InfinityQS International’s recently released eBook, The Zen Guide to Manufacturing Intelligence, provides insight for managers into how to use reporting, statistical analysis, visual summaries and manufacturing intelligence to attain more value from operational data.

“Most manufacturers know the importance of data collection, but many do not completely understand how to use that information beyond the shop floor,” says Steve Wise, vice president of statistical methods, InfinityQS. “The goal of our Zen Guide to Manufacturing Intelligence is to show manufacturers that quality metrics can do much more than determine if a product passes or fails on the assembly line. With the right technology, manufacturers can use quality data to discover ways to reduce costs and gain new efficiencies that will ultimately benefit the company as a whole.”

The guide covers five steps, or “consciousness levels,” in the journey to data-driven wisdom. Step one, awareness, entails focusing on improving processes, rather than simply pass/fail data and product quality, through actionable intelligence.

Second comes interception. The guide recommends intercepting out-of-spec processes upstream and making corrections to prevent downstream consequences. Connectivity is the next step toward data-driven wisdom. By automating real-time data collection and integration, manufacturers can take immediate corrective action when issues arise.

After awareness, interception and connectivity comes enlightenment. Operations that have reached this point in the data-driven wisdom journey are equipped to use data not only to improve processes, but also to make more strategic business decisions that cut costs and increase efficiencies.

Finally, after enlightenment comes nirvana. At this stage, businesses “achieve one point of complete consciousness and control with a manufacturing intelligence hub that assimilates quality data into a single repository, allowing manufacturers to understand and monitor supply chain interdependencies at all levels of the organization.”

To download the eBook for free, click here.