Scorecards. KPIs. Real-time reports. Progressive manufacturers know them and live by them. They are products of a simple credo that governs today’s push for performance management: If we can measure our processes and the software and hardware tools that control them, we can ferret out inefficiencies and save time, money, and frustration. The remedy, manufacturers are discovering, isn’t always a new high-tech installation. In fact, part of the beauty of using analytical software to identify problems is that the solution to a production problem is often old-fashioned manual reconfiguration — of processes, people, and equipment. The trick is taking the right measurements. Check out the resources below for insight on getting started.

Research Reports & Studies

“Linking Sales, Manufacturing, and Supplier, Niagara Is Leaner”

Take a look at this Society of Manufacturing Engineers case study for an insightful how-to on tying manufacturing operations to sales. The study illustrates how one company sold its manufacturing personnel on process improvements by making them feel like part of the broader enterprise and creating incentives for cooperation.

The BPM Forum

With an advisory board packed to the gills with representatives from some of the world’s leading companies, the BPM Forum is something of a think tank focused on “the understanding of business performance management techniques, technologies, and processes in global enterprises.”

“The Manufacturing Performance Management Benchmark Report” [membership]

Cindy Jutras of Aberdeen Group delves into the strategies manufacturers have used to address the customer demand for shorter lead times, even as those manufacturers juggle the ever-present need to remove costs from the balance sheet.

“Combining and Integrating Manufacturing Innovations to Increase Manufacturing Performance” [membership]

This IEEE report tests the effectiveness of combining various manufacturing innovations to boost company performance, including the use of advanced manufacturing equipment; operational disciplines such as Total Quality Management and Just in Time manufacturing; innovation of worker tasks; and production outsourcing.