One month gone of 2017 already! Is this the year you bite the bullet and move your systems online?
Have you made any New Year’s resolutions for your business?

  • Lowering costs?
  • Focusing on more strategic IT initiatives?
  • Or maybe improving connectedness and visibility?

FeatureIT have been researching & quietly building up knowledge of what Manufacturers are looking for in your information infrastructure and one priority is clear, the requirement of all channels and workflows to flow in a way that makes sense to your business.  Manufacturers need the highest level of intersystem interaction.

Manufacturers rely heavily on basic infrastructures to function as a business.  The same can be said about your information systems infrastructure which consists of hardware, software, networks, data, facilities, human resources and services.  A well-functioning information infrastructure will support decision making, business processes and competitive strategy efficiently and effectively.

In the past, manufacturers have been forced into using complicated ERP Systems that involve re-engineering the most important functions of your business, sometimes spending years customising the software to fit your business which costs an absolute fortune for implementation as well as requiring a full time in-house IT person for some.

A manufacturer’s information infrastructure comprising of cloud based systems is more efficient and more cost effective (much more) during customising, implementation and can change with you as your business changes and grows.

So how does a modern information infrastructure look for manufacturers?
You choose the very best combination of cloud applications which deliver individual functionality that covers each module in your current ERP system.  This means the best cloud application for production planning, the best for job management, the best for resource planning, the best for workflow management, the best for inventory management, the best for distribution and accounting.  The finishing touch is ensuring the intersystem interaction pushes your data and workflows in the right order, at the right time and in the right direction.

Looking through a crystal ball:
In the modern manufacturing space, staying agile is the key to remaining competitive.  The status quo of inflexible IT platforms and siloes of resources are obstacles to growth, expansion, and efficiency.  Data complexity continues to be challenging as products being manufactured include multiple grades and sub-grades, a variety of event types, and varied product testing frequencies that needed to be associated back to the product and production period.  Because of this, a manufacturer’s information infrastructure system is fundamental to your success.

Advanced information and communication technologies have become major enablers of manufacturing industry operations and product and process development.  Information infrastructure should provide an ongoing and lasting stream of information, decision and control services in support of the different life cycle phases of products and production resources, i.e. your design, production, use, distribution and disposal.  Such services are particularly important for small and medium size manufacturers.

If you would like to discuss your requirements for your information infrastructure call Nikki at FeatureIT on +64 9 475 9761 or +64 21 667799 – We don’t sell software but we do know how vital it is to get the information infrastructure right for Manufacturers.