Manufacturing And Warehousing IT News For VARs — January 2, 2015
By Trisha Leon, contributing writer
In the news, indicators show consumer confidence has risen and data management in manufacturing is the topic of a webinar.
Consumer Confidence Indicators Rise
The Conference Board released its December index on U.S. consumer confidence, according to Manufacturing.net. The index rose from 91.0 in November to 92.6. Consumers have reason to be confident; as stated in Manufacturing.net, “The economy grew from July through September at a 5 percent annual rate, fastest clip in 11 years.” Jobs are being added at a rate to place 2014 as the best year for hiring since 1999, and unemployment is at a low 5.8 percent. Falling gas prices are also contributing to money in consumers’ pockets. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment, another measure of consumer confidence rose from 88 in November to 93.6 in December.
Webinar Addresses The Challenge Of Data Management
In an Industry Week hosted webinar, sponsored by SAS, “Data Trends in the Manufacturing Industry,” Evan Levy will share how leading operations are addressing the challenge of data management and thereby growing the value of their business. Major points Levy will discuss are: how to manage data sharing within the supply chain, how to develop a data action plan, necessary organizational changes, and more. Interested parties can register for this free webinar here.
Manufacturing And Warehousing IT Talking Points
APICS, a professional association for supply chain and operations management professionals has a membership base of 41,000 supply chain professionals and has grown in the last five years by 23 percent. APICS certifies individuals in production and inventory management; these certifications are respected by employers and are tied to professional success and higher salaries. This commitment to education makes APICS a powerful contributor to supply chain growth. Abe Eshkenazi, quoted in Industrial Distribution, says, “We want to give our members every opportunity to improve and excel in their professions,” adding, “With resources, certifications, and education programs, we are collaborating with the industry to better the future of supply chain.”
A Computer World article states that software developers rely on third-party libraries and components to get the job done. They expect these to be safe based on their history; however, these third-party libraries have proven to carry with them the possibility of flaws, as seen with Heartbleed and Shellshock. Gavin Millard of Tenable Network Security says, “Organizations need to recognize that bugs of the magnitude we've seen in 2014 will continue into 2015 and put the processes in place to quickly identify where they are vulnerable, have a sound procedure to prioritize the issues and efficient processes to patch systems when bugs are discovered to reduce risk of exploitation.”
A new white paper presented by InfoWorld and sponsored by Jive Software, “10 Commandments of Collaboration for Exceptional Customer Service,” explains that for operations that rely on providing an excellent customer experience, customer collaboration is a way to build trusting relationships and improve customer loyalty. This white paper details best practices for creating brand affinity, repeat business and increased loyalty while decreasing customer service cost. This white paper is available for download here.