Published in Mobile Enterprise
With expensive legacy software that usually requires intensive customization for on-the-go computing, how can the iPad be utilized? The answer: an application built specifically for the iPad that delivers real-time operations metrics and insight.
May 9, 2011 - Chicago, IL - When it comes to
manufacturing, digestible insight for operations performance
generally means being chained to a desk. That's because in the
past, accessing information on the go was accomplished either a) on
a small smartphone screen where data was hard to sift through or b)
on a laptop that had to be lugged across a manufacturing floor.
However, the rise of the tablet, specifically the iPad, has been
a game changer. With constant Web connection, long battery life,
and instant "on," the iPad is the perfect piece of hardware to put
into the hands of key executives. But what about software
functionality? With expensive legacy software that usually requires
intensive customization for on-the-go computing, how can the iPad
be utilized? The answer: an application built specifically for the
iPad that delivers real-time operations metrics and insight.
A NEW WAY TO NAVIGATE
Apple claims that more than 65% of Fortune 100 companies have
deployed or piloted the device. But why is this? Tablets have been
around for a while, but never gained momentum. And the iPad has
largely been positioned as a consumer device rather than a business
tool. So what's the iPad's secret for business? It lies in the fact
that the iPad's operating system provides a new way to touch
applications and manipulate data. Gone are the days where people
are stuck navigating through screens or menus with a mouse or
stylus. And when squeezing insight and meaning out of every piece
of data adds up to reduced costs, improved throughput, and
ultimately greater profitability, the iOS approach can make a world
of difference.
Take a manufacturing company, for example, with global
facilities. How do operations management and senior executives
quickly drill down to the latest production runs for a given line
or machine at a glance? Enter the iPad. While there are plenty of
cases where an iPad has been used on the manufacturing floor to
keep track of tactical functions, it can be even more powerful when
put in the hands of management looking for every strategic
advantage they can use to boost the bottom line. That's where
business intelligence comes into play.
Yet one of the biggest challenges with most business
intelligence programs is that the very data and detail that make
them so powerful also make them complex. For example, data from
various locations may not be centralized, making performance
comparisons between different manufacturing sites a time-consuming
task. But the same design that makes consuming media on an iPad so
simple and intuitive also makes it possible to drill rapidly into
the latest data sets, and can even make slicing and dicing data
fun.
GETTING EXECUTIVES INVOLVED
This new way of interacting with data has transformed the way
manufacturing companies do business. In most situations, gleaning
meaning from details takes time that senior executives just can't
afford, and so all they're left with is summary data, which by
definition doesn't give the whole story. Yet the iPad's ability to
make unfiltered, real-time information readily consumable also
eliminates the need for interpretation or summarization, giving
executives an accurate, undiluted view of every aspect of
operations.
By enabling this formerly counterintuitive level of detail,
executives now have the ability to understand real-time
performance, and ask direct, specific questions. This both aids
insight and speeds decision-making. In the end, it can mean almost
instantly pinpointing problems and acting on them
strategically-eliminating the guesswork and the "someone look into
this and report back to me…"
BOTTOM-LINE BENEFITS
Ultimately this means fewer resources needed to diagnose a
problem as well as improved efficiencies across an enterprise. For
example, a manufacturing enterprise using a business intelligence
app for the iPad increased capacity by 25% in less than four
months. The reason? The operations management team and senior
executives, all the way up to the C-suite, have meaningful data in
their hands that gives them visual insight to tackle tough problems
and propagate best practices.
Simply put, the iPad can help to enable a better bottom line for
manufacturers. Using the tablet with the right business software
can shape management's behavior and approach to problem-solving. By
doing this, executives have a more immediate and meaningful impact
on reducing cost and improving productivity-solving problems
strategically, not just tactically at the plant level. So go ahead,
don't be afraid to grab the latest data. Literally.
Mobile Enterprise
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