2010 January Issue – The New Economy and Manufacturing

The new economy usually refers to the mess that is left after we let our past economy be politicized and brought down by greed and the self-serving interests of both individuals and companies.  In the new economy where does manufacturing fit?  If we listen to some, it fits in the part of the world with the lowest worker salary structure.  Others believe that manufacturing is a bedrock of our country’s economy and we need to preserve and grow our production base. 

What do you believe?

Where do you stand on saving U.S. manufacturing?  Are you out to improve manufacturing and the strength of our country?  Are you one of the dedicated members of the production community willing to reach out to do what’s needed to grow and strengthen our manufacturing foundation?

Manufacturing improvement will happen one plant at a time.  What is the most cost-effective improvement a plant can make on the shop floor?  Paperless manufacturing stands at the top of the list.  Companies who have analyzed the possibilities know the conversion to paperless operations pays for itself quickly and these cost savings are something they reap year after year.

Why are paperless operations so effective?

Paperless plants are:

• Error-free: the use of technology reduces the chance of human error and paper error
• Productive: customers report doubling production without adding staff
• Ecologically friendly: customers save hundreds of thousands of dollars every year on reduced paper waste, storage and ink
• Efficient: technology gains efficiencies that people cannot implement with just working faster 

Why has adopting paperless operation become easier and almost risk free?

New technology has made it possible to install a paperless solution in phases that are easy to plan and manage, making the journey to paperless operations a lower risk project than other software installations.  New solutions also have built-in capabilities that provide:

• Configurability to match features to your processes including the look and feel of system operation
• Customization that adds features and capabilities without changing operational software code
• Integration capabilities that make it easy to incorporate a system into the fabric of your plant
• Software upgrades are readily implemented without the expense of further custom code 

With these tools, a plant can go from installation to full production in less than 90 days.  You can take the lead and find out how simple, quick and inexpensive it is to integrate a paperless system into your plant by contacting us.