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INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING
Planning and Scheduling
Software–Helping Manufacturers
Keep Their Customers Happy
T
he manufacturing industry
has become virtually
unrecognisable over the past
50 years, and while products and
processes have remained a priority,
change has been continuous. The
boundaries of what was once a
relatively black and white industry
have blurred thanks to technology
advancements, and, as a result,
manufacturers have been forced
to embark on transformation
projects, and adopt new integrated
technology solutions in order to
better service the modern customer,
writes Monzer Tohme, Regional Vice
President, Sales, Middle East and
Africa, Epicor Software.
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INTELLIGENTCIO
One such solution is planning and
scheduling software. The conduit to
managing the shop floor efficiently,
this software joins up all parts of
a business’s manufacturing arm,
allowing companies to utilise
resources in a way that optimises
performance and profitability.
The software is vital to
manufacturers, allowing them to
forecast customer demand, and
schedule resources–such as machines,
people, and raw materials–according
to real-time data. Also, saving money
through the reduction of wasted
time and the amount of unsold stock
sitting in expensive warehouses.
Demanding customers vs.
technology
Today‘s customers are not only
becoming increasingly demanding
but are also now harder to attract,
influence and retain. This is posing
new challenges for manufacturers
as they make moves towards a
connected future via automation,
and robotic assembly.
Whether it’s an enterprise resource
planning (ERP) solution to aid the
flow of business, and increase
communication across a company,
or the implementation of a
manufacturing execution system
(MES) to support the efforts of
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