In this monthly Roundup, LNS Research explores recent announcements and events, such as Epicor’s new CEO; Ford working on Digital Transformation; Seeq’s busy month; hurricane effects on drug makers’ operations; and food manufacturing focus on quality.
Ford Eager for Digital Transformation
It’s clear that Digital Transformation is a top priority at Ford; CEO Jim Hackett has made bold statements about why it’s so important to the company and how it’s going to do it. The company has created a plan to prepare itself financially, and then invest in technologies like mobility, connectivity and a variety of manufacturing technologies. The company is working towards its goals of producing smart connected vehicles, speeding up product development, and reducing costs along the way. CEO Hackett has created a strategy to use efficiency and cost savings to fund the company’s future. ZDnet writes about Ford’s Digital Transformation plans.
Epicor Names New CEO
Former OpenText president, Stephen Murphy has just been named CEO of Epicor Software Corporation. After four years with the company Joe Cowan is stepping down as CEO and set to retire. Herald Chen, Chairman of the Epicor board of directors and Head of the Technology investment team at KKR remarks that with the announcement of Mr. Murphy, the company is looking toward the next phase of growth. Read the press release about Epicor’s new CEO at Advanced Manufacturing.
Seeq Announces Reseller Program, Updates Connection Module
September was a busy month for process manufacturing software company Seeq. It announced a new reseller program for inductive automation system integrators, and updated the Seeq connection module for Inductive Automation’s Ignition SCADA system to work with Seeq R18, it’s most current software release. According to Seeq executives, the new reseller program means the potential for a single, integrated solution for modern SCADA and analytics products. Learn more about the announcements on the Seeq company website.
Pharma Makers Focus on Cleanup and Continuity After Hurricanes
Puerto Rico is home to a long list of pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, and pharma represents more than half the U.S. territory’s manufacturing sector. In the wake of a devastating hurricane season, drug and medical device companies are still working to assess the damage, but many companies are reporting continued operations despite the need to operate using backup power generators. Companies like Bristol-Myers, Lilly and Amgen report no quality issues and good inventory levels to avoid shortages to customers. It would seem that risk avoidance measures are working as they should, allowing these businesses to continue operations and focus on the welfare of their employees. Read post-hurricane news coverage at BioPharmInternational.com and CNN Money.
2017 and 2018 Busy Years for Food Safety
Quality leaders in food manufacturing have been working hard throughout 2017 to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and in 2018 many will turn their attention to Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) systems. While compliance is important, a view of the bigger picture is also necessary. Quality leaders should also be asking themselves, “What impact does quality have on brand reputation, on competitive advantage, on market share?” If quality isn’t already working to contribute to enterprise strategic initiatives, it might be missing out on important investments that could satisfy compliance requirements. Learn about upcoming requirements in Food Safety Magazine, then think about what you can do to turn quality into a source of Operational Excellence.
