Date: 13/12/2012

Advanced manufacturing software from GEIP

GE Intelligent Platforms introduced advanced manufacturing software called Proficy for Manufacturing.

“Manufacturers and their suppliers face multiple industry challenges today,” said Jim Walsh, Software General Manager for GE Intelligent Platforms. “These include agile product development, price pressures, customization to meet consumer demand, quality, and, of course, cost.”

GE says its companies deploying pieces of the solutions have already realized significant benefits such as: 70% faster order-to-delivery, 15% reduced WIP, 12% less rework and 24% reduced warranty costs.

A key aspect of Proficy for Manufacturing includes the ability to reduce costs through MES digitization of existing paper processes. Manufacturers can then leverage the benefits of digitized processes such as reducing waste, increasing flexibility and decreasing lead times.
The main points of digitizing for many complex manufacturers are:
Produce products faster to enable single piece flow manufacturing, improve throughput, reduce lead times and balance workloads;
Reduce Work In Process to enable “Just In Time” material delivery, free up floor space, and reduce the cost of inventory;
Gain tighter control on quality that will serve to standardize proven processes, eliminate process waste, reduce rework and meet regulations in a more efficient way.

“The key thing we’re striving to do is drive for standard, repeatable tasks throughout the process,” said Jeannine Abele, CIO – Supply Chain Division of GE Aviation. “We want to make it easy for our employees to execute the work that they need to complete. In addition, we need to put auditability and traceability in place so we have a verifiable record of what’s been done to every part, to every engine, throughout the whole lifecycle of the manufacturing process.”

For more information: http://www.ge-ip.com/manufacturing-software-mes.