Ferry Manufacturing Snippets: April 1st - 7th 2024

Here's the weekly digest of Ferry's manufacturing snippets!

Tuesday - 2nd April

Beware the hidden danger of plug-and-play software in manufacturing -> you might end up buying a "point" solution (i.e. solves one narrow problem)

When doing vendor diligence, some key things to make sure to cover

1. Core data : Throughput is far more information rich than uptime/downtime status for example. You can glean really deep insights across SKUs, batches, equipment health & more from the right 'base' metrics.

2. Breadth of integrations : Have the flexibility to connect to multiple types of PLCs, protocols, sensors etc as well as IT systems (MES, ERP ...). A unified view allows you to zoom in (and out) from a site to a process level at will.

3. Context enrichment : Can machine metadata augment insights? Can operators add their observations as to why certain events happened on the line? Particularly useful in understanding the 'why' behind interruptions.

4. Workflow management : Can you close the loop between production planning & actual performance? How dynamic & fluid is your scheduling in response to interruptions? Allows you to keep on top of SLAs.

5. Data plasticity : New systems, upgraded equipment, process changes -> all can change the flow of data. Can the system adapt to fit your ideal operational setup? Not just today, but for the future.

Just a selection here. What more comes to mind?

Wednesday - 3rd April

Software in manufacturing is full of acronyms. Time for some jargon busting

What's the difference between MES vs MI vs MA?

1. Manufacturing Execution System (MES) : track & document the transformation of raw materials into finished goods. All about execution and granular operational control.

2. Manufacturing Intelligence (MI) : aggregate, contextualize & visualize production performance to give real-time holistic understanding of manufacturing operations. Empowers operators & management to make tactical & strategic decisions. Very often integrates with an MES (& much more).

3. Manufacturing Analytics (MA) : longer-term statistical analysis, advanced methods & data mining. Much more targeted than MI (i.e. focused on predictive maintenance for example).

Thursday - 4th April

Frontline operators are a wealth of manufacturing knowledge. Please don't ignore them .

Machine data is of limited value without context. And this context often comes from the folks who man the lines. They are an integral part of modern operational excellence.

Not bringing them into the fold of a manufacturer's collective operational understanding is a missed opportunity.

Friday - 5th April

Manufacturing intelligence (MI) is a forcing function for IT-OT convergence. And a helpful one at that.

MI pulls data to and from factory floor systems (the 'OT' side) for production-level insights. And augments information in IT services (i.e. ERP, BI etc) to enrich business understanding. It is a bridge between the two sides .

Operations teams on the frontlines directly benefit from the value that an MI solution brings .

The by-product is empowering teams across the business (sales, data etc) to leverage insights from production for their own roles .

Both are powerful levers. And work together.