E-manufacturing can integrate plant control systems with the rest of the enterprise to share real-time information, cut costs, boost productivity and improve product quality.
Manufacturing continued to be ignored at subsequent ECR conferences. To speakers representing both food manufacturers and retailers, the supply chain started with a product which magically appeared at the beginning of the chain. The manufacturing plant seemed to be a "black box" little understood by the IT and marketing people from food-manufacturing companies, and -- understandably -- not even conceived of by their retailer customers.