ManufIT.com

Last week I saw an example of what not to do when developing manufacturing systems.  The manufacturer hired a programmer to “upgrade” older systems that existed in FileMaker Pro and Excel spreadsheets.  A gov’met agency recommended they move from Excel to a database, so the programmer used Oracle because that is what they knew.

What I would have done:

1. Start with what the business problem is.  What is the real problem and what would be the most efficient way to solve it?  A database might not be the right solution. (Right Kevin?)

2. If because of #1 or because there is a regulatory requirement, a database is required, make it as simple to build and own as possible.  That means starting with software that most people know or that you can get anyone to upgrade in the future.

2a - My opinion is there are way more people that know Microsoft technologies (ASP, .NET, SQL Server, etc.) than do Oracle.  Also, a PHP and MySQL solution would have more worldwide resources available than an Oracle solution.

3.  Get a couple opinions before you start (especially if you do not do this every day.)  Ask some friends, technical advisors, etc. before you start to spend money. 

Unfortunately for this manufacturer they spent about 5x more money than they should have for what they got and now they have something that no one is going to want to touch.  Because they knew the developer and she was only charging them $40/hour, they thought they were getting a deal!

oh, 1a - see if there is a good Commercial-off-the-shelf solution (COTS) that works before you build it.

My passion is to help manufacturing companies make good decisions about manufacturing systems and have those systems provide good value the the company.  I like to refer to it sometimes as “I try to keep people from doing stupid stuff.”  Well today I was too late.

I met with a smaller company today that I have been watching from afar for a while.  They have spent WAY TOO MUCH money on a simple application that they want to help them run manufacturing better.  This application has some functionality that exists in an old FileMaker Pro database application and the task was to bring forward that functionality and add to it.

The developer they hired to write the new application chose Oracle (the free express version) because that is what they knew.  Now the company is between a rock and a hard place because the developer is not done, they are way over budget, the application is not tested yet, and there is more scope they would really like to complete!!!

I was too late!  Tune in next post for what I would have done differently…

It was announced this week…

http://www.mbtmag.com/article/CA6570888.html?nid=3436&rid=1258896918

SAP to buy Visiprise.  Those of us in the business knew it was coming at some point, and it happened.  What will be really interesting is to see what this does to the relationships SAP has with other key players in the industry like Camstar, Apriso, Wonderware, Rockwell, etc.  All of these companies have some type of technical or strategic relationship with SAP so they can all say they can “connect to SAP with their MES solutions.”

So now what?  It was hard to argue with a customer that says something like “I spent $XXM on SAP to run my business and if I can leverage that investment to help me run my operations better, that is what I am going to do.”  In the mid to long term, it is going to be very hard to convince a company to use a different MES solution other than Visiprise if they are an SAP user.

I have often wondered who is going to “win” in the MES space - ERP or the Automation vendors.  This move would appear to be a swing in the direction of ERP winning the battle for MES.  I have been silent on posts for a while, but this will provide some good thoughts in the upcoming weeks.

http://www.evolvingexcellence.com/blog/2008/03/today-i-left-th.html

Referring to Kevin’s article, I was impressed a few weeks ago when I witnessed the Mac out performing a PC….

We were in a training class with Wonderware Central, our local Wonderware distributor.  The instructor was using a Mac with VMware’s fusion product running the Wonderware software.  We were all stepping through a demo, and when it came time to “publish” our work (something that required a little crunching), we all did it at the same time.

To my amazement, the Mac with the VMware software was done faster than my Sony Vaio, and a couple of my developer’s Dell laptops.

The lines are getting blurry…

http://www.evolvingexcellence.com/blog/2008/03/today-i-left-th.html

At least once a month I have a customer say something like “That is like paying you to do a quote.” Or, “I am not going to pay you to do a quote.” 

MES solutions are among the toughest Manufacturing IT projects out there.  They touch IT, Operations, Automation and Engineering, Quality, ERP, and most of all PEOPLE!  So, approaching a MES project without a plan, some specifications, a few requirements, or at least something written down, is sure disaster.

Here is my house analogy:

You want a new custom home, or at least you think you are ready to embark on the journey.  You are not sure what it is going to cost, but you think you know what you want.  You show up to talk with the builder with no prints, no specs, knowing nothing about the types of cabinets, fixtures, carpet, or appliances that you want, and you want the builder to tell you how much it is going to cost.  You sit down with the builder and start saying things like “we want 3 bedrooms and 3 full-bathrooms.”  Image the builder’s position….do you want granite counters?  Walk-in showers?  Closets the size of small bedrooms?  How is he supposed to help you if you have not defined your requirements?

In the house analogy, this is where the designer and/or architect come into play.  You could also use a builder that does “Design-Build.”  In either case, you typically define what it is you want so that you can get what you want from the final result.  Also, this allows you to go get “apples-to-apples” quotes from multiple builders.

As for MES, most manufacturers don’t know where to start in defining their MES requirements.  And, many vendors are eager to get started on something, so they will start building something for the manufacturer without designing the entire solution.  In our house analogy, this is what I call the Tree House analogy.  If you don’t plan it out up front, your house will start looking like a tree house all thrown together.

Final Suggestions:

• Define your MES Requirements up front - if you don’t know how to do this, call me.
• With your definition in hand, seek input from a few builders.
• Start Small, but with a final design in mind.