Assembling a manufacturing environment - the DNA way

Microsoft today announced Microsoft Windows DNA for manufacturing, a technical architecture that helps various computer systems in a manufacturing enterprise work together.

MicrosoftWindows DNA for manufacturing acts as common "plumbing" in disparate manufacturing software applications, enabling them to integrate and operate seamlessly. The result is a more efficient exchange of information from the shop floor to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) processes, equaling reduced operational and technical costs for a manufacturing enterprise.

The myriad steps and processes of building a product often resemble pieces of a puzzle. Supplies must be ordered, machinery must be prepared and tuned, parts must be created and assembled, features and accessories must be added, and the end products must be individually wrapped and sent to storage where they will await distribution. One of the main challenges involves tracking information throughout the entire process - information about the various materials, parts, machinery, end products, inventory, etc. This is where computer systems play a vital role.

Computer systems can help a manufacturer gather, share and analyse key data elements and information throughout the enterprise in order to make better, more proactive business decisions, become more efficient and reduce operational costs.

Just like the many parts and materials involved in the creation of a product, there are also various computer systems throughout an enterprise, which typically were never designed to work together. This creates an integration nightmare for manufacturers seeking to develop an efficient technology infrastructure, and can be costly and time-consuming.

"Integration is a major key to the success of deploying a modern manufacturing system, but piecing the components together to produce such a system is often difficult, time consuming and expensive," said Gordon Frazer, customer solutions director at Microsoft South Africa. "We`re striving to make this process easier and more cost-effective for customers by developing this comprehensive new Microsoft Windows DNA for Manufacturing architecture, which will help combine the Microsoft Windows platform, various leading line-of-business applications and legacy solutions to create manufacturing-specific Digital Nervous Systems."

Microsoft Windows DNA for manufacturing is based on the Component Object Model (COM), an underlying software architecture that forms the foundation for higher-level software services, including added system functionality, data transfer and other software interactions. COM is used in more than 150 million systems worldwide and provides the richest set of services and development tools available, helping reduce the cost of creating, deploying and managing business solutions.