Balancing Trust in a Digital Age

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. This is a key benefit of trusting your business with technology

But this digitization doesn't come without costs. Malicious hackers are threatening every industry, manufacturing is no exception. Investing in solid Cybersecurity practices is essential for every business. Smart technology has a lot of benefits, but there are also significant drawbacks and cybercrime is one of them. 

Product packaging services are particularly susceptible. For example, a ransomware attack, featuring hackers threatening to leak data or block system access, has led to financial loss and production downtime in packaging businesses all over the world. 

It is highly important for safe business practices around technology to be enforced. Managing technology with patience, strong passwords, and solid strategies to stop hackers in their tracks are key ways to overcome the obstacles associated with technology. The digital age is not going anywhere. Industries are only becoming more digitized. The best thing business owners can do is educate themselves and employees to foster a strong firewall against bad actors and hackers.

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) System

An APS system is a planning and scheduling system by which raw materials and production capacity are optimally allocated to meet demand. It allows for simultaneous planning and scheduling of your production based on available material, labor, machines, constraints, capacity, and other sequence-dependent setups. The result is a feasible plan that is optimized for your KPIs of interest that is created in a matter of seconds. 

Advanced Planning and Scheduling software have become a must for modern-day manufacturing operations as customer demand for increased product assortment, fast delivery, and downward cost pressures become prevalent. These systems help planners save time while providing greater agility in updating ever-changing priorities, production schedules, and inventory plans. APS Systems can be quickly integrated with an ERP/MRP software to fill the gaps where these systems lack planning and scheduling flexibility, accuracy, and efficiency.

With APS you can:

• Create optimized schedules that balance production efficiency and delivery performance
• Maximize throughput on bottleneck resources to increase revenue
• Synchronize supply with demand to reduce inventories
• Provide company-wide visibility to resource capacity
• Enable scenario data-driven decision making

The implementation of Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software will take your manufacturing operations to the next level of production efficiency by taking advantage of the operational data you already possess in your ERP system. APS is a step in the right direction of efficiency and lean manufacturing production enhancement. Try out a free trial or demo!