• There has been large scale deployment of SAP across the manufacturing industry, particularly in the auto sector.
• PLM and PDM implementations showed a substantial increase, helping in reducing the manufacturing cycle time and cost involved in design and implementation.
• Supply chain automation was one of the biggest contributors to IT deployment-e-sourcing as a trend was a big hit amongst manufacturers.
• RFID finally came into the mainstream, particularly amongst garment manufacturers, as it helped most of them in better inventory management.
• With many MNCs setting up back end design centers in India, CAD CAM and other engineering design solutions too proliferated.

IT-Manufacturing Alliances: Some New Trends

• Ashok Leyland signed a 30-month contract with Wipro Infotech for Strategic Cost Reduction. The contract involved developing a vision and road map for strategic cost reduction and supplier relationship management at Ashok Leyland. The consulting and 01 markets division of Wipro Infotech, implementing the project, looked at all elements of material costs and is providing consultancy and a technology solution where 01 markets dynamic pricing tool engine and cost management tools are being used. Ashok Leyland also deployed RFID within its assembling centers.
• LML, India's second largest scooter manufacturer, developed a unique web-based employee portal catering to all communication and perks disbursement needs of an employee, serving virtually as a one-stop solution. It reduced the lead time for decision making, as the decision maker could view the past trend of the requester online. Apart from that, the effective implementation of HR rules, coupled with a marked increase in operational efficiency due to appropriate structuring of processes were some of the other advantages.
• Laxmi Machine Works (LMW), a textile spinning machinery manufacturer managed to ramp up revenues by 20% with Oracle's E-business suite. The deal is being touted as the largest deployment of Oracle in the country. The manufacturer is using Oracle Balanced Scorecard, Enterprise Asset Management (eAM), Financials, Human Resources Management System (HRMS), Manufacturing, Sales, Services and Supply Chain Management.
• Tata Motors reinforced its e-sourcing alliance with Ariba by extending its commitment to Ariba Sourcing Services and Ariba QuickSource. Ariba continues to provide Tata Motors with sourcing and commodity knowledge along with technology advantages across multiple spend categories. Ariba Spend Management has also been an important part of Tata Motors' operations to automate, streamline, and provide transparency into the sourcing process. Tata Motors also deployed Siebel Automotive-a comprehensive suite of eBusiness applications that allowed it to manage, synchronize, and coordinate all customer touch points.
• Agro Tech Foods, a Rs 1,262 crore company which commands a formidable presence in the domestic edible oils and branded foods segment, completed the implementation of a Remote Office project-enabling key users to access primary applications from anywhere, anytime. Currently, for mobile Web connectivity, Agro Tech has given key users Reliance GTran data cards. On connection to the Internet, users are provided with a URL to access the Remote Office. Moreover, multiple levels of security are achieved through the deployment of Checkpoint Firewall-1 ActivCard. This Card allows the user to pass through a dynamic password mechanism. The dynamic password is each time authenticated with the pass through server at the ISP site.