SEPTEMBER 20168 MANUFACTURINGTECHNOLOGYINSIGHTS.COMGetting Back the MomentumBy Abraham Kurian, VP of IT, Divisional CIO and Senior Director, Harsco CorporationIN MY OPINIONMagnifying the Existing Our industry represents heavy equipment manufacturing which are make­to-order from supply chain perspective and highly customized from engineering and manufacturing perspective. The major challenge I am seeing today, is the unbalanced usage of technology between functions in the industry. There are significant improvements in technology in certain aspect of the business functions, for example anything related to customer facing and back office solutions, we have significant technology leap. Unfortunately, in our industry we couldn't build that momentum back into the shop floor or related areas. It will be ideal to provide a cost efficient solution to the manufacturing floor where we can maximize the available technologies like NFC, Voice activated solutions etc.Utilizing Data for 360-Degree ViewEven though by the nature of the industry, our customers' buying decisions are not greatly influenced by the social media but we still need to track the voice of the customers with high priority. Enabling our sales and customer service team with an available technology, which have improved the data capturing method much more efficiently and seamlessly. The key here is that the data needs to be captured fast enough with great easiness. Converting this data into Business Intelligence needs commitment and focus from the organization. A Competitive AngleFrom an equipment perspective, a modular design for equipment along with configurable assemblies will give significant advantage for our customers to operate efficiently and maximize the investment. From technology perspective, maximize the current technology available in the market into the product and various functions of the business will give significant advantages. From business system perspective, a connected solution from the beginning of the process till to the end of it, which constantly communicate to the business on the status and risks.Challenging AreasSecuring the information and sharing the information is probably the most challenging one. As we started collaborating more with our business partners (customers, suppliers, employees etc.), it has become more challenging and critical for the organization. Balancing of sharing and Abraham Kurian
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