Achieve Agile Manufacturing Processes by Leveraging Accurate Granular Data in Real Time

In any given industry, it’s the companies that can leverage accurate data quickly and efficiently that have the power to achieve the levels of operational agility needed to gain a serious competitive advantage.

What the Covid crisis taught us about operational agility

Manufacturing agility is a key determinant of an operation’s efficiency and resiliency and is fundamental to a supply chain’s capacity to meet demand and achieve growth. Manufacturers in all industries have learned the hard way, throughout the Covid crisis, the importance of operational agility. As supply chain disruptions became the norm, manufacturers who relied on technology solutions that provided them accurate data across the entire supply chain were able to quickly adapt their operation and processes to the changing conditions. The most agile were able to quickly open new sales and weather supply shortages, allowing them to maintain high levels of service and grow their share of the market. Others did not fare so well.

Today, as the crisis subsides, manufacturers who had already invested in a flexible and agile infrastructure find themselves in an advantageous situation. As for the others, now that the frequency and gravity of supply chain disruptions lessen, they can once again plan for future and develop roadmaps that identify investment opportunities for more agile operations.

Leverage the right tools to achieve higher levels of manufacturing agility and competitivity

In the age of integrated supply chains and multichannel operations, manufacturing companies are finding more and more that they can no longer rely on clerical processes or a simple ERP system to adequately support their production processes and warehousing activities. Technology solutions such as a WMS, MES, or TMS have become indispensable to manufacturers looking to achieve and maintain the kind of operational agility that leads to greater efficiency, customer satisfaction, and sustainable growth. Not only do these solutions enable granular visibility on the data that really matters to them in real time, but they also make it possible to automate workflows and manufacturing execution to achieve greater productivity and better margins.

A system like the SOLOCHAIN WMS, for instance, is known to provide that much needed and highly detailed information over inventory, workflows, and manufacturing processes across the entire supply chain, from vendors to clients. More importantly, SOLOCHAIN makes that data available in real time to workers on the floor as well as to management, empowering everyone to adapt to the updated information quickly and efficiently.

How the SOLOCHAIN WMS improves the operational agility of manufacturing companies

A home electronics manufacturer leverages the SOLOCHAIN WMS to support their warehouse workers across the entire manufacturing execution process. Workers overseeing the production of AV receivers can see, for instance, when inventoried quantities for a given part are running low. In such a case, SOLOCHAIN’s back office and production management capabilities enable the WMS to suggest valid substitutions for the missing part. Once the new part is selected, the changes are immediately communicated to workers affected to picking activities, ensuring that the right items are picked for consumption and that production continues to run smoothly.

Meanwhile, the SOLOCHAIN WMS optimizes the home electronic manufacturer’s operational agility through automated workflows. Once integrated with the company’s ERP system, SOLOCHAIN can automatically generate POs once quantities for a given SKU reach a predetermined threshold. Thanks to such back-office functionalities and automated exchanges between the WMS and the manufacturer’s ERP system, inventory management and replenishment activities are much more efficient.

Yet another way the SOLOCHAIN WMS contributes to a company’s operational agility is by enabling operators to react quickly and with precision in the event of a recall. When poorly managed, recalls occasion costly and labor-intensive operations, which ultimately affects margins and an operator’s capacity to use their capital to better ends. Clumsy recalls can also negatively impact the trust customers put in the company, which severely hinders a its capacity to maintain its share of the market.

At the home electronics maker, SOLOCHAIN’s track and trace capabilities provide control and visibility over finished AV receivers through complete lot traceability. It allows them to identify if an item was consumed in a batch and to trace that item through its entire journey, from vendor to final customer. Once an item is flagged as problematic, the system immediately initiates an electronic recall, informing all the relevant people and stakeholders of the batches location that need to be recalled and of the necessary actions to take.

These are just some of the ways in which the SOLOCHAIN WMS optimizes a manufacturer’s operational agility – and there are many more. With increased agility, supply chain operators are in a better position to meet demand and explore new channels when the opportunity presents itself, giving them the upper hand against the competition.

Generix Group North America provides a series of solutions within our Supply Chain Hub product suite to create efficiencies across an entire supply chain. Our solutions are in use around the world and our experience is second-to-none.

To discover the all advantages of the SOLOCHAIN WMS, take a look at the Product Sheet: https://info.generixgroup.com/US-WMS_SOLOCHAIN_Product_Sheet.html.

Generix Group North America provides a series of solutions within our Supply Chain Hub product suite to create efficiencies across an entire supply chain. Our solutions are in use around the world and our experience is second-to-none. We invite you to contact us to learn more.