The Magic Bullet for Real-Time Supply Chain Collaboration? Cloud Visibility.

Jessica Twentyman reported in the Financial Times, that for many manufacturers, supply chain collaboration is stuck in the dark ages. When it comes to ordering materials and components, managing inventory levels, or organizing the delivery of finished goods to customers, companies are forced continually to chase business partners – mostly suppliers, logistics companies, and retailers – via a messy stream of emails, phone calls, and even faxes. Worse still, much

Demand-Driven Supply Chain Transformation

End-to-end Visibility for Real-time Coordination, Communication, and Commitment By applying demand-driven methods and synchronizing processes, manufacturers are reaching new levels of communication, profitability, and customer responsiveness. Demand-Driven Manufacturing incorporates the best of Lean manufacturing, Theory of Constraints (TOC), and Lean Six Sigma principles. In demand-driven environments, production is based on actual customer demand, with everything synchronized (people, processes, materials, machines, and information) to drive flow. The process is accelerated by

Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement

Building Muscle for Waste Awareness It almost seemed hackneyed: Lean manufacturing and continuous process improvement. The phrase is tossed about with a certain familiarity and forgone conclusion. Yet this intentional, ongoing process of improving services, and procedures to improve flow, customer satisfaction, quality, safety, and profit means nothing without metrics. A systematic process which identifies and eliminates waste so that ongoing, measurable gains are routinely achieved can only be quantified

Lean Manufacturing Driven by Rapid Return on eKanban Technology Investment

Lean Manufacturing relies heavily on trusted relationships with suppliers and pre-negotiated terms of engagement. Through the use of supplier quality certifications and blanket (long-term) purchase orders, a manufacturer can accurately and effectively calculate the optimal level of inventory needed to fulfill demand requirements through the duration of replenishment lead time. Ensuring supplier performance When a relationship is setup with a supplier, a service level agreement is defined. Items such as

Demand Driven Manufacturing in the Engineer-to-Order Space

Aligning Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement Practices Demand-driven manufacturing (DDM) is an approach to manufacturing where production is based on actual demand rather than forecasts. DDM enables a synchronized, closed loop between customer orders, production scheduling and manufacturing execution – all while simultaneously coordinating the flow of materials and resources across the supply chain. The terms Pull-based manufacturing and Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing are also used within the context of DDM

Demand-Driven Technologies Evolved

By John Maher When I first began instituting demand-driven practices in the late 90s, we were into creating pull, eliminating waste, and getting on a path of continuous improvement. Technology at the time was seen as an inhibitor rather than an enabler. Most people active in Constraints Management and Lean Manufacturing were abandoning their technology and going to purely manual solutions. I always believed that technology was important to get