How cloud computing can revolutionize manufacturing

Manufacturing in an earlier era led to management thinking and also automation of processes, courtesy the efforts of great management gurus like Alfred Sloan, Frederick Winslow Taylor, Michael Porter, Tom Peters, and Michael Hammer and C.K. Prahalad. 

Manufacturing can benefit from Cloud Computing !

For the preceding decades, the financial markets sucked the best and the brightest minds to drive greed and make profits in investment banking and financial markets. This era fortunately is slowing down and the regulators and economists of the world have realized the futility of driving financial markets without underlying security provided by manufacturing.

Engineers who were trained and equipped for manufacturing, migrated to a coveted MBA degree lured by the offer of huge starting salaries coupled with even bigger annual bonus. They drove an invisible economy driven by paper bonds and other instruments and created more complex instruments all based on an economy, which was created by hedging financial bets on a weak underlying asset value.

Manufacturing did not grow or innovate because the best were not available, manufacturing was considered a poor paymaster and the brightest who wanted to make money and fame stayed away.

As the world spins into recession every country realizes that it needs to get back its manufacturing back in action, every government is struggling to get the right resources to put back the derailed manufacturing sector back on track.

It was manufacturing which created the big middle class in most developed countries in the world, those who spent their money on weekends, paid mortgages on their cars, houses and holidays and kept the wheels of the service economy ticking. 

Cloud computing could help manufacturing firms adopt the latest technology innovations to improve their processes, supply chain management, CAD/CAM/PLM solutions,  research & development, collaboration, plant operations, diagnostics, back office functions like ERP and front office CRM.

Cloud computing can offer the latest technology, with deep functionality and flexibility at lower capital and operating cost than the traditional invest, build, operate computing route adopted in manufacturing. It offers the manufacturing sector scalability, reliability, a secure environment, an on-demand computing power, faster upgrades and the latest technology. 

Cloud computing enables manufacturing collaboration among mobile and remote workers, vendors and other constituents in their supply chain solutions through fast, easy and secure access to data when needed to optimize operations and make data-driven decisions. 

In the next decade, we will see new material, new designs and new cross-country collaboration in cutting-edge manufacturing technology all created by cloud computing as a vehicle for computing and synergy.  We will see the best minds in the various universities of our world use the cloud for collaboration and co-option to create a healthier and stronger world for our future global citizens.

Use of cloud will help us leapfrog into the future with the best of computing technology, unbridled solutions to innovate and collaborate. So, is the manufacturing sector ready to ride the cloud? 

This article was carried in Information Week India Today 

http://www.informationweek.in/manufacturing/13-07-15/how_cloud_computing_can_revolutionize_manufacturing.aspx

Business Can Benefit with Cloud Computing

There are many great stories of Information Technology Business on the cloud who have made millions of dollars with a great idea, these are companies who have built solutions on the cloud and benefited by a low cost  launch of their business and almost no entry barrier to succeed in their vision for changing the world with cloud computing.

This article is for another type of Business, those  who can use computing as a business enabler and benefit with automation from conceptualization to execution to sustenance of their start-up business whatever it may be.

Let us consider start-up business in the non technology traditional economy, simple businesses like engineering fabrication, distribution, cash collection, retailing, food and beverages, and any other start-up whose leadership has an idea and the entrepreneurial zeal.

What cloud computing solutions can Business use for their business efficiency? today many Business start their computing journey on the internet with a static website and some great graphics and jazz.

Cloud Computing is like a TAXI, you get in when you want and get out when you are done and only pay for use of the taxi and not for the cost of the taxi or even the salary of the driver !

Here is how they could do it  in a better way with almost zero cost, a Facebook page, a Twitter handle, a LinkedIn company page, an office productivity suite from Google or Zoho or similar, and the start-up is ready for its journey in the cloud.

If the start-up is creative they can also create a blog about what is happening in their company.  Most of these services are free for a small user base with enough functionality and computing power for the business needs.

Subscribe to a project management tool, an accounting/costing package or even specialized packages for the business like CAD/CAM software  and the start up is as well equipped with computing solutions which normally is only available to  Fortune 500 companies. The business could even use a CRM if they wish, though it may not need email campaigns, and they can actually put together a simple CRM with Google or Zoho again for almost nothing and on their own and use the plain out telephone for customer campaigns.

Imagine a specialized take-away  dishing out food based on dietary and religious restrictions, The business  can use a free CRM in the cloud which can track customers and their days of fasting and festive days and dietary preferences and even foods that they are allergic to.

The Facebook page posting with its LIKE button can spread the good word around about their wonderful add on services and the quality of their food.

Imagine putting together a simple supply chain management solution to optimize purchasing from a free solution in the cloud.  Throw in a tracking solution of the food delivery by use of mobile phones and you have an optimized routing.  Hey can the paper man improve his paper delivery in  your area, can the milkman too do that.. maybe.... There is always an opportunity for new people with better delivery and quality to move into traditional businesses. One step further use a mobile phone credit card payment or mobile money solutions and you are all set to optimize your cash collection without the headache of handling paper money.

So if you are in a business get started on using application in the cloud to improve your business productivity and efficiency and eager to enjoy the profits start using the solutions offered in the cloud.  The future of computing is the cloud and every Business can be a winner by use of cloud computing solutions.