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Question: My company is developing a complex disposable cartridge for a point-of-care technology, but will hire a contract partner to design and manufacture the instrument itself. At what point should we engage the partner and begin the design phase? Answer

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Ask the Expert: Enterprise Resource Management

I’m trying to implement lean manufacturing processes in my organization. What strategies do you use?

Ed English, Director of Supply Chain Management, KMC Systems, Inc.

In today’s economy, most companies involved in manufacturing are working to implement lean manufacturing processes to reduce time, cost, and inventory waste for suppliers and customers. At KMC Systems, we have implemented an Oracle business software system that helps keep costs down for our customers. This system lowers exposure on inventory and expedites the manufacturing process. Oracle, which is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, eliminates room for error by loading project data and tracking into one centralized software system. We are moving toward giving both our customers and suppliers access to this system, where they’ll be able to obtain real-time information on product status, inventory, invoicing, and shipment tracking.

Inventory management without ERP can be time consuming and costly, since materials may be ordered irregularly when anticipating manufacture. The automated ERP system will notify suppliers when materials are at a certain level and automatically reorder the parts as needed to continue the manufacturing process. This way, customers do not invest in unneeded materials. In addition to accuracy and time savings, ERP systems create quicker turnaround for customers.