Manufacturers are facing steep competition fueled by globalization and price pressures. Many are investing in new technology to accommodate changes to business models and to adapt to market and customer demands. According to Managing Automation, what defines a progressive manufacturer is its acceptance and commitment to radically transforming its business around six key disciplines. This year, 33 finalists competed for a leadership title in six competency categories, including Business Model Mastery, Customer Mastery, Data and Integration Mastery, Education and Training Mastery, Innovation Mastery and Supply Network Mastery. One company will be recognized as the Progressive Manufacturer of the Year. A panel of independent manufacturing experts evaluated the applicants and selected the winners.

Leading By Example
Agere, a global leader in semiconductors for storage, wireless data, public and enterprise networks, tied for first place in the Data Integration Mastery category. Key to Agere's recognition was "Project OASIS" (Oracle Agere Systems Information Solutions), an initiative that transformed the company's supply chain using the Oracle? E-Business Suite. Leveraging applications including Oracle Advanced Supply Chain Planning, Oracle Demand Planning, Oracle Collaborative Planning, Oracle Warehouse Management, Oracle Shop Floor Management and Oracle Daily Business Intelligence, Agere was able to simplify and standardize business processes across the company.

"Oracle was instrumental in our ability to integrate data from our customers and suppliers and enable that information to flow in and out of our systems in real-time," said Agere Vice President and CIO Chuck Sperazza. "We're now far more competitive and able to provide better service to our customers and make more informed decisions related to our suppliers."

Finisar, which manufactures fiber optic subsystems and network performance test systems, was recognized as a finalist for the Supply Network Mastery award. Finisar established itself as an industry leader by reducing costs, while increasing operational efficiency and supply chain visibility. The company initiated a series of projects titled "Supply Chain Fusion" that served as a catalyst to integrate all aspects of Finisar. Using Oracle Collaborative Planning, Oracle Advanced Supply Chain Planning, Oracle iSupplier Portal and Oracle Business Intelligence Applications, Finisar's goal was to create a virtual supply chain where visibility of critical demand and supply information flowed seamlessly through the entire company – from customer to supplier. This enabled Finisar to provide customers with higher service levels, shorter lead times and lower costs.

"The Supply Chain Fusion projects with Oracle were an essential part to improving our bottom line and helping to bring us back to profitability," said Finisar Director of Supply Chain Strategy and Business Systems Duane Hardacre. "As a result of these pieces coming together, it has allowed us to grow our revenues from $35 million a quarter to roughly $100 million. Further, we have become the leading provider of optical transceivers."

Managing Automation is a leading resource for business and technology managers in manufacturing sector. The Progressive Manufacturing Summit Award winners were announced at the 2006 Progressive Manufacturing Summit in Las Vegas and featured in the June issue of Managing Automation.

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