March 1996 € Volume 6 € No. 3

MESA International adds four companies to roster

The Manufacturing Execution Systems Association (MESA International) has added four member companies. They are: MESA International is a not-for-profit trade association whose members supply integrated manufacturing execution systems (MES), point solutions, hardware platforms, databases, systems integration services, data collection technology, controls and consulting services.

$23 Million Manufacturing Software Research Project Kicks Off

Four manufacturing software developers, three leading manufacturers, two universities and the federal government have initiated a $23 million project to develop next-generation integration technologies between planning and plant floor systems. The three-year project, "An Agent-Based Framework for Integrated Intelligent Planning" (AIIPE), will capitalize on the potential of object and agent technology to simplify software integration.

The AIIPE project is being funded by the five-year Advanced Technology Program on Technologies for the Integration of Manufacturing Applications, sponsored by the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Participating in the program are manufacturers Black and Decker, New Holland North America Inc. and Pa Ted Spring Company; and software developers Berclain USA, IBM Manufacturing Solutions Unit, J.D. Edwards and QAD Inc. Also participating are the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

JIT in Mexico: little lost in the translation

The Just-in-Time (JIT) production philosophy loses little in the translation when taken south of the border, according to a Penn State study of 124 Mexican plants affiliated with U.S. firms.

"Although JIT can be challenging to implement in countries that are less developed than the U.S., our study results show that overall manufacturing performance can increase under JIT in most circumstances in Mexico," says John J. Lawrence, co-investigator for the study while a Ph.D. student in Penn State's Smeal College of Business Administration. "This was especially true for electronic equipment, computer and precision instruments manufacturers."

The researchers surveyed the manufacturing managers at 124 Mexican plants with production employees totaling from 30 to 5,300. Most of the firms were in the commercial machinery or electronic and electrical equipment industries and all were affiliated with a U.S. company.
While a strong tie between JIT and performance was found in most larger plants and in industries with very complex products, the effect was less noticeable in smaller plants and in the industrial equipment and fabricated metal products industries.

Going green grows greenbacks

Despite an abundance of proof attesting to its profitability from such manufacturing giants as DuPont, Dow Chemical and Procter & Gamble, many companies still view the advantages to be found in the greening of industry to be of questionable value.

But now, according to Business Week, a study conducted by the environmental management program at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor business school makes a strong case for pollution prevention. The study involved a statistical analysis of the effects of pollution cutbacks in 1988 and 1989 on financial performance from 1988 to 1991, using 127 companies from the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index. The study's findings show that operating performance began to improve within the first year-and by the second year, pollution prevention was lifting return on equity, too.

The study suggests that most companies could slash emissions as much as 70 percent before hitting a point of diminishing returns.

On a related note, Business Week has also reported on a company that matches up recyclers with those firms looking to get rid of excess materials. Global Recycling Network Inc. offers an Internet service that brings together buyers and sellers of all kinds of recyclable materials, from leather and rubber scrap to used and rebuilt medical machinery. The service also lists shipping agents, transportation operators, customs brokers and law firms specializing in international trade.

Subscribers pay $30 a month, which entitles them to unlimited browsing of Global Recycling's computer database. Or Global Recycling's computer can automatically scan new listings for specified keywords and alerts users by e-mail when a match shows up.

To check out the Global Recycling Network, visit their homepage on the World Wide Web at http://grn.com/grn/.
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