Look at any diagram of a business network and the internet will usually be portrayed as a ‘cloud’. This is the idea behind cloud computing: a business’s enterprise resource management (ERP), financials, e-commerce and customer relationship management (CRM) systems are hosted externally and accessed via the internet.
Cloud computing software is usually sold on a subscription basis, with companies purchasing the system per user, for an agreed amount of time. Since cloud computing vendors host the service from their own data center and make the systems available over the internet, all maintenance tasks are per formed by the host, at little or no interference to the user.
Between electricity savings and reduced needs for software, hardware, maintenance, personnel and floor space, customers can reportedly make immediate savings from cloud computing.
Much of the design is based on a moveable template approach, where customisation is easy and implementation to user is rapid.
Traditionally pitched at vertical businesses that need a competitive edge, cloud computing has recently gone one step further to the manufacturing sphere, with a new wave of cloud computing offerings developed specifically for manufacturers.
Global service provider NetSuite has announced NetSuite Manufacturing Edition, which is a cloud manufacturing suite designed to help fast-growing and mid-size manufacturers run their businesses in an increasingly-global market.
The service manages all the same areas as traditional cloud computing software, with the addition of multi-site planning and management, material requirements planning (MRP), production management, engineering change control (ECC), shop floor control and work-in- progress management (WIP).
NetSuite – which started-out providing cloud computing systems for wholesale and distribution firms, along with light manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers (OEM)s – developed NetSuite Manufacturing Edition in partnership with Rootstock Software, an SaaS provider of manufacturing enterprise software.
According to NetSuite vice president product marketing, Craig Sullivan, NetSuite Manufacturing Edition offers systems management in one streamlined system.
“NetSuite’s architecture has a very open integration platform, so it can be deployed in conjunction with SAP, SCADA and MES. In addition to the generic management areas of the business, the new software also manages areas specific to a manufacturing business,” he told Manufacturers' Monthly.
Though the offering is brand-new in Australia, NetSuite customers in North America are already reaping cost savings. The technology is pitched at mid- level manufacturers, but will be constantly-developed and evolved to suit the likes of some of Australia’s largest automotive manufacturers that require man agement of advanced robotics and production lines.
“There hasn’t been a cloud- based solution for manufacturing functions previously,” Sullivan said. “We know you’ve adopted cloud solutions in various other parts of your business, but per haps haven’t thought about them as being part of your manufac turing processes. Now is the time to look at that and to get those benefits in all parts of your business.”