Manufacturing Menu: Low-Code, a Revolutionary Force for Digital Transformation in Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry is evolving rapidly, and low-code development is at the forefront of this transformation. The once complex production process is on the verge of significant changes. Low-code development is not just a trend; it's a revolution reshaping the way businesses operate and succeed.

About the Manufacturing Menu

To pursue this revolution Emixa has developed a special 'Manufacturing Menu.' This menu covers the entire production process, from 'Product Design' to 'Services,' including other domains like 'Supplier Management' to 'IT, Data, and Facilities,' as shown in the image.

Each phase and domain presents unique challenges and obstacles. The Manufacturing Menu addresses these different stages, offering practical solutions for the manufacturing industry to enhance agility, innovation, and adaptability using low-code through Mendix.

This blog is the start of our blog series "Manufacturing Menu: Practical Manufacturing Solutions." In this article, we introduced the Manufacturing Menu and discussed why low-code is a solution for digital transformation. In the upcoming blogs, we will delve deeper into optimizing processes within specific phases of the Manufacturing Menu, sharing practical insights to elevate your manufacturing company.

The 'Manufacturing Menu': A Journey to a Modern, Future-Proof Manufacturing Industry

"The Manufacturing Menu is not just a toolkit; it is a game-changer for the industry. It provides crucial solutions to help modern manufacturing companies optimize their business processes. This toolkit utilizes proven apps built by Emixa and Mendix, serving as the foundation for future solutions," says Bas van der Horst.

Increasing Productivity in Discrete Manufacturing with Low-Code 
Low-code development addresses two key challenges: the increasing demand for applications and the limited availability of development talent. It acts as a bridge between business and IT, enabling the delivery of high-quality software more quickly. For the manufacturing industry, where time-to-market and complex processes are crucial, low-code is a game-charger. It offers ways to streamline production, optimize supply chains, improve logistics, and ultimately increase customer satisfaction. 

Diving into the Manufacturing Menu

Low-code is not just about speed and efficiency. It also enables adaptable, effective solutions through reusable components.

Here are some concrete applications from the Manufacturing Menu. These proven apps, developed in collaboration with Mendix, serve as the basis for solutions for both existing and future clients. Additionally, we'll share two specific customer cases successfully executed in collaboration with Secrid and Weener Plastics.

Supplier Management - Collaborate Better with Your Suppliers with a Supplier Portal

The Mendix Supplier Portal

The Mendix Collaboration Portal is a versatile and user-friendly supplier portal. It allows you to bring a variety of processes under one roof and collaborate with suppliers, customers, and other external parties.

Secrid Customer Case Secrid - Supplier Portal 

Another powerful supplier portal example is the solution we created for Secrid. Secrid is a young, creative, and rapidly growing company designing, manufacturing, and selling a new generation of wallets worldwide. More than fifty suppliers are involved in the production of wallets. Despite the complexity of this extensive production process, its management was still Excel-based. To tackle these challenges, we, together with Secrid, built the new supplier portal based on Mendix. This portal is the platform helping Secrid and its suppliers collaborate better by bringing transparency to inventory, realization, rejections, and planning.

Warehousing & Logistics - Work Smarter with Smart Warehousing

The Mendix Application - Smart Warehousing

Mendix has an app called Smart Warehousing, which, thanks to real-time information and extensive integration capabilities with ERP and WMS systems, provides companies with a much better understanding of their exact inventory and logistics processes. By making all processes paperless and more efficient, companies can achieve significant cost savings, up to 25 percent of total warehousing costs.

Transport Management System - Weener Plastics Customer Case

Another example is the Transport Management System we built for Weener Plastics. This application serves as the bridge between the ERP system and Weener Plastics' logistics partners. Previously, agreements with carriers were booked outside the system, through email or phone. This resulted in not always fully loaded trucks or a choice for a more expensive supplier. Moreover, it proved challenging to check the invoices correctly and quickly. The new application provides a complete overview of all partners, including rates and details. This allows Weener Plastics to easily choose the right carrier, and it's easier to check invoices because the data is directly accessible.

Want to Know More About Digital Transformation? 

There are many opportunities to drive digital transformation in the technology industry. Do you want to improve the digital state of your organisation? Curious about how we leverage our knowledge of low-code, Mendix, digital twinning, plant simulation, and Siemens technology can help you with this? Feel free to contact us to explore the possibilities.

Explore the Manufacturing Blog Series

This blog is part of the Manufacturing Menu blog series, which you can view here: 

1. The Manufacturing Menu
2. From Product Design to Services
3. Supplier Management
4. Warehousing & Logistics
5. Marketing & Sales
6. Safety, Health & Environment
7. Quality
8. Utilization & Performance
9. Finance, Control & Reporting
10. HR
11. IT, Data & Facilities