Manufacturing

Doxsteel Fasteners Goes Live With Epicor ERP Implemented By Encompass Solutions, Inc.

Sean Balogh

Doxsteel Fasteners recently achieved a significant milestone in bringing its Mexico-based operations up to speed with a complete implementation of Epicor version 10 software and user training for their Mexico-based teams. Skilled consulting, implementation, and training services provided by Encompass Solutions, Inc. ensured the project was a success.

The Project

Up to the point of implementation, Doxsteel Fasteners had been utilizing Microsoft Excel to manage their business.   Because of the technological limitations of their current system and the company’s rapid growth, Doxsteel Fasteners had outgrown the capacity and functionality of the software.

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Industry 5.0: Collaborative Robotics, Mass Personalization, Productivity, And A New Relationship Between Man And Machine

Sean Balogh

Technology and innovation have a tendency to gain tremendous momentum, bringing about innovative changes that cause significant disruption for industries. Those businesses that choose to fight or simply can’t keep up with change share the same dismal fate of falling out of competition. Those businesses that embrace disruption stand a better chance of riding the wave perceived chaos, better equipped to secure position in the state of industry that follows.  So far there have been four major upheavals in industry, the most recent of which being coined Industry 4.0.

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US Winemakers Among Latest To Feel Squeeze Of Trade Tariffs

Sean Balogh

As if the news of US-imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum didn’t upset a large enough portion of beverage manufacturers already, the most recent developments in US-China trade have left winemakers, along with US-based manufacturers of 127 other products, with a sour taste in their mouths.

Earlier this year, the White House sought to enact tariffs on countries it had described as taking advantage of the US trade policy for some time. In an effort to revitalize US-based metals manufacturing, the order to formally enact tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, as high as 25 percent and 10 percent respectively, was signed last month.

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Collaborative Robotics And Sensing Technologies In The Manufacturing Environment

Sean Balogh

Over the last half-century, robots have been relied upon as an integral part of manufacturing. Their presence offers incredible benefits, including enhanced production speed, accuracy, and tireless labor. However, they can’t do it all. As a result, robots have been increasingly prevalent in the manufacturing environment year after year. Engineered to work collaboratively alongside their human counterparts, these smaller and agiler implements on the manufacturing floor are referred to as collaborative robots.

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Small And Medium Business’ Secret Weapon

Sean Balogh

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), also often referred to as small and midsize businesses (SMBs), have a tremendous advantage over larger enterprises and many don’t even know it. Because of SMEs’ energy and agility, they are more able to adapt to changes in the marketplace, adopting and implementing ERP solutions and emerging technologies to give them an operational advantage over larger enterprises.

SMEs are not subject to the same bureaucratic processes that corporations and other large enterprise have adopted over the years. Winning customers over with a more modern sensibility and customer-centric approach, SMEs can perform when they need to and turn on a dime when the market demands it. With larger enterprises, the adage of a big ship takes longer to steer fits appropriately alongside industry examples. Their size makes them far more able to weather storms, but less capable of maneuvering. Therefore, SMEs should be getting on board with ERP software platforms and modern automation tools to make their jobs easier now, before their current systems are outgrown at a time when operations can’t afford to be put on hold for an implementation.

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SMEs In Industry 4.0: IIoT Cybersecurity, Automation, And Cloud-Based ERP

Sean Balogh

Manufacturers are implementing technological advancements to enhance automation processes every day. We call this latest wave of rapid development Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution. While modernization presents numerous opportunities for growth and process enhancement, experts are increasingly aware of their need for heightened security in an increasingly insecure digital landscape. Manufacturing and other industries are taking a closer look at cloud-based ERP and unified systems to address vulnerabilities.

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The Chief Robotics Officer, RIOS, And Robot Personhood

Sean Balogh

With the industrial robot population on course to reach 1.7 million by 2020, enterprises the world over are reevaluating how they approach managing a mechanized workforce. To address modern manufacturing operations’ increasing reliance on automation and robotics, the C-suite is preparing to welcome a new designation among its ranks: Chief Robotics Officer.

A photograph of an executive or scientist commanding a humanoid robot

Tthe C-Suite Is Preparing To Welcome A New Designation Among Its Ranks: Chief Robotics Officer.

Addressing An Increasingly Automated Workforce

While the concept may be a new one, a study conducted by Myria Research, a Massachusetts-based research and advisory services business, puts projections of the emerging CRO position in 60% for Fortune 500 executive teams. Beyond that, the Chief Robotics Officer Research Scenario predicts the Robotics & Intelligent Operational Systems (RIOS) technologies market to reach $1.2 trillion globally by 2025. The figure is tremendous when compared to the firm’s $63 billion market valuation in 2015. However, companies cannot afford to discount the increasing prevalence of RIOS in their own daily operations as well as those of their competitors. The projections include full hardware, software, and services segmentation in the figure, which represents a 30% CAGR to 2020 and 40% from 2020 until 2025.

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How ERP Systems And Automation Affect The Future Of Jobs

Sean Balogh

The common misconception about automation is that in the long term it will cost more jobs than it creates. The fact of the matter is that this is simply not true. Automation, working alongside effective ERP solutions, provides workforces the freedom to become more specialized and efficient. Automation works in tandem with ERP to conserve resources and take the mundane and repetitive tasks out of the picture.

As a result, the human component of businesses can take on more logical, critical thinking-oriented tasks. This adds value to the business by strengthening the quality of care customers receive and nurtures the satisfaction employees receive when they occupy more critical and appreciated roles in their careers.

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How Proposed Metal Tariffs Will Affect US Metals Production, Robots, And The Price Of Beer

Sean Balogh

New tariffs on foreign materials are likely going to affect industries that employ millions of Americans. Beverage and robotics manufacturing are just two of the affected industries, but these two will be among the segment most heavily affected by the new tariffs on imported building materials. The tariffs recommended by the U.S. Commerce Department apply to aluminum and steel imported to the US from abroad. The tariffs reach as high as 53%, which could pose a big problem for industries relying on these essential metals for manufacturing purposes.

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How Small And Medium Businesses Can Tell It’s Time For ERP Implementation

Sean Balogh

It can be difficult For small and medium businesses to identify when it’s the right time to abandon internal systems, or implement if none exist, in favor of a complete ERP solution. Shedding siloed data structures and cobbled solutions that end up costing more in time and resources than they are worth can bring small and medium businesses into a new era of action.

ERP systems are the ideal solution, allowing small and medium businesses to compete with larger enterprises thanks to the more efficient use of company resources, more intelligent data, and improved analytics of day-to-day operations. Up to this point, small and medium businesses may have been able to operate on home-grown systems or just on-the-fly approaches to operations. However, these attempts to run a successful enterprise can only last so long. Eventually, serious hurdles will emerge and lead to setbacks. If left unaddressed, these setbacks can grow into more debilitating issues. Here are some indicators small and medium businesses can use in identifying that the time is right for an ERP implementation.

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