Our Blog
Guest Blog: Cyber Security for Manufacturers
At a high-level, what is cybersecurity, and why should manufacturers care? Are there benefits to utilizing an active versus passive protection system for manufacturers? Cybersecurity is about protecting your industrial computer systems from unauthorized access, preventing theft, damage, or manipulation of those systems. Unfortunately, industrial control networks were designed decades ago, before cyber threats in OT (operational technology) environments existed. The focus was operational reliability and ensuring smooth business operations. Today, however, due ...
Keep Reading
Guest Blog: How to Create Positive Relationships with Your Suppliers
W. Edwards Deming once said, “End the practice of awarding business on the basis of a price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. Move toward a single supplier for any one item, on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust." These are some of the wisest words I have heard ...
Keep Reading 
Guest Blog: Creating a Visual Factory
If you have read some of my previous blogs, you know I’m a huge supporter of lean manufacturing. During my time in manufacturing, I always felt a good management team knows what is happening within the operation, and lean manufacturing is one of the best ways to accomplish this. On ...
Keep Reading 
Is Your IBM Hardware Still Supported?
Is your IBM hardware still supported? IBM systems have proven their reliability over the years and with that some customers have become somewhat complacent about maintenance. If you have an “older” system that is not covered under maintenance and you needed a replacement part what impact might that have on ...
Keep Reading 
$@&* passwords! (Multiple post-its vs. SSO)
We all have a number of online accounts for which a password is required; the bank, credit cards, your physician’s portal, social media, shopping sites, etc. At ISE we trust that you are diligent at constructing a password that you can remember, but also that others would not easily be ...
Keep Reading 
Infor’s Move to Corretto 8 Java
Infor has recently announced that it will be moving to the Corretto 8 version of Java. Some of ISE’s customers have asked what this means for them, and that is the focus of this article. In 2018, Oracle announced that they would start charging businesses for the use of ...
Keep Reading 
Guest Blog: Evaluating Leadership at Your Manufacturing Business
I think we all realize how crucial a company’s leadership is for success. As Acuity’s manufacturing consultant, I see a wide range of companies, and one common thread among the successful ones is a strong leader. For simplicity's sake, this article will refer to the leader of a company ...
Keep Reading 
Guest Blog: How to Determine Your Equipment Effectiveness
Do you know if your equipment is making or costing you money? Can you answer this question confidently and accurately, or do you have to guess the answer? Before we get to the bottom of this ever-important question, I want to dig into a few of the terms I will ...
Keep Reading 
Is Your ERP Healthy?
Developing or maintaining a competitive advantage requires continuous investment in your ERP and users. You need to effectively modernize your system and processes without disrupting day-to-day operations. A health check of your ERP to measure your system’s effectiveness is as necessary as regularly servicing your automobile. Why take an ERP ...
Keep Reading 
Quality Management in Manufacturing
Quality Management Made Easier with a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Quality management professionals are concerned about all aspects of production operations that impact quality performance and customer satisfaction. The processes, tools and procedures all come under the spotlight when failures or deviations occur. Consistency in methods used throughout the manufacturing ...
Keep Reading