Leaping the barrier [information technology]

The role of information technology (IT) in manufacturing and engineering is now well understood. It is difficult to imagine a factory, warehouse or drawing office today that could even function without the right IT system. Yet IT has come much further now than just automating manual manufacturing and engineering processes. There are whole new fields of advantage to be gained from squeezing more out of IT systems, particularly by making better use of the information that is stored within them. Overall, technologies such as forecasting tools, data warehousing and workflow can help manufacturers to reduce the level of disconnection in the organisation between different functions and departments. The key is to ensure that as much corporate information as possible is held in a single, digital format, whether as data, test, graphics or knowledge