All Progressive Manufacturing questions

• Process Simulation & Prototyping
  I want to simulate a process related to oil exploration and then prototyping it physically. I have got the drawings of the components involving in the process in AutoCAD. First I want to develop a computer model to simulate the suggested oil exploration method. It involves giving commands and moving and rotating components according to the requirements through the user interface. Once the simulation in the computer is done the next step would be building a small physical prototype and simulating the process using a small prototype. Can I use a SCADA software to handle the overall design and testing of the process? Kind regards

• Voice-Activated Robots?
  Can the Robots by Microsoft be operated by voice activators? Will this make a difference-a change for the present laborers?

• SAP Implementation Help
  We are in the process of implementing SAP at our organization. The struggle we are having is MRP within a design/build custom job shop within the precast concrete product divsion. Do you know of a consultant or expert who may be able to visit with our Core Implementation Team and provide some insight and answer some questions on the MRP functionality and integration with the rest of our SAP ERP system?

• Managing Globally Dispersed Product Development
  Customers looking to manage product development dispersed globally are stressing high level visibility over the process of product development. Yet low-level, global knowledge sharing of design, test and product information along with resource management is also stressed. In your experience, are companies taking a top-down approach, starting with high-level visibility and tying it to globally dispersed low-level information or from the bottom up by linking low-level information and building visibility over that? Do you see any significant benefit to one approach over the other?

• Optimizing global networks
  What is one thing that companies must do in order to be a global player in the manufacturing industry?

• Global challenges identified
  What is one of the key challenges facing manufacturers as they go global?