Can Help Your Customers Deal With Growing Complexity In The Manufacturing Industry
An Infor whitepaper, “Five Key Factors in Optimizing Complex Manufacturing Business,” presented by Manufacturing.net, emphasizes that manufacturing processes have and continue to become more complex, especially as products, customer demands, and global market pressures increase. This white paper provides insight into the growing complexity in manufacturing and offers five ways modern ERP solutions can streamline and simplify the process — no matter how complex or intricate. It includes survey results and experience from high-achieving peers with advice on boosting revenue and improving operations.
What Manufacturers Need From A Big Data Solution
An R&D article, “How Big is Big — Tall, Grande, Venti Data?” explains the many data options available to manufacturers. Given the confusion surrounding Big Data, many enterprises don’t know where to begin. Nick Burch writes that a one-size-fits-all approach is not the answer for manufacturers with diverse needs. He explains that many solutions providers claim to have what a business needs, but businesses first need to clearly identify their problem before implementing a solution, not the other way around. He emphasizes that though Big Data offers opportunity for growth and increased efficiency, knowing the unique needs of any given operation is paramount when choosing a Big Data solution.
Technology Is A Vital Part In Manufacturing’s Future
An IndustryWeek article, “Industrial Engineers and the Manufacturing Renaissance,” shows that as manufacturing advances, employees, engineers, and VARs will need a new set of skills, one that manages advanced manufacturing technologies and supply chains. NC State’s Paul Cohen believes that “the ability to use information technology to connect all the pieces of a more complex, interdependent manufacturing environment” is one of the most important of these skills. Cohen believes in manufacturing, too. He says, “If you look at U.S. patents, 90 percent are from the manufacturing industry.” This is all the more reason for workers and VARs to become educated about the latest manufacturing technologies.
Manufacturing And Warehousing IT Talking Points
Industrial Distribution reports that U.S. worker productivity rose in the second quarter of 2014. Productivity, the amount of output per hour, rose at a rate of 2.3 percent, representing a large rebound from the first quarter when productivity fell at a 4.5 percent rate. According to Industrial Distribution, “Greater productivity is the key factor determining rising living standards. It enables companies to pay their workers more without having to increase prices, which can boost inflation.” The rate at which productivity has increased has been slow in comparison to the past three years, but it remains to be seen whether this is a speed bump or the new norm.
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Manufacturing And Warehousing Tech Center.