5 Predictions of the Smart Enterprise, 4 Reasons Life Sciences Embrace the Cloud, and more...

This week we're engaging in a little manufacturing and IT time travel. We're starting by examining the benefits life sciences companies can realize by migrating to the cloud, and then fast forwarding to exploring the concept of the company of tomorrow: the "smart" enterprise, fully connected in every form and function.

But we're keeping one foot in the past as well, as we look back at how China entering the global marketplace over three decades ago affected U.S. companies, and how Chinese companies are using these successes and failures to better inform operational decisions.

We round out the week back in the present, as we examine the gap that can occur between manufacturing operations and the effects on business performance. We offer 14 ways of how to ensure that proper executive awareness is raised about what's happening on the shop floor.

4 Reasons Life Sciences Can Move Compliance Management to the Cloud

Tim Lozier of EtQ discusses how the cloud has made it possible to eliminate an organization’s data footprint, and minimize operating on the infrastructure. So, why is the cloud becoming more popular? Lozier points out that infrastructures are becoming too complex, organizations are running out of storage space, and IT roles are changing. The Life Sciences industry has a large percentage of cloud usage due to accessibility, protection, and recovery capabilities. Lozier explains four areas that provide reasoning for Life Sciences companies to consider the cloud for quality and compliance management. Read More.

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5 Predictions on the Evolution to the Smart Enterprise

Apriso’s Tom Comstock has been discussing the concept of the Smart Enterprise, where all processes and systems are connected globally across all functions and aspects of the business. Spoken of as revolutionary to the manufacturing industry, the development of a Smart Enterprise would bring many benefits including increased flexibility across operations and improved visibility. Based on Comstock personal research and discussions, he has compiled a list of five predictions of this evolution, and what we can expect in the next few years. Read More.

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China Looks to U.S for New Manufacturing Model

In 1980, Modern China opened for business and directly impacted the American market due to being a strong competitor. PTC recently published an article by Mark McKay discussing how over 30 years later, China is studying how U.S. firms reacted. It’s no secret that many failed, but those that succeeded were the organizations that realized that labor costs are not the drivers of competitiveness. The real manufacturing driver, as McKay states, is the cost tied  to material flow and how quality and efficiency play a role. Read McKay’s discussion.

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14 Ways to Raise Executive Awareness on Manufacturing Business Impact

There's a major disconnect between the business and manufacturing worlds that needs to be addressed. Executives often have a difficult time understanding manufacturing's impact to business performance, and manufacturers find it challenging to communicate that information in a way that's relatable to executives. To bridge this gap, we've identified 14 ways to raise executive awareness on what's happening on the shop floor. Read more.

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