Real-time Dashboards Connected to ANY Data Source

 

In the next few weeks we’ll release GainSeeker Version 8.8. At the end of this blog, I’ll tell you how to learn all about it at our GainSeeker Tech Tips Live Webinar.

For now, I want to focus on the most important new feature: Real-time dashboards that connect to any data source.

Why connect to any data source?

Manufacturing leaders are often hobbled by antiquated and disparate data systems. These folks are working under tremendous pressure to get results, but they struggle to meet their goals.

It isn’t because they’re not working hard; they are.

And it isn’t because they don’t know what they’re doing. They’re bright, hard-working and competent.

And it isn’t that they lack data. They have lots of data. In fact, they’re drowning in data. But that data is not visible, it’s not timely, it lacks context, or it’s in a form that is pretty much useless.

Connecting real-time dashboards to any data source breaks down barriers to data so that information is timely, visible, and actionable.

If you have data hidden in your order entry, scheduling system, or factory information system, you can bring it to the light of day on a GainSeeker Dashboard.

Sample Use Case

What does this look like? Here is a sample use case:

A plant manager has performance goals for:

• Adherence to Production Schedule
• Raw Material Inventory Management
• On-time Shipment
• Yield
• Quality

The data that can tell the manager how they’re doing on these goals comes from three different systems:

• ERP
• Scheduling
• Quality

Some data needs to be transformed, calculated, or combined with other data to make it useful. To get the data manually takes several hours of extracting data from various reports and compiling it into spreadsheets. Once it’s in the spreadsheets, someone has to update all the graphs. All the bugs seem to be worked out of the spreadsheets, but they are complex. Overall, the process takes a lot of time and is highly error prone. Often it is delivered many days after the fact, far too late to take meaningful corrective action.

With GainSeeker v8.8, scripts can query the data from all three systems, and update a single live dashboard with the latest information. The scripts can transform or combine data, and can be queued to run automatically every hour, or every shift – whatever interval makes sense for the business.

With timely, accurate, and actionable information, the plant manager can make better decisions faster, identify problems before they get out of hand, and take intelligent corrective action to stay on top of supply chain and customer problems.

Three Additional Considerations

Three other really important considerations:

• First, the links to the data are built using customized scripts (industry-standard Python code) that a database-savvy person on your team can write. Hertzler can help, if you wish, but you’re not dependent on us or on other high-demand resources.
• Second, the new version of GainSeeker doesn’t require that you import the data into the GainSeeker database. (You can do that if you want, but it isn’t necessary.) This means that you don’t have to replicate your system of record. GainSeeker just taps into that data as needed. It saves time and eliminates redundant data storage.
• Third, once the data is in a GainSeeker dashboard, you can use many of GainSeeker analytical tools on it: drill down Pareto Charts, statistical process control charts, and so forth. So you can quickly answer questions like:
  • Is that increase in production cycle time statistically significant, or just a normal part of our process?
  •  What raw materials are we short on, and from which suppliers?

Register for GainSeeker Tech Tips Live Webinar

Real-time dashboards that connect to any data source is just one of the dozens of new features and enhancements we’ve introduced in GainSeeker 8.8. We’re so excited about it that we’re featuring the new release at our upcoming GainSeeker Tech Tips Live Webinar on October 19, at 2 p.m. (EST). You can register for the webinar using the registration code GSTTL. Seating is limited, so sign up early to reserve your place at this free, live webinar.

Getting Real-Time Dashboards that connect to any data source

If you’re a member of HertzlerNet, you’ll receive an email soon with instructions about how to request your free upgrade to GainSeeker Suite Version 8.8. Once you install the new version you’ll have the new feature.

If you’re not a member of HertzlerNet, contact our sales team at sales@hertzler.com, or complete the form here. They’ll  be happy to discuss your situation, and explore how GainSeeker Suite can help you improve business performance.