Data warehouse for the manufacturing industry

Data is everywhere. But spread out.

Production companies have enormous amounts of data. Machines generate signals every second. Suppliers send updates about delivery times. ERP, MES and PLM systems keep track of production and inventory. And of course, HRM and CRM applications manage staff and customer relationships.

However, it seldom feels like that data is really available. The reason for this is data silos: data is locked in their own system. In some cases, Excel lists serve as an adhesive tape between systems. As a result, reports are compiled manually and decisions are made based on outdated or incomplete information.

That can and should be smarter. Especially at a time when margins are shrinking, customers are increasingly demanding customization and staff is scarce. That's when you need real-time and historical insights to make the right choices.

The solution? One data warehouse that brings together all data from different systems.

What is a data warehouse?

A data warehouse is the central place where all company data comes together, is smartly organized and is directly accessible for analysis and reports. It is the indispensable link between your operational systems and the control information needed to make the right decisions.

Difference with databases and excel

Many companies are already storing data. They do this in databases, in Excel files, or in local folders. But these types of storage aren't built to combine, clean, and make data available. For that reason, you are therefore never able to apply smart dashboards or AI.

That is what a data warehouse is. It acts as the single source of truth: a central environment in which data from various sources is standardized and prepared for analysis and reporting.

In short:

• A database is intended for storage.
• Excel is for manual processing.
• A data warehouse is intended for insights and control.

When a data warehouse in the manufacturing industry?

Many production companies have the data available somewhere, but hardly use it. Not because they don't have tools, but because everything is scattered around.

Imagine...
As Operations Manager, you want an overview of outstanding orders, delivery times and machine occupancy. To do this, you need to combine data from ERP, MES and an Excel file from the purchasing department. Unfortunately, that data is not in one place. You ask the planner for an update, let finance export the ERP, and try to make something visible in a dashboard yourself.

It may work, but it has cost you three people and half a day. Chances are that the insights will also be out of date by the time you want to get started.

The cause?
The dates is there, but there is no central location that bundles, cleans and makes this data available for analysis. And that's exactly where a data warehouse makes the difference. It removes fragmentation, provides insight into current and historical data and allows you to steer faster, smarter and with more control.

Why a data warehouse for production companies?

For manufacturing companies, the relevance of a data warehouse is greater than ever. The manufacturing industry faces challenges where insight makes the difference. As the situation described above: different teams look for answers in separate systems, reports take time and decisions are made based on incomplete information.

Bringing data from different systems together

Production companies work with various specialist systems, such as:

• ERP for order management, planning and finance.
• KNIFE for monitoring and controlling production processes.
• PLM to manage the entire product lifecycle.
• HRM and CRM for staff and customer relations.
• Vendor portals for supply chain management.

All of these systems contain crucial information, but often do not speak the same language. A data warehouse makes these sources compatible and ensures that data comes together.

No insight = no grip

Without a central location for data:

• The overview of orders, deliveries and production is missing.
• Is it difficult to control performance and costs.
• Errors and anomalies remain under the radar for too long.

With a data warehouse, real-time and historical data becomes available for dashboards, reports and predictive analyses.

How does a data warehouse work?

A data warehouse may sound complex, but at its core, it does something very simple: it collects data from all your different systems and brings it together in one central location. This is necessary because manufacturing companies work with many different sources.

From source systems to storage (ETL/ELT)

Data is retrieved at fixed times or in real time from source systems such as ERP, MES and supplier systems. This process is called Extract, Transform, Load (ETL), or Extract, Load, Transform (ELT).

The data will be:

• Extracted from various sources.
• Transformed into a uniform structure.
• Loaded into the data warehouse.

Central storage

Here, data is stored securely in structured tables. Important here is:

• Data governance (who gets to see and do what).
• Quality and validation (reliable data).
• Historical storage (enabling trends and analyses).

Dashboards and reports

Via BI tools as Power BI, Tableau or own dashboards, the data is made visual and practical for:

• Operational control (real-time dashboards).
• Strategic decision making (analyses and reports).

The result? No manual exports or Excel more but immediate insight.

Does a data warehouse work alone?

A data warehouse rarely stands alone. To really get a grip on your data and processes, you work smartly with other solutions. This is how a data broker for real-time data collection, middleware for smooth links between systems and a data warehouse for central storage and insights. Together, they form the foundation for applications such as predictive maintenance and AI in your supply chain.

Case study: real-time insight into data from multiple sources

At Voskamp Group, a data warehouse is at the heart of their digital landscape. This data warehouse collects and combines data from various sources such as ERP, HRM and access control systems. This creates one place where data is organized, reliable and always up to date available for reports, analyses and daily control.

A smart link in this process is the dynamic data broker that developed Flawless Workflow for Voskamp. Where separate and time-consuming links were previously required for each customer, this data broker now provides a generic and scalable connection between clients' HRM and ERP systems and on-site access control systems. This makes it possible to:

• Connect new customers quickly and easily
• Automatically update every 30 seconds
• Reduce manual work and errors
• Flexibly expandable to meet new needs
• Store data securely and locally
• Using dashboards for insights
• Keep maintenance and management simple

For example, the data broker is an essential link in unlocking valuable data within Voskamp Group and its customers.

How does a data warehouse fit into the bigger picture?

A data warehouse is the basis for a data-driven organization. But it is not the only thing. Do you want systems to really talk to each other smartly? Then more is needed:

• For real-time synchronisation between systems → Learn more about our Data Broker.
• For integrating data sources and automatically sharing data between systems and machines → Read more about Middleware.

By smartly combining these solutions, you create a scalable, smart and forward-looking IT landscape.

Ready to get a grip on your data?

Do you want to know how far along your organization is and where you can make the most profit with data?

Our Data & AI Scan provides immediate insight into:

• How mature your data landscape is.
• Where bottlenecks and opportunities lie.
• What a data warehouse and smart solutions can do for your production company.

Find out via our Data & AI Scan.