Apple Backs into Manufacturing via Supply Chain Execution

Manufacturing Automation (Chiappinelli) - It’s a good bet that Steve Jobs and the folks at Apple haven’t yet cataloged all the ways in which their new iPad device is being used in the enterprise. It’s also a good bet that a lot of manufacturers don’t see the fast-selling tablet computer as a boon to their operations.

But in Elkhart, IN, Tim Markley is already thinking about how he will use the iPad next. The president of Markley Enterprises, a manufacturer of sales and marketing support products, sees the Apple tablet computer as a means to more efficient warehouse operations and supply chain execution. The company has already outfitted its swing-reach forklifts with iPads, a move Markley says has improved the put-away process. Now, instead of jotting down notes with a pen and paper and then walking to a terminal to log put-away locations, operators tap their iPad screens and enter the data into the company’s RedPrairie warehouse management system on the spot. The system updates in real time, allowing other workers to see put-away locations immediately.

...At this point, some manufacturers are probably rolling their eyes and trotting out the compatibility argument that has kept Apple products out of the operations picture for years. But cloud computing changes all that, Markley says. His company’s WMS software is cloud-based and platform agnostic. Warehouse workers access the system through a web browser on the iPad. And as more businesses embrace cloud computing, “all of your [applications] become platform independent,” Markley says, “because as long as you can access the Web, you’re there.” Of course, durability is a separate issue, but Markley says the iPads are working well so far.