CINCINNATI INCORPORATED
76 ment in previous years . The introduction of dedicated product teams has enabled CI to improve the range of products , such as laser and plasma cutting systems , press brakes and shears , additive manufacturing , as well as powder metal presses . “ We now have three product teams : CNC table products , vertical motion products , and aftersales . Each one of these product teams has dedicated functional support including : service , technical support , marketing , training , and engineering resources . It means they can jointly focus on their specific products and the customers that use them in an open team environment .”
The company is also in the process of transitioning from its ERP system that has been in operation since 1992 and is set to switch to a state-of-the-art MRP ERP system called IFS which in the middle of a five-year implementation schedule . “ It is going to give us the ability to have things like supplier portals and digital order acknowledgements and digital order systems . Technology is playing more of a role in our operations and we ’ re constantly looking at how we do things and how we can do better ,” says Atkins .
In a bid to reduce costs and lead times in its supply chain , CI has fully changed the way it operates . Atkins examines how CI ’ s supply chain has adapted over the years . “ As a custom
JANUARY 2019