- The industry is developing some very visionary people who are helping move information technology forward, and that’s good. These folks must be careful to avoid creating the perception that they believe information capture is more important than putting cases out the door. Packaged goods companies appropriately view cases out the door as the most important part of the packaging process. I believe information should be a by-product of packaging. As packages flow inside a factory, information should be extracted so you can more effectively see inside these processes.
- Should better use of information help you get more cases out the door? Sure, but what are you willing to pay for that information. How many more cases out the door will you get? Who in the factory will commit to using the information tools you implement? In real life, does it work and is it worth the effort? These are the questions that automation experts must help answer.
- Historically the use of information was centered around improving the efficiency of operating the lines and that will continue. But in the demand-based world we’re entering, I think manufacturers will be required to more efficiently schedule lines to fully utilize their assets. This will require a different level of information use.
- Getting back to those visionary people we spoke of earlier, I believe in that vision, too. In fact, I’ve spent three years helping sell this vision inside General Mills. We’ve put in a lot of information systems and built good tools for downtime tracking, for example. We’re probably as far along as any packaged goods company in this area.
