Eliminating the Islands of technology' - pulp & paper mill productivity gains with an integrated operations information system from one IT vendor

摘要

The reality of the recent and current (and likely to persist) economic climate in which the pulp and paper industry as a whole finds itself, is that companies are facing substantial revenue reductions on the one hand while rising input costs on the other. This of course has led to shrinking profits. Thus senior managers are driving their organisations to evaluate and deploy multiple initiatives that compel operational cost reductions to improve business results, while at the same time requiring business performance improvements that strengthen and position the organisation to take advantage of growth opportunities with flexibility and urgency. These apparently conflicting objectives challenge any business unit to accomplish both simultaneously yet effectively, with sustainable ROI and high customer and employee retention. Visualisation of vital business performance information in realtime, across a variety of dimensions, is an imperative tool for managers and operators to attain improvements in productivity and enhance the operational performance of the enterprise. Information must be transparently shared across all aspects of an organisation's supply chain logistics management and manufacturing operations systems, providing accurate, timely and complete information to all involved, in the form relevant to their needs, so that each can contribute to accomplishing sustainable operational efficiency, performance improvements and service levels at any given moment. In addition, real-time visibility permits the well-tuned organisation to become aware of both customer service excellence and/or cost reduction opportunities, and allows management to be well-positioned to quickly and accurately assess the business impact of these opportunities and to take timely and effective action.rnMany pulp and paper mills today suffer from the 'Islands of Technology' syndrome with respect to their information systems. This syndrome refers to the disconnected nature of many of the applications systems companies and mills use to manage disparate yet related parts of their operational information needs. To overcome cost challenges and proactively seek opportunities, pulp and paper companies must utilise technology to its fullest advantage and have access to accurate, timely and actionable cost, profitability and customer service information. Such information makes it possible to support corporate Business Intelligence (Bl) initiatives. A powerful information management approach that integrates information across the enterprise at the corporate, mill and process/production levels is the best way to ensure that the information needed to make the right decisions,rnquickly, and eliminate the 'islands of technology' syndrome, is readily available to all.rnThis paper points out the situation in which many mills exist today with respect to information systems, and points out the benefits of an integrated approach to information systems that eliminate bridges among formerly disconnected systems. This approach has the tangible benefits of not only helping to guide an organisation towards a vital competitive edge that differentiates and catapults its profitably into a new era of global manufacturing competitiveness, but also saving money by simplifying the IT vendor environment and harmonising systems across the organisation, which embodies enormous payback.