Wearable Technology and Scanners Set the Stage for Manufacturing Success

You may have heard that wearable devices and scanning technology are the future of the manufacturing plant floor, but many manufacturers are already using these devices in tandem with their cloud ERP solution to enable the collection of real-time data, foster process efficiency and improve quality management. Here are a few manufacturers who are finding success by incorporating wearable and scanning technology with cloud ERP in modern manufacturing.  

Caltherm Corporation

Caltherm Corporation designs and makes custom engineering solutions for customers requiring thermal and pressure control technologies. They have long valued innovation, making customized products that include thermal actuators, check valves and more. To help them achieve cost-effective production and accurate, on-time delivery, Caltherm selected the Plex Manufacturing Cloud as their new cloud ERP system. From there, they continued to improve data collection and accuracy on the plant floor with numerous mobile devices and scanners in use. The result? Data capture is now 100 percent. Plant floor devices and scanners also enhance productivity, transform the visibility and accountability of data, and give an accurate view into integrated inventory and shipping processes. All of these benefits equal superior manufacturing performance for Caltherm.

Fisher & Company

Fisher & Company makes various automotive seating components such as modular seating, latches and headrest applications. As a company that is intensely focused on innovation, they have been able to combine their usage of the Plex Manufacturing Cloud ERP solution with wearable technology on the plant floor. The combination of Google Glass, ring scanners and beacons allows Fisher & Company to experience many benefits, one of which is location awareness. Workers who are using wearable technology on the plant floor gain information about the location status of what is happening with a particular product at any given time. In addition, this wearable technology has improved data accuracy and allowed Fisher employees to trust their data and make strategic decisions.  

FloraCraft

FloraCraft is one of the leading suppliers of foam floral products, shipping products across the United States and around the world. They supply to retailers such as Walmart, Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores. To keep up with their customers’ needs, FloraCraft implemented the Plex Manufacturing Cloud ERP system and integrated barcode scanning onto their plant floor. Once the system was up and running, FloraCraft was able to scale to serve the demands of the world’s largest retailer, which lead them to earn Walmart’s Supplier of the Year in 2014. With barcode scanning devices on the plant floor, FloraCraft easily keeps track of millions of work-in-progress and finished goods throughout the supply chain. This traceability enables greater inventory accuracy and on-time delivery, as employees can use data scanned on the plant floor to see where a component is at any point in the manufacturing process.

Wearable technology and scanning devices are changing the way manufacturers collect and analyze data, which in turn, improves their inventory accuracy, on-time delivery rates and reporting. Manufacturers who are committed to innovation and technology continue to achieve great success on the plant floor and beyond.

Want to learn more about wearable technology and its benefits for manufacturers? Access “The State of Manufacturing Technology” white paper.