Manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler profiled Demand Driven Supply Chain Networks in the current issue of MetalForming Magazine.

According to Jeffrey Ball, Value Engineering and Information Services Manager with Luvata, “This presented a unique challenge for both plants. The two plants had separate planning, inventory, and scheduling systems and in order to ensure that the weld lines at Franklin never ran out of raw material, there was always a large amount of inventory “in the pipeline”. In order to prevent stock outs of a specific part number, a great deal of time was required by both the Buffalo and Franklin Scheduling Teams to avert disaster. It seemed as though, whichever parts were made, they were not the parts that were needed today at Franklin. Expediting of individual part numbers was the norm.”

What Luvata needed was a system that could integrate with both the Buffalo and Franklin Shop Floor Control Systems and provide a visual, easy to understand, and real time representation of the Total Supply Chain.

The Buffalo and Franklin Scheduling Groups went ahead and formed a team to address the need to reduce the amount of working capital tied up in the supply chain and improve delivery reliability. Jeffrey Ball noted, “There was plenty of candid conversation within the team that moved the two plants from a WIN/LOSE mentality, to group focused on developing a WIN/WIN result!”

During a visit to the Franklin plant, it was revealed that Franklin was using a new tool called digital kanban (also known as eKanban) from called Datacraft Solutions, a leading demand driven supply chain technology firm based in Durham, North Carolina. The Luvata team quickly decided that based upon the initial success of the digital kanban system at Franklin, that the Buffalo facility should take advantage of Franklin’s experience with digital kanban. In addition, both plants would now have a common Supply Chain Management Software that could be implemented easily, quickly, and affordably in Buffalo.

Over the next month, the Buffalo/Franklin Team worked closely with the Datacraft Solutions experts, to define the project costs, benefits and time schedule. The primary of objectives of reduced working capital (25% inventory reduction), improved delivery reliability (avoid stock outs), easy to use scheduling modules, and quick implementation time appear to be well within our budget and timeframes. Jeffrey Ball was pleased to report, “The Team is also highly confident that the large amount of time currently devoted to expediting material will be virtually eliminated from their daily routines.”

Datacraft Solutions specializes in providing their clients with the tools they need to rapidly replace outdated manual systems with technology that speeds process flow and improves accuracy. Datacraft’s premier product, Signum has been developed around the Kanban concept of replenishment, and provides an invaluable tool for manufacturing companies to monitor process flow, lower administrative transaction costs, and improve decision-making ability.

Thomas Cutler
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/metalforming-magazine-profiles-datacraft-solutions-demand-driven-supply-chain-network-61811.html

Datacraft Solutions (www.datacraftsolutions.com) has experienced significant growth in the past twelve months by eliminating complicated, expensive, time-intensive software implementations as well as extensive training regiments and the need for internal support. The Datacraft Solutions’ replenishment supply chain digital kanban lean system allows customers access and fully utilize powerful lean benefits immediately for a low, predictable monthly fee. Services are scalable so manufacturers can design a Demand Driven Supply Chain Network.

Datacraft Solutions specializes in providing their clients with the tools they need to rapidly replace outdated manual systems with technology that speeds process flow and improves accuracy. Datacraft’s premier product, Signum has been developed around the Kanban concept of replenishment, and provides an invaluable tool for manufacturing companies to monitor process flow, lower administrative transaction costs, and improve decision-making ability.

“The central hallmark of demand driven supply chain is a digital kanban system which achieves savings in several key areas,” according to Stephen Parker, CEO of North Carolina-based Datacraft Solutions.

It reduces the need to build inventory. All production is initiated based on the immediate needs of customers. Inventory turns for digital kanban parts are optimized (a definition of lean accounting.)
Time spent by customer service communicating on expedited parts issues is practically been eliminated through a demand driven supply chain. Often customer service staff members spend 40% of their time expediting part orders prior to digital kanban implementation.
Sales have increased with the benefit of the e-kanban program because the copper manufacturer no longer uses capacity to build parts without an order to buy NOW. 100% of production capacity is utilized to build parts that are already sold as soon as they hit the shipping dock.

Parker insists, “Capacity is expensive and a demand driven supply chain via digital kanban provides lean accounting efficiency and elimination of waste.”

Business process efficiencies increase with digital kanban, since orders are no longer run through the scheduling department, cutting shop orders and batching them. Demand driven supply chain replaces a very long chain of events in the order entry and scheduling function. Customer needs are displayed in real time. Everyone, including the customer, can see the status of any digital kanban at all times.

This scorecard methodology along with digital kanban assists all manufacturing staff to understand the business and see the impact of their efforts manifested in better results. People want to know what they can do to make the business better, and link what they do to the financial results. Lean accounting provides a sense of ownership. Manufacturing staff now can understand what is occurring on the shop floor and make the appropriate changes.

Datacraft Solutions’ Demand Driven Supply Chain Network was profiled in the recent issue of Accounting 411 magazine; the article may be read in its entirety at http://www.accountingsoftware411.com/Press/PressDocView.aspx?docid=8169.

Thomas Cutler
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/digital-kanban-by-datacraft-solutions-profiled-by-manufacturing-journalist-tr-cutler-76499.html

Datacraft Solutions’ Demand Driven Supply Chain Network was profiled in the recent issue of In Tech magazine; the article may be read in its entirety at http://www.isa.org/InTechTemplate.cfm?Section=General_Information2&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=56925.

Kanban is a visual cue to manufacturers to replenish, said Tom Cutler, president and chief executive of TR Cutler, Inc., a manufacturing marketing firm in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. When a relationship begins between a manufacturer and a supplier, they define a service level agreement. This includes “items such as negotiated lead times, packaged quantities, order receipt confirmations, and advanced shipment notices,” which they need to spell out specifically. “An e-kanban system monitors to make sure each of these service level agreements is being met by the supplier in real time,” he said. “If they’re not, a series of alerts and notifications goes out to all parties. This gives everyone a chance to adjust their behavior to bring performance back in line in real time.”

E-kanban also makes all this real-time information available for historical analysis, Cutler said. It’s available over the internet 24 hours a day, so all parties can see trends in performance. Everyone is aware of late shipments, short shipments, and other supply chain performances, and “these visuals give everyone in the supply chain information about how to focus their energies.”

The old system at Luvata required personnel to send monthly Excel forecasts to the customer service representative, who entered it into the ERP system and re-entered data into the shop floor control system. Daily telephone calls changing order requirements meant the process had to start all over again, sabotaging efficiency in the manufacturing process.

The e-kanban system helps Scott Stringer, operations manager at Luvata’s Franklin, Ky., plant, link the customer’s demand with production efforts. The key is “trying to produce what they really need and streamlining the whole communication effort,” he said. Since it is Web-based, any computer that has access to the Internet can look at the e-kanban levels. So Stringer’s daily routine is, “get my cereal and bring up the Web site to see where the card levels are on the kanban. We’ll link up with customers via a third-party Web site kanban system. A large manufacturing firm will call the third-party company and say it wants the supply base delivered from kanban. Then the large manufacturer brings on one of its suppliers one by one,” he said.

Electronic inventory management (e-kanban) does more than cut inventory.

Datacraft Solutions (www.datacraftsolutions.com) has experienced significant growth in the past twelve months by eliminating complicated, expensive, time-intensive software implementations as well as extensive training regiments and the need for internal support. The Datacraft Solutions’ replenishment supply chain digital kanban lean system allows customers access and fully utilize powerful lean benefits immediately for a low, predictable monthly fee. Services are scalable so manufacturers can design a Demand Driven Supply Chain Network.

Datacraft Solutions specializes in providing their clients with the tools they need to rapidly replace outdated manual systems with technology that speeds process flow and improves accuracy. Datacraft’s premier product, Signum has been developed around the Kanban concept of replenishment, and provides an invaluable tool for manufacturing companies to monitor process flow, lower administrative transaction costs, and improve decision-making ability.

Thomas Cutler
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/datacraft-solutions-demand-driven-supply-chain-network-profiled-by-in-tech-magazine-69260.html

The Association for Operations Management, APICS builds operations management excellence in individuals and enterprises through superior education and training, internationally recognized certifications, comprehensive resources, and a worldwide network of accomplished industry professionals. APICS is the global leader and premier source of the body of knowledge in operations management, including production, inventory, supply chain, materials management, purchasing, and logistics. Since 1957, individuals and companies have relied on APICS for its superior training, internationally recognized certifications, comprehensive resources, and worldwide network of accomplished industry professionals.
The APICS Conference will be held in Orlando October 29 - 31, 2006. Datacraft Solutions can be found at booth 520 at the APICS Conference.

According to Chairman and CEO Stephen Parker, “Datacraft Solutions’ Internet-based on-demand delivery platform offers key benefits from the very beginning of an implementation namely, the elimination of lengthy, complicated and expensive infrastructure upgrades before you can even begin to see positive ROI. There is simply no faster or easier way to begin exploiting the power of Digital Kanban in your operations.”

Datacraft Solutions is applying the lessons of continuous improvement to their platform, making the replenishment supply chain digital kanban implementation more efficient and effective as time goes on. This optimization occurs on an ongoing basis. There is no need to reload software and retool hardware; new capabilities are added, ready for manufacturers and suppliers to use the next log in.

Datacraft Solutions’ unique solution will be demonstrated at the APICS conference and involves three key differences in Digital Kanban:

All aspects solutions are hosted on Datacraft Solutions’ servers, and backed by Datacraft Solutions infrastructure.

Datacraft Solutions supports their replenishment supply chain digital kanban solutions. There is no need to pay administrators to maintain the software and/or hardware.

Datacraft Solutions provides the solutions at low, fixed monthly costs. Companies pay only for what is needed and used, without any hidden costs and the cost of ownership is easy to calculate and contain.

Datacraft Solutions uses the on-demand delivery model because many of the kanban solutions used by Fortune 100 and 500 companies are well outside the budget of small to mid-sized companies. Datacraft Solutions provides solutions that allow even the smallest companies to remain competitive, without having to incur costly IT expenses.

Sharing knowledge is also a key new distinction in the replenishment supply chain digital kanban world; as the solutions continue to spread throughout the manufacturing industry, Datacraft Solutions draws upon the insights and experiences of their client base to enhance the functionality of their product offerings.

Datacraft Solutions (www.datacraftsolutions.com) delivers a revolutionary digital kanban process of automation solutions to lean manufacturers through a secure Internet gateway, eliminating the need to install and maintain a complex IT infrastructure. The company has experienced significant growth in the past twelve months by eliminating complicated, expensive, time-intensive software implementations as well as extensive training regiments and the need for internal support. The Datacraft Solutions’ replenishment supply chain digital kanban lean system allows customers access and fully utilize powerful lean benefits immediately for a low, predictable monthly fee. Services are scalable so manufacturers can design an appropriate digital kanban solution.

Thomas Cutler
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/datacraft-solutions-demand-driven-supply-chain-lean-methods-demonstrated-at-orlando-apics-conference-october-29-31-63651.html

This was posted on ReadWriteWeb today and provides a fascinating insight into the future of RFID

IBM Debuts Food Traceability iPhone App
Posted: 26 Oct 2009 04:19 AM PDT

Today at the IBM Information on Demand event, IBM will demo a new app that will bring the Internet of Things to the iPhone. The as yet unreleased iPhone app is called Breadcrumbs and it will give consumers access to information about grocery food items. The app will be able to scan barcodes and deliver a summary of the ingredients in a food item, along with when it was manufactured. That data is usually on the food label, but Breadcrumbs goes a step further - it can provide extra information such as product recall data. If a product has been recalled in the past, this app will tell the consumer all of the relevant details.

Breadcrumbs is able to scan barcodes using the iPhone’s camera. The consumer simply points their iPhone at a food item and gets back relevant data. Other than product recall details, the information returned to the user is mostly the same as what’s on food labels - only it is pulled from the Web.

IBM told ReadWriteWeb that when 4G becomes common place in mobile phones, then apps such as Breadcrumbs will become more powerful and be readily used on-the-fly by consumers when grocery shopping.

The larger trend here is the convergence of smart phones with the Internet of Things (i.e. Internet-connected real world objects). Devices such as the iPhone essentially become sensor and RFID readers, which allow consumers to interact with real world objects in a much more detailed manner.

Breadcrumbs is a glimpse of what we’ll see in the near future, when information will literally - finally - be at the consumer’s fingertips when they’re shopping for groceries or any other goods where data is plentiful. Up till now, data such as product recall information has largely been inaccessible to consumers - at least when at the grocery store.

In the long term expect to see apps like Breadcrumb provide data on where and when food items get consumed, together with how long they were on the shelf before being consumed. Apps like Breadcrumbs may even be able to tell who consumed the items (privacy advocates, start your engines!). These apps will also be useful in determining counterfeit items, for example when buying an expensive luxury good.

The date that Breadcrumbs will be launched on iPhone has not yet been announced by IBM.

Technorati Tags: IBM, readwriteweb, RFID, the internet of things

1.Is your office operating at 100% efficiency?
2.Is your valuable data secured from unauthorized usage?

Future Filing is a paperless document management system designed to increase your businesses efficiency by:

1.Strengthening your organization of documentation
2.Improving communications internally and externally
3.Providing high security for your valuable data
4.Giving you the option of accessing your data remotely

With so many choices for document management it can be overwhelming to make the right decision. Cost, ease of use, and functionality are some of the critical items that you need to analyze to determine which system is right for your organization. Future Filing is a document management system designed for businesses that are going paperless, seeking strong document indexing and want improved organization and operational efficiency. Future Filing’s electronic method of documentation is unique since it allows for your organization to maintain “static” and “live” documents simultaneously. With its easy to use user interface, document searching, OCR and security functionalities, achieving your document management needs with Future Filing is fast, easy and enjoyable.

Some of Future Filings functionality is:

1.Data encryption of all files for added security
2.Easily search for documents with Quick Search
3.Maintain PDF, Word, Excel, JPEG, BITMAP, TIF, GIF
4.Perform Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
5.Access documents remotely with the web based feature
6.Document Indexing using the keyword tagging
7.much much more

Experience the difference Future Filing makes and act now. Get Future Filing and enjoy the “Future of Filing Today”.

Ngai Cobb
http://www.articlesbase.com/software-articles/paperless-document-management-57494.html

Once you have made the decision to create an LLC for your small business, you have to come to a decision about how you should make it come to light. One of the easiest, and most cost effective, ways to start an LLC is by using an online incorporation services solution. Using one has multiple good points compared to doing it yourself.

Following are five compelling benefits to forming your limited liability company on the Internet.

1. Low cost - By starting your limited liability company through an online formation company, you can save a decent amount of money versus using more traditional means. For many entrepreneurs just beginning, keeping costs low is something to consider and is a great benefit for using an online incorporation solution.

2. Set cost - When using an online service to start your limited liability company, you get the chance to choose your options and determine what your final cost is before you commit to anything. There are no surprise costs that appear when you don’t expect them, so you never get a surprise charge that was unexpected.

3. Guaranteed formation paperwork - If you do the limited liability company filing paperwork yourself, you are at risk of completing something wrong which can bring the formation process to a halt, or make it so your limited liability company is invalidated in a court of law. Ensure your paperwork is done correctly by making use a web based limited liability company formation service.

4. Quick formation - An Internet formation company has the ability to accurately submit the LLC paperwork in a timely fashion. If there is a need for your LLC quicker, there are options to upgrade to priority handling, speeding up the process.

5. Customer service - When there are questions about the Internet LLC application procedure, customer service is available to help you with the entire process. Having this ability easily available is worth its weight in gold.

Forming an LLC is a big decision and the whole process should be as smooth and simple as possible. When you use a web based solution to take care of the process for you, everything is done properly and in a timely fashion. Create a LLC via the web and the entire process will make you extremely happy with the outcome.

Technorati Tags: form an llc online, llc formation online, online llc

A photographic album, or photo album, even a digital electronic photo album, is a collection of a series of photographs, generally in a book, even if it’s a virtual one. Some albums have compartments which the images may be slipped in to; older style albums were simply books of heavy paper which photos could be glued to or attached to with adhesive corners, or pages.

Online photos can be uploaded and made into a coffee table style photo book. Different online services offer options such as photo editing, varied sizes, varied bleeds, layouts, cover design, colors, for digital electronic photo album etc.

Some services even enlarge the idea of a digital electronic photo album by allowing a photograph to become part of many photo albums, add comments and keywords to these photographs and use these keywords as the mean to create new digital electronic photo album. Some online photo albums provide services such as photo printing and options to upload pictures to your cellular phones.

There are many software programs available to organize images in folders or digital electronic photo album, such as Adobe Photoshop Album and Picasa. These programs generally allow for sorting and ordering of different images, tagging the images, and viewing them in slideshows or printing them. These programs commonly allow the user to perform basic edits such as cropping, red-eye removal, and some basic “one touch” enhancements for color and lighting.

Storing digital images in traditional photo-albums needs the growth on photo paper and placing it on the pages of an empty photo-album. With Photo-Books, a real book with your own images and texts can be created. The follow-on book is printed via digital color printers and bounded together, and looks exactly the same as the initial concept.

Professional printing and binding services offer free software for easy creation of photo-books with professional layouts and individual lay outing capabilities. Because of the integrated design and order of workflow, real hardcover bounded books with your own pictures and text can be produced very cost effectively.

Share your photos with friends and family, make different photo albums for all your special occasions, let your friends and family comment on your photos, and even allow people to rate your photos.

The user shall be able to specify a set of photos for inclusion into an album, and have the system automatically layout the album using a predefined template. Photo selection shall grow linearly with the number of photos.

James Dawson
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/the-brand-new-digital-electronic-photo-album-is-now-free-just-for-you-123622.html

Radio-frequency identification chips (often called RFID tags) are inductively powered chips that can be used in a range of applications from a subsiture for bar codes on supermarket products to identifying lost dogs and cats. It is a tiny, battery-powered electronic device. When the RFID tag is activated, it decodes the incoming message and produces an answer by utilizing the energy of the incoming radio wave to power the chip long enough to answer.

The main applications include: supply chain management, machine-driven payment, access control, counterfeit prevention, airline baggage management and increasingly smart homes and offices. The tags come in a range of formats: a flat, thin, flexible form known as a label. A flat, thin, flexible tag on paper is a ticket. A flat, thin tag embedded in tough plastic is known as a card (just like a credit card). A small tag in a cylindrical glass bead, is often used for applications such as tagging animals.

RFID TAGS add value and accuracy to many applications such as compliance labeling in retail distribution centers, high-speed processes in postal and parcel distribution, manufacturing process control and confirmation, material tracking, airline luggage identification and routing systems, and single-pass multiple item identification.

RFID technology can be used to raise productivity and tracking in discrete and process manufacturing. For RFID applications such as toll collection and vehicle and container tracking, the tags are used again and again for many years. Key applications are payment systems (such as toll collection systems), access control and asset tracking. Active and semi-passive rfid tags are useful for tracking high-value goods that need to be read over long ranges, such as railroad cars, but these cost more than passive tags, so they are uneconomical on low-cost items.

RFID tags can be tracked easily which has privacy implications. Some civil liberties groups are worried about RFID technology being utilized to invade people’s privacy. There is concern that RFID tags can enable unethical individuals accumulate information on people without their approval or even knowledge.

RFID tag technology, as a replacement to bar code technology, identifies tagged items over wireless communication between an electronic reader and tags containing data on microprocessor chips. However a key disadvantage of a passive rfid tag is that the tag can be read only at short distances, typically only a few feet.