How to wrangle data and make it your own

Manufacturers are swimming—some say drowning—in data. There are multiple types of production equipment and processes, each with its own proprietary database. There are thousands of data points contained in data silos, data in itself isn't the problem. What keeps manufacturers up at night is how to integrate, analyze, understand and act it.

Massachusetts company Palmer Foundry, maker of aluminum castings for the semiconductor industry, found a way to wrangle the data and use it to inform production quality and business decisions. A recent article in Automation World illustrates their path to enterprise manufacturing intelligence (EMI).

Palmer is a small yet extremely busy company, and it didn't have the time to develop automated systems and apply statistical control. Data streams and components were not mapped or prioritized for action, and information resided on and was distributed through multiple laptops. Something had to be done, and not just for Palmer's sake. Their customers were demanding accurate and accessible quality assurance.

That's when they decided that EMI was the way forward and Northwest Analytics the logical partner to make it happen. The data tsunami they had been struggling with became an intelligence stream. Palmer use NWA Focus EMI to access disparate data silos directly and use analytics to convert the data information and parameters visible on a dashboard for all to see.

The results have impacted all aspects of Palmer’s business – from improving supplier performance to improving internal processes, from managing raw materials to winning new business. Read more about Palmer, and hear general manager Jim Lagrant talk about the experience of adopting EMI.