Tackling Data In The World Of Manufacturing in the Information Age

As we become more enveloped in the Information Age, we must take on new measures of tackling the “big data” we deal with on a day-to-day basis. With so many careers revolving around information technologies, it’s important we understand how technology is here to help us—not make life more hectic.

        This is no different in the world of manufacturing. According to Entrepreneur.com’s Ramon Ray, “Overall, technology is important for a business—it helps you do more with less, save time, be more productive and gain intelligence on key business processes and metrics. For manufacturers in particular, you need to manage and have data on inventory, shipping, receiving, logistics, returns and a number of other ‘product’ related information.”

Doing more with less is THE mantra in business. From a manufacturing and capacity management standpoint, technological systems such as an APS, can speed up your processes by minimizing error, standardizing company practices, and gauging time constraints.

Here is a short list of the ways that manufacturing technology can help ease the burdens of the workday:

Be ready for what’s coming

One constant in every manufacturing company is change. Orders are arriving and changing, machines are undergoing maintenance, employees are being hired or trained to expand their capabilities and product mix is in flux. Staying on top of how your capacity stacks up against orders that are here or are coming is impossible without the right systems in place. An integrated capacity management system brings all of this information together in one place so you have the visibility you need.

Never lose sight of your inventory

Inventory management has come one step closer to effortless with the use of barcoding. Barcoding transforms your business processes, delivering huge time-savings and improving the accuracy of material and inventory counts.

In fact, to get even further in depth, barcoding will allow you to: save time and money with real-time information about stock levels and locations; improve incoming and outgoing shipment processing and accuracy; track equipment sent to different worksites and optimize use of those assets; and follow product movement through complex supply lines, which in turn improve the accuracy of production and delivery timelines.

Improve relationships with your customers

When you have a better understanding of your product supply and timelines, you have happier customers. And in a world as technologically advanced as ours, customers expect you to know exactly who they are and what they purchased from you from the moment they reach out to you on the phone.

The good news? Through the use of centralized information bases and integrated tracking technologies like the ones mentioned above, you can give your customers the answers to all of their questions a lot faster. Happy customers mean a happy business - never forget that.

Better manage your employees

The dynamic of the workplace is constantly morphing, especially now that the younger generations are moving into employment. Wisconsin-based Schenk Business Consulting Firm states that

“as a workforce matures and people retire, they are replaced with a younger group who tends to have higher expectations for professional development, equal treatment, and smart use of technology. In addition, regulatory compliance places an ever-increasing burden on the business.”

However, Schenk also believes that a company who integrates technology into their employee functioning will actually help a business grow stronger.

“To ensure that each employee can achieve their full potential, an integrated approach will allow you to monitor every aspect of human resource management,”.

Schenk says

In their eyes, a strategic approach with modern technology will ensure coordination of employee policies to provide consistent experiences across locations and business units; improve workforce analytics to help optimize hiring plans and training programs; create automated reporting that complies with government regulation; introduce web-based employee services, including open enrollment and other HR functions, which will improve productivity for all workers; and keep young people engaged and excited about the future through a proactive approach to technology adoption.

There are clearly many benefits to incorporating technology into a business. Capacity management software such as our PlanetTogether APS is here to help you conquer some of the more complex, yet necessary tasks of the workday.

Video: Multi-Plant APS for Data-Driven Manufacturing Operations

In this video, you’ll see how PlanetTogether Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) centralizes production data across multiple plants so manufacturers can make smarter, faster decisions in the Information Age. As orders change, machines go down for maintenance, employees gain new skills, and product mix shifts, it becomes impossible to keep up using spreadsheets or disconnected systems.

The video walks through how multi-plant APS helps you:

– Combine capacity, orders, and inventory from all facilities into a single, integrated planning environment
– Align capacity management, barcoding, and tracking data so you never lose sight of your inventory or timelines
– Improve customer service by giving teams real-time visibility to product status and delivery expectations
– Support a modern, technology-friendly workforce by embedding advanced planning, analytics, and standard workflows into daily operations

This video is ideal for operations leaders, capacity planners, and manufacturing technologists who are trying to tame “big data” on the shop floor and need PlanetTogether APS to turn that information into coordinated, multi-plant production schedules.

 

Turn Manufacturing Data into a Better Production Plan

Modern manufacturing generates more data than ever—on inventory, shipping, receiving, logistics, returns, equipment, and people. Technology like barcoding, integrated tracking, and HR analytics makes that data visible, but the real challenge is turning information into decisions about capacity, scheduling, and customer commitments. That is where advanced planning and scheduling becomes the link between “big data” and better results.

Download our one-page “The Money Is in the Planning” infographic to see how combining your existing manufacturing technologies with PlanetTogether APS can help you:

• Consolidate data from inventory, logistics, and shop-floor systems into a single planning view
• Create capacity-aware, optimized schedules that reduce errors, rush work, and guesswork
• Improve customer relationships by providing accurate lead times and delivery dates based on real capacity
• Use workforce and HR insights to staff critical resources effectively and keep teams engaged with modern tools
• Turn technology investments into measurable improvements in throughput, utilization, and profitability

Share it with your operations, IT, and leadership teams as a quick visual guide to where better planning and scheduling unlock the full value of your manufacturing data and technology stack.