Managing Automation- July 2008

robert malone NEXT Watch and Learn robomalone@aol.com Careful observation, coupled with critical analysis, can help manufacturers discern beneficial advances amid the snake oil. Some of us have been watching manufacturing for a good long time and in the words of the great Yogi Berra, “You can observe a lot by watching.” Presumably, watching helps us to separate reality from fantasy. A reliable mine canary can help, as there are many reality gases and fantasy shafts along the way. As Lewis Carroll warned, “Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch!” Manufacturing has seen its share of Jabberwocks, Bandersnatches, and Jubjub birds. For example, when automation was introduced, many people saw it as a cure-all. The idea that everything could be immediately automated turned out to be a myth. Often, automation proved far costlier than imagined, and worker issues remained unresolved. Without sufficient advances in communications, integrating tasks was impossible. In another example, when industrial robots came on the scene, they were believed to be universal solutions for just about any application. Indeed, some applications were sheer genius, but others failed miserably. Along the way, however, quality control got lost in the machinery. We have since learned that quality is not something to be put into a process by a machine or a robot. Japanese manufacturers learned earlier than most other companies that quality has more to do with supplier relationships and customer knowledge and satisfaction. As automation displaced Japanese workers, they were often retrained as quality control people. Automation for the Japanese became a process of relentless improvement rather than a panacea. Too often, enterprises have failed to view manufacturing within a larger business context. These companies lose their canary altogether. A manufacturer may produce high-quality products, but if the business context is wrong, they are of little consequence. If the supply chain is not secure or the customer is ignored, there is a problem. If the finances are not secure or the management is not vital, there is a problem. If the business focuses on legacy issues, there is a problem. If the business does not recognize its immediate and distant competitors, there is a problem. If the organization is not sustainable, there is a problem. And beware of a manufacturing business that is not sold on the need for constant innovation. Shouldn’t we be wary of ideas and processes coming before their time — or after their time? Manufacturing automation came to fruition before communications automation did. Manufacturing tried hard with MAP/TOP and early Ethernet, but too much manufacturing-centered software and too many modules of MRP, MRP II, and ERP bogged the industry down. Fifty or more modules surely is beating a horse to death. It was widely believed that many companies that bought MRP actually used only 15% to 20% of what they had bought. Beware of complexity. Better to follow the mathematicians’ lead and seek simple, elegant solutions. Get a canary and start watching for the Bandersnatch, Jabberwock, and Jubjub bird. You just might observe something that benefits your business. s Robert Malone, based in New York, is principal of Robert Malone Associates and former editor-in-chief of Managing Automation. maonline managingautomation.com For more of Robert Malone’s views, visit: u Growing Pains www.managingautomation .com/next50 u Mean Manufacturing www.managingautomation .com/next49 u A Giant Leap www.managingautomation .com/next48 ma July 54 2008 Photo: Dirk Kikstra http://managingautomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com/next50 http://www.managingautomation.com/next50 http://www.managingautomation.com/next49 http://www.managingautomation.com/next49 http://www.managingautomation.com/next48 http://www.managingautomation.com/next48

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation- July 2008

Managing Automation- July 2008 Contents Take 1 HP's Acquisition of EDS May Face Integration, Global Delivery Challenges Rimini Plans to Woo SAP Support Users Rockwell Steps Up Its Activities in Software Microsoft Targets the Process of Innovation Supply Chain Standouts Honored by AMR Notes Who Are Today's Influential Thinkers? The Robot Revolution Is the Price Right? Without a Trace Harvesting the Suggestion Box Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

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