The Problem – Information Delivery
Why is information delivery so important? Compliance with regulations… Continuous improvement… Accountability… There are many reasons.
And as with all things in automation, it needs to be easy, needs to be cost effective and needs to be pervasive to have the greatest impact.
Delivering information started with PLCs, HMI/SCADA systems, and Distributed Control Systems (DCS), providing visibility into equipment and processes. As those systems matured, improvements included historians and layered analytic solutions like Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). Dashboards were added to facilitate KPI (Key Performance Indicator) visibility. Now, we are entering the age of even more analytic sophistication, advanced process control, learning systems and simulation systems. Those are the new battle fronts in terms of vendor product developments and competition. They are complex and they are expensive.
Report Generation for Information Delivery – Done, but Not Done Well.
“Reporting generation is hard.” Ask any process engineer and that’s what they’ll tell you. They have been trained in “The School of Hard Knocks”. The tools for report generation are varied and often take the form of Excel add-ins. They are usually minimal in design, tailored to getting the job done, so that “Must Have” report can be generated. There are additional issues. Report generation typically comes at the end of a project, when the systems are complete enough to offer data for report development and testing. This is also a time when budgets have been stretched to their limits and time is running out. All these factors compound to limit the quality of a delivered reporting solution.
As a result of the current state of Report Generation, the industry is convinced that report generation is hard, and there is no good solution.
Yet it is also recognized that reports are one of the best methods for information delivery. A report will document compliance. A report will drive continuous improvement. Archived reports deliver accountability and the ability to look back and compare. Reports are easily delivered to anyone at any time. They can be shared widely, forwarded as necessary and integrated with other information systems you already have in place.
But again, the industry is trained that reports are hard. So today, reporting is limited to only those reports that are absolutely necessary.
Suppose Report Generation Was Easy
Easy means anyone can generate reports. You don’t need special training. You don’t need to be a programmer. You don’t need special integration skills. You can access any data from any system. You can email reports. Reports can be made available online. An infrastructure for reporting enables you to interact with reports, generate new ones, re-generate old ones, select batches, select data sets, etc.
Imagine report generation so easy that you can simply think of a report and have it minutes later. What would you report on if it were that easy? How about setting up reports on machine performance, delivered to your email. How about a downtime report that provides actionable information. How about an inventory status report. Shift reports, progress reports, quality reports, infrastructure reports, energy reports, system health reports, etc.
Reports Are Easy. The Idea that Reports are Hard is NOW a Myth
That is the first wave of the perfect Storm. Dream Report is the first report generation solution for industry, to make report generation easy. Dream Report is setting a new standard for information delivery. It delivers connectivity to virtually any data archive. Dream Report performs calculations. Dream Reports formats your data beautifully and Dream Report delivers your information to anyone, anywhere and at anytime.
Information Access is Needed More than Ever
That is the second wave of the perfect storm. Every company is attempting to do more with less. Every company is striving for that competitive edge. Dream Report is an information delivery tool that will provide statistics, dashboards and reports that will educate your employees, improve quality, enable accountability and drive continuous improvement. Reports and Information Dashboards, shared liberally within your organization are an ideal solution to improve your competitiveness. They are cost effective and they are easy to maintain.
Dream Report is Ready NOW
That is the final wave of the Perfect Storm. Dream Report is a mature product, having been through a total of 20+ releases and installation in over 7000 locations. It delivers what no other reporting solution has ever delivered before – a purpose built, powerful and yet easy to use solution for industry. Report generation can now be a part of every automation installation and it will be the part that delivers the most value to your entire organization. If you aren’t relying on report generation as an important component in your strategy, then you’re simply missing out and not being as competitive as you could be.
The Perfect Storm Is Here. It is Time to Evaluate Dream Report
One more benefit. With the latest ad hoc analysis tools in Dream Report, you can install it and derive value from it in minutes. Payback starts immediately. Then, add reports over time for as you need them, to create even more value.