Managing Automation - November 2007 - (Page 27)

[ COVER STORY ] tices and work standards. If the lead unit in building a car is in Asia Pacific, for example, there have to be identical processes around the globe so that the work can be seamlessly transferred. “The model has worked in North America and Europe because there are similar infrastructure capabilities,” Klem says. “But the challenge we face now as we move into other countries is that they don’t enjoy the same richness of infrastructure and connectivity, in terms of speed.” That means if an engineering center is trying to send data to a remote location that does not have a solid telecommunications infrastructure or enough “I believe the business side will put presbandwidth, it can dissure on the IT side to get an integration rupt the digital flow. going between traditional PLM and the But GM, which has been working on crerest of ERP — Manish Modi of Oracle .” ating a digital manuThat kind of pressure, however, can create facturing environment, takes the infrastrucinternal strife in many companies due to the ture issue in stride. After all, the company is fact that IT, engineering, and manufacturing doing things today it never dreamed of doing have been independent departments historyears ago. “The vision has been there for a ically (see Special Report, p. 28). To truly long time and the industr y has made immove to a collaborative digital factory model, provements in infrastructure and basic comorganizational structures will have to change. puting that [are] allowing us to do things “We’ve seen more progressive companies that we never could have done a few years creating manufacturing/IT groups,” says ago,” Woodhead says. Kevin Tock, vice president of MES at WonEYES ON THE PRIZE derware. “Once that happens, different kinds of discussions start to come to the forefront in The lesson from GM and others is that it is order to figure out what is really important.” essential not to lose sight of the ulWhat’s important is having flexibility in timate goal, no matter how unatmanagingautomation.com manufacturing, quality built into the prodtainable it may seem at the moment. uct design, and the ability to make customers In fact, it’s important to understand RELATED ARTICLES: happy. To that end, Tock, Oracle’s Modi, that most manufacturers are probaPLM and Manufacturing: A Digital Bond and SAP’s Bapat all see MES, supply chain bly already involved with the digital www.managingautomation.com/plm9 management, and even CRM as important manufacturing concept in some way, Siemens Startles Industry with UGS pieces to close the digital factory loop. shape, or form. “Nobody ever says, Acquisition www.managingautomation.com/dailynews7 All of which, of course, can complicate the ‘Today, we do it manually and toconcept of the digital factory. Therefore, as Enterprise PLM: Will More Integration mor row we’ll be all digital,’ ” Offer a Cure? the definition of the digital factory begins DELMIA’s Axtman says. “But people www.managingautomation.com/plm8 to embrace all aspects of the organization, are starting to wake up and realize some believe the need for standards rises they are already using an aspect of COMPANIES MENTIONED: correspondingly. the digital manufacturing solution. If Agile Wonderware points to industry standards, they are using CAD 2D or 3D, they www.managingautomation.com/Agile such as ISA 95 and B2MML (Business-toalready have part of the digital facDassault Systemes Manufacturing Markup Language), which www.managingautomation.com/Dassault tory solution.” define the way MES and ERP systems exThe digital revolution is upon Oracle Corp. change information. But corporations must www.managingautomation.com/Oracle3 manufacturing, but it won’t happen take it upon themselves to define internal overnight in a big bang. SAP AG www.managingautomation.com/SAP3 standards as well. “You need to roll up your sleeves For GM, standards and infrastructure and get into the business in order Siemens UGS www.managingautomation.com/UGS were two of the biggest obstacles in the to understand how to make it all move toward the digital factory. In addition to work within the context of your Wonderware www.managingautomation.com/Wonderware building digital libraries, Klem and Woodbusiness,” GM’s Klem says. “You head had to establish a common set of praclearn by doing.” ■ To that end, Oracle emphasizes collaboration and management as two important aspects of digital manufacturing. There must be a deliberate shift toward creating PLM and production hubs, the big software supplier says. “I truly believe that the business side will put pressure on the IT side to get an integration going between traditional PLM and the rest of ERP that encompasses manufacturing, ser vices, and ser vice operations,” says Manish Modi, vice president of manufacturing and PLM development at Oracle. This goal was a motivating factor behind Oracle’s acquisition of Agile, he says. maonline Photo courtesy: Oracle 27 November 2007 http://managingautomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com/plm9 http://www.managingautomation.com/dailynews7 http://www.managingautomation.com/plm8 http://www.managingautomation.com/Agile http://www.managingautomation.com/Dassault http://www.managingautomation.com/Oracle3 http://www.managingautomation.com/SAP3 http://www.managingautomation.com/UGS http://www.managingautomation.com/Wonderware

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - November 2007

Managing Automation - November 2007 Contents Take 1 Mailbox SAP's Business ByDesign to Validate On-Demand Model for Enterprise SW Portfolio Management Specialist Losing Ground to Rivals At Incor, It's Time for Some Deep Breathing Can HART, ISA Get Together on a Wireless Spec? Mesa Tries to Help Improve Plant Metrics Notes Cover Story: The Digital Factory Special Report: Breaking Down Walls Integration: Dreaming of One ERP Industries: Locking onto Cyber-Security Transformation: Not Your Father's Time & Attendance Program Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - November 2007

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