Jean Thilmany, contributing editor (thilmanyj@yahoo.com)
Articles
Put down that spreadsheet: ERP follows food to the plant floor, and out the door
Retailers looking to stock Berner Foods' line of meats and cheeses often ask Berner to demonstrate how nimbly it could respond to a food recall. When bidding for business, the Roscoe, Ill.-based manufacturer must show potential supermarket and big-box retail customers that it can trace the ingredients in each of its products to the supplier level within two hours.
When BOMs slow batching processes, you need an archive
Ever notice some computer slowness after you've downloaded music or photos? The same thing can happen with a manufacturer's ERP system. While the overloaded PC may take minutes to load a photo, the manufacturer's problem is more significant. Important systems can slow down at exactly the wrong time, says Brian Babineau, senior analyst with Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), a Milford, Mass.
Supply chains respond to scandals with product-tracking strategies
The news has been grim lately: toys containing lead-based paint; pet food laced with poison. When a recall occurs, time is of the essence. A manufacturer's bottom line—and image—depends on finding the tainted goods and returning them to the plant, pronto. Then it becomes a matter of cleaning up the supplier base.