There are seven keys to becoming a world-class manufacturer that distill the broad concepts above into specific actions that can be addressed and accomplished in your company. Download this white paper to learn more.
The Seven Keys to World
Class Manufacturing
whitepaperTABLE OF CONTENTS: PAGE
Reduce Lead Times ....................................................................................................3Cut Operations Costs ..................................................................................................4Speed Time-to-Market ................................................................................................6Exceed Customer Expectations ....................................................................................7Streamline Outsourcing Processes ...............................................................................8Manage the Global Enterprise .....................................................................................8Unlocking the Potential ............................................................................................10About Infor .............................................................................................................11Executive OverviewWhat does it mean to be a world-class competitor? It means being successful in your chosen market against any competition-regardless of size, country of origin or resources. It means matching or exceeding any competitor on quality, lead time, ?exibility, cost/price, customer service and innovation. It means picking your battles-competing where and when you choose and on terms that you dictate. It means you are in control and your competitors struggle to emulate your success.
What does it take to be world class? Richard Schonberger, a leading manufacturing consultant,created the term "world-class manufacturing." According to Schonberger, "manufacturing is gainedby marshalling the resources for continual rapid improvement." To achieve world-class status,companies must change procedures and concepts, which in turn leads to transforming relations amongsuppliers, purchasers, producers and customers. Enterprise automation is indispensable tomanufacturing innovators who aim to gain market share, operate at peak ef?ciency and exceedcustomer expectations so they can be world class in their industry.
How can your company become and remain world class? There are seven keys to becoming a world-class manufacturer that distill the broad concepts above into speci?c actions that can be addressed and accomplished in your company. Each is presented with a brief discussion and examples of its impact on a manufacturing organization and its competitiveness. A more detailed discussion of each of the seven keys is available from Infor.
The keys to success, in no particular order, are:
1 Reduce lead times2 Speed time-to-market3 Cut operations costs4 Exceed customer expectations5 Manage the global enterprise6 Streamline outsourcing processes7 Improve business performance visibility
Each of these objectives is important in and of itself; however, taken together, they describe the focus of the activities and attitudes that de?ne world class.
Reduce Lead TimesShorter lead times are always a good thing. In many markets, the ability to deliver sooner will win business away from competitors with similar product features, quality and price. In other markets, quick delivery can justify a premium price and will certainly enhance customer satisfaction. In all cases, shorter lead times increase ?exibility and agility, reduce the need for inventory buffers and lowers obsolescence risk. Lead times are cumulative and bi-directional-that is, order handling, planning, procurement, inspection, manufacturing, handling, picking, packing, and delivery all contribute to the lead time; and the time it takes to get signals down the supply chain to initiate each activity adds to the overall time it takes to get the job done.
| 3In?exible business rules and policies can drive undesired effects. Purchasing rules too focused onunit cost lead to large quantity buys that result in high inventory and long lead times. Ironically, this type of buying can also lead to shortages, since longer lead times mean you will be making and buying to a less accurate forecast. The best combination of price and lead time often comes from a stable buyer-supplier collaborative relationship based on long-term contracts with deliveries according to a forecast that is shared with the supplier and updated frequently. The same is true on the customer side. Instead of focusing on securing larg... [download for more]
