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by Joshua Greenbaum, Contributing Editor Posted on Friday, April 29, 2005 12:30:00 PM   | Abstract: | Lean may have gotten its start on the shop floor, but its real value comes from something much bigger: deep integration between shop floor processes, the internal supply chain, and the larger, external supply chain environment in which every manufacturer operates. |
| Keywords: | lean manufacturing,oracle,scm,supply chain manufacturing,demand driven supply chain,efficiency,shop floor,global manufacturer |
Lean may have gotten its start on the shop floor, but its real value comes from something much bigger: deep integration between shop floor processes, the internal supply chain, and the larger, external supply chain environment in which every manufacturer operates. The promise of truly integrated, lean enterprise is now driving companies of all sizes to reassess how they look at traditional ERP systems. While ERP systems have been instrumental in creating efficiency and driving cost-effective processes at manufacturers in a variety of industries, new thinking, and new technology, are needed to make the shift to lean. In short, lean enterprises require a "lean IT" initiative to meet goals. Just ask Rick Wiegand, vice president and executive operating officer of Elliott Company, a mid-sized, global manufacturer of compressors and steam turbines for the energy industry, based in Jeannette, PA. When Elliott looked at its future, its increasingly global competition, and its need to better service its customers and partners through lean technology and processes, it was clear that a shift in thinking and a major shift in IT platform was going to be needed. [Click to continue] |