Operations Innovation & Transformation – Flexible Teams, Part 5 of 5

by Stan Devries, Senior Director Solutions Architecture, Invensys|Schneider Electric

The 4 quadrants described in the article “Operations Innovation & Transformation – the 4 Types Part 1 of 5” positions the lower right quadrant as a strategy for using a team of human assets in a new way.

In this quadrant, teams of specialists (with the same or different areas of specialization) are grouped to provide value improvement to a group of physical assets, and the group of physical assets can be used as a “fleet” or as a “chain.”  This is much more than a passive “help desk.”  One example is where specialists use real-time benchmarking and other tools, working with new business processes with the physical assets and the dedicated workers, to unlock value of themselves and the physical assets. 

Operations Innovation & Transformation – Fleet Management Part 4 of 5

by Stan Devries, Senior Director Solutions Architecture, Invensys|Schneider Electric

The 4 quadrants described in the article “Operations Innovation & Transformation – the 4 Types Part 1 of 5" positions the lower left quadrant as a strategy for using a “fleet” of physical assets in a new way.

In this quadrant, a group of similar industrial operations (2 or more) adapt their performance objectives, business processes and accompanying hiring and information strategies to optimize the “fleet.”  The move is to unifying the industrial enterprise over multiple sites (in groups or as a whole), with a more holistic view in terms of operating strategy and performance management.

Operations Innovation & Transformation – Operations Control Loops, Part 3 of 5

by Stan Devries, Senior Director Solutions Architecture, Invensys|Schneider Electric

The 4 quadrants described in the article “Operations Innovation & Transformation – the 4 Types Part 1 of 5" positions the upper right quadrant as a strategy for governing business processes and teams of human assets in a new way.

In the upper right hand quadrant, managers and supervisors use consistent measures and business processes to adjust targets for specialists and other workers, using the industrial automation concept of a “control loop.”  One example of this control loop is where managers negotiate the next day’s production targets each day using the same business process for all specialists and industrial locations.

Operations Innovation & Transformation – Value Chain Management, Part 2 of 5

by Stan Devries, Senior Director Solutions Architecture, Invensys|Schneider Electric

The 4 quadrants described in the article “OperationsInnovation & Transformation – the 4 Types Part 1 of 5" positions the upper left quadrant as a strategy for using a “value chain” of physical assets in a new way:

In this quadrant, a group of similar industrial operations (2 or more) adapt their performance objectives, business processes and accompanying hiring and information strategies to optimize the “value chain.”  The move is to unifying the industrial enterprise over multiple sites (in groups or as a whole), with a more holistic view in terms of operating strategy and performance management.

Operations Innovation & Transformation – the 4 Types Part 1 of a 5 Part Series

by Stan Devries, Senior Director Solutions Architecture, Invensys|Schneider Electric

Operations innovation and transformation: there has been much marketing on the innovations in supply chain and customer relationship management during the last 7+ years.  During this time, manufacturing and industrial operations has begun a less publicized transformation on their own.  This transformation goes beyond lean and total quality management principles.  In the 1980’s, we saw the impact of Japanese quality strategies; in the 1990’s, the consumer globalization fundamentally changed where facilities are built, how frequently new products are introduced, and in the 21^st century, industrial operations focus on how they create value for their customers, often focused on reliability.  These strategies might seem to be dreams without understanding the innovations that make these sustainable and the new risks can be practically managed.

These innovations are focused on unlocking the value of groups of physical and human assets:

• 1.       Physical Assets: the move to unifying the industrial enterprise over multiple sites (in groups or as a whole), with a more holistic view in terms of operating strategy and performance management.
• 2.       Human Assets: the shift to operational teams that spread across the multiple sites (in groups or as a whole), central, and Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) to make a rapid and dynamic decision support system in a dynamic operational world.

The following table published by ARC Advisory Group describes a spectrum of coordination or collaboration across assets, both physical and human: