Plant Services - August 2007 - (Page 18) UP AND RUNNING block that prevents management from making rapid, effective decisions is an insufficient degree of integration between plant-floor technology operating in one sphere and the business system software serving the executive suite. The two corporate entities with the greatest interest in plant data are the production and maintenance departments on one hand with the IT department and front office on the other. While each side might have separate agendas, both systems use common technologies. You’ll find a personal computer at nearly every workstation in the office area and on the plant floor, all of which are probably running the same operating system. The PCs in both business arenas are likely connected to a facility-wide Ethernet system, arguably the de facto industrial communication standard. Thus, the hardware and infrastructure needed to underpin the convergence already is in place. Employees in the plant are being pressured to produce more with less. The front office is being pressured to meet budgets and exceed forecasts. Management wants to see real-time manufacturing and production data. With so much riding on the outcomes of dozens of daily decisions, knowledge is power. Without the ability to communicate data and information to where it’s needed, when it’s needed, knowledge loses much of its commercial value. Both plant and IT have a vested interest in connecting to a more functional facility-wide communication system. Both sides have something to offer, technological and philosophical, and the time is ripe for them to demonstrate a complementary approach to boosting the value of the overall communication system that empowers them. Because achieving this common goal provides mutual benefits, collaboration between the IT department and the plant team can, in theory, make this convergence – facility-wide integration – possible. But the plant-floor team and the IT department must focus on what’s really important, avoid turf wars and invest in cross-training the technicians and IT personnel. The key point of four panel discussions was that a big barrier to integration is bringing standardization to existing standalone legacy and mainframe systems. August 2007 When Ordinary Concrete Is Not Tough Enough Iron Floors ® FEATURES: SUpERioR AbRASion RESiSTAncE LASTS Up To 8 TimES LongER ThAn concRETE impAcT RESiSTAnT minimAL downTimE inSTALLATion Flooring that is exposed to frequent vehicular traffic and impact calls for the most durable repair system available – The Delta Top Iron Floor System. Featuring an iron aggregate concrete, it is built to withstand the toughest conditions. The leader in concrete repair, Structural Preservation Sytems’ nationwide coverage and design–build capability ensure that your new flooring system will be completed safely and efficiently – minimizing disruption to your facility’s operations and extending the service life of the floor. AppLicATionS: high impAcT And AbRASion AREAS TRAcK whEEL VEhicLE AREAS EqUipmEnT mAinTEnAncE FAciLiTiES hEAVy mAnUFAcTURing mAchinE ShopS Call Today to Order Your FREE Floor Sample! www.tippingfloors.com • 800-899-1016 18 www.PLANTSERVICES.com http://www.tippingfloors.com http://www.tippingfloors.com http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com
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