Author: Paul Henriques in: Business Solutions
Technology is changing everything. From the way you interact with customers to the way you track your company performance.
The new industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, has many manufacturers flustered with issues like small batch orders and increased customization. This decade, which started with a shock, is putting pressure on you and the rest of the manufacturing sector.
But there is hope in the continuing adoption of new processes and tools. The key has been to get smarter:
An often-overlooked component of a smarter shop floor is improving the data coming from your tools and machines. New smart machines are becoming more prevalent in the work space.
These new tools come equipped with onboard devices that can tell you the cycle time of the machine, when it’s down, when it’s due for maintenance, etc. This is all crucial data if you want to maximize your machine productivity.
While you are not planning on replacing a workhorse with a digitally ready component, this doesn’t mean you don’t need feedback from the tool. Another issue that can arise is that you want to ensure that any data from the tool can be clearly understood by your ERP.
The act of tracking the data from a tool and generating data from its operations is performed by shop monitors. Most shop monitors will be able to track the following data and feed it to your ERP system:
More advanced shop monitors can also include the ability to:
With all these additions, shop monitors offer you better data reporting for much less than the cost of a new machine while providing you all the key features of a new smart tool.
Most shop monitors can communicate via API with other systems but it is always best to be sure that your shop monitors and your ERP speak the same language.
Adding these crucial data points to your reporting structure allow you a smarter view of your shop which can allow you to make faster decisions and production changes to take advantage of the new normal for customer requirements, like smaller batches and more customized products.
OnRamp Solutions makes shop monitors that communicate directly with the OnRamp ERP system to ensure that any data you need from your tools is registered and interpreted correctly. Adding the OnRamp Shop Monitoring System to the OnRamp ERP Modules, such as (Planning, Inventory, Shipping, Purchasing, Sales, Engineering Documentation, HR, Financial, Quality, and Maintenance) will help your firm become an Industry 4.0 contender in your sector.
For more information about how OnRamp ERP software can add value to your business fill in the contact form below. A member of our support team will contact you within 1 business day to discuss any questions you have.
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