by David Jelinek - Founder/CEO - Creatix, Inc.
It is not surprising that many of today's CEOs are struggling with how to effectively engage technology when it is evolving at such a fast pace. For instance, the iPhone was introduced less than a decade ago (June 29, 2007), and has caused a tectonic shift in how the world does business. Since then, billions of mobile devices have deployed across the globe, creating a mobile industry and generating entirely new markets, new opportunities and, for many corporate leaders, new headaches. In response to the technological flood, forward-thinking leaders are investing in programming and technology to solve the very problems that technology has created.
Inventory Management
Tracking and matching inventory to production quotas saves money and time. Overstocked, unused (and unsold) products and materials take up shelf space, consume employee attention and create waste when they pass their expiration date. An even worse situation develops when there is no stock available. Production and delivery delays cost the corporation and its customers time and money, and often creates a domino effect of loss and waste through to the bottom of the supply chain.
Variables in inventory categories can also wreak havoc, as the availability of quickly consumed items drops while longer-lived items age in storage. To address inventory challenges when demand is high and deadlines are tight, many CEOs are adopting enterprise-wide mobile technology to track corporate assets as they move from acquisition, through production and out to customers. Identifying details (barcodes, numbers, etc.) associated with each item are followed digitally, with supply volumes measured throughout the process. The automation includes report generation, which can save thousands of hours and perhaps millions of dollars a year in labor and waste aversion costs.
Machine Management
Peak efficiency and micro-accuracy are essential production qualities in many industries, especially in highly regulated sectors such as pharmaceutical production. Proper calibration of each mechanical system is integral to maintaining both efficiency and compliance with industry standards. Breakdowns or system failures can seize an entire production line, slowing its completion or perhaps even contaminating the batch.
Newly developed sensor technology, embedded in machinery and monitored by mobile software, can alert staff when and where a failure is imminent, supplies or fluids are running low, or contaminants are present. Operators can then halt production to make a controlled and timely repair, which reduces the disruption time and promises a swifter recovery.
Supply Chain Management
The ways that mobile technology benefits supply chain management systems is apparent in the two circumstances outlined above. Especially when the chains run through multiple locations and sometimes even multiple countries, tracking all the parts and processes that go into a single product line is an immense undertaking. Mobile technology designed to respond to and oversee the logistics of each element of the chain optimizes the coordination and accurate completion of all manufacturing aspects throughout the production process. Simultaneous tracking of inventories, labor costs and logistics keep local, regional and corporate operators apprised of activities, while automatically generated reports provide required documentation.
How Creatix Can Help
For more than 10 years, Creatix has been designing and developing technology to respond to unique and proprietary corporate and industrial needs. We have helped dozens of clients take their businesses to the next level by designing and implementing innovative programming to further their enterprise goals. The advent of mobility has only enhanced the dynamics of the Creatix technical toolbox. Today's CEOs need not struggle with technology questions when Creatix has the experience and capability to answer those questions today.
