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Data Integration
Our Enterprise Wide Manufacturing Data System performs scheduling, why would I want to invest in yet another software system?
The expertise of Data System vendors resides in Database and Transaction Systems, not scheduling. If your Data System is capable of scheduling, it may not be fully capable of generating operationally feasible schedules. Furthermore, if scheduling is not the main product focus of the vendor, its growth path is not assured. You may not have access to advanced capabilities such as cost optimization or improved capacity utilization as the scheduling software industry expands the technology envelope. If you perform production scheduling with less capable methods, you concede a valuable competitive advantage. The best way to remain competitive is to assemble a system composed of best-of-breed software for each aspect of your business. Before committing to the scheduling engine included in your Data System software, verify that it is capable of handling your real process constraints and that it can generate usable schedules. In this sense, assembling an automation software package is no different than assembling a project team, you select the best team members possible for each aspect of the team.
How do I integrate data and maintain its integrity when using multiple software systems?
Data integrity must be assured for each customer of the data, whether the customer is a human or a software package. As such, the responsibility for data integrity must be placed on the central repository. Other tools can operate on data and even cross-check data integrity. When using data-customer software such as the VirtECS® system, the customer derives its data from your central repository and performs consistency checking on that data to ensure its integrity. In the reverse direction, the solution of the data-customer software is transmitted to the repository. The communication can be handled through a variety of means, from vendor defined API’s to communication file specifications. Although it is essential that software components communicate, the important factor to keep in mind is that projects succeed primarily because each component excels at performing its designed task.
How can I perform valuable "What if?" studies and maintain data integrity?
Historically, scheduling has been defined by producing schedules for the factory floor. Today, business changes are demanding more of scheduling. Rather than being asked, "How do I carry out this plan?" Schedulers are now being asked, "What if…?" in numerous ways. What if yield changes? What if cycle time decreases? What if a new product comes online? The list can go on and on. Scheduling is being incorporated into higher levels of business than ever before to answer questions that have a direct impact on the profitability of the business. In order to answer, "What if?" questions, data must be modified off-line. Clearly, it is impractical to make an entire copy of the Enterprise Wide data for each experiment. Rather, systems like VirtECS® extract a subset of data pertinent to the "What if?" and operate locally on that data. The central repository is left correct and intact.
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