Recently in Chicago, exhibitors and attendees from around the globe converged on the bi-annual International Manufacturing and Technology Show. Since 1927, this event has been inspiring manufacturers worldwide to leverage technology for improved efficiency, greater productivity, and increased industry growth.
Although the needs of every company and target audience are different, some general themes emerged throughout the show:
As manufacturers face the twin challenges of aging workers leaving while new, incoming workers seek a greater connection to the business, company leadership is quickly realizing the importance of initiatives that cultivate a strong, resilient workforce.
To meet this need, innovative technology companies are developing products like employee communication solutions, more user-friendly workforce systems, upgraded programs for worker upskilling and training, and process control solutions that offer step-by-step task completion guidance.
One such technology that visitors to the Epicor booth explored was Connected Process Control. Many manufacturers appreciated the simplicity of the experience for workers, noting how easy it was to not only control the process but to record each step along the way—all while making it easier for workers with a clear interface and connected solutions. At IMTS, the demonstration included a connected torque wrench, caliper, camera, and a barcode device to simulate pulling inventory.
In many conversations with customers and industry leaders throughout the event, attendees expressed a strong desire for learning new ways to more effectively use their data silos when making important business decisions.
Conference-goers also continue to face procurement challenges; “we are carrying too much inventory,” was a common refrain. At the show, Epicor highlighted one of its most recent acquisitions from Smart Software, a solution designed to deliver better forecasting and demand planning.
Epicor Demand Planner helps manufacturers manage optimal inventory levels. With these tools, businesses can achieve an ideal balance: carrying enough to maintain customer satisfaction levels and meet demand on a timely basis, while not holding excess inventory or using unneeded capital. Epicor Demand Planner allows manufacturers to repurpose capital for other growth activities.
I spoke with several manufacturers seeking maintenance management solutions to help drive best practices in a variety of areas:
Sharing knowledge from one technician to another is vital to completing the lengthy technician onboarding process. At the show, Epicor presented our embedded Maintenance Management module that sits within Epicor Kinetic, our ERP system. This tool, which easily communicates with the master scheduler when equipment won’t be available due to planned maintenance events, reduces time to revenue by 20 percent with Kinetic deployment.
Several attendees also highlighted a desire to understand the carbon impact of plant equipment. To stay on top of energy monitoring, Epicor Advanced MES is vital for businesses with green initiatives. or those who want to reduce energy costs by keeping a closer eye on outdated equipment.
Many of the customers and prospects that I spoke to were interested in where Epicor is making strategic investments that will help businesses compete in the future. As we discussed the intelligent applications that exist today and that these businesses are already using—including MRP, Scheduling, Automated Fulfillment, Quality Skip Lot Tracking, Digital Twins in Advanced MES, and the business value they are already getting from these technologies—these customers acknowledged that future capabilities need to be based on value and not just created for technology’s sake.
We also explored recent advancements towards artificial intelligence (AI), which includes capabilities like the Epicor Learning Assistant that uses natural language to serve answers to users and solve challenges with the software. At the heart of this discussion was a solid understanding of both current use cases as well as what this technology could do in the future, in terms of lifting worker productivity, automating tasks, and reducing time to knowledge.
As a hub of innovation, trends, and industry input, ITMS did not disappoint. More than ever, we saw businesses looking for new ways to achieve greater productivity and drive results to the next level. We met other technology leaders in the manufacturing ecosystem with unique solutions to solve real business challenges, and ultimately were inspired by our customers and their desire to continuously improve, evolve, and grow.
The Epicor team was also excited to share the results of a recent study by Forrester Consulting with conference attendees. This study, a Total Economic Impact™ of Epicor Kinetic for Manufacturing, acknowledges the value of new and upgraded cloud ERP projects as it outlines the overall business impact of Kinetic using a composite based on industry standards and interviews with four Kinetic users. The organization realized several positive metrics across their business, including:
