Aberdeen Publishes New Report Highlighting the Use of Business Process Management in Manufacturing

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - December 15, 2010) - The latest report by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), "Business Process Management in Manufacturing," has revealed that manufacturers today are struggling with pressures from many different sources; regulators, shareholders, customers, and suppliers all impact operations. The ability of an organization to quickly sense and adapt to these pressures can be a source of great competitive advantage.

Given the implications of many recent events surrounding new product introductions, product quality, and demand volatility, manufacturers are facing a quickly evolving marketplace. At the same time, products, the overall value chain, and the IT ecosystem have all been subject to an unprecedented growth in complexity. To help manage this complexity, organizations are re-architecting static, rigid, form fit processes to create an organization that can quickly adapt to changing market conditions. To accomplish this, the top performers are taking a Business Process Management (BPM) approach to their manufacturing operations as well as incorporating Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) into enterprise level BPM strategies.

"The results from the study revealed that by investing in BPM technologies in manufacturing, the top performers are achieving impressive gains such as 89% OEE rate, 94% on-time and complete shipments and a 5% increase in operating margin," explains Matthew Littlefield, senior research analyst, Aberdeen. "This new research examines how manufacturers can intelligently increase production and performance with an eye towards BPM principles while also adopting new technology." Readers can use this report to understand the lessons learned from the top performers while avoiding the pain points and obstacles encountered by their peers.

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Apriso, Cordys and Invensys Operations Management Skelta. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=6227&camp=2. 

Find out where your company's Business Process Management capabilities rank among the top performing companies. Take our Business Process Management in Manufacturing Management Assessment Tool: http://assessment.aberdeen.com/7TuwR1C2Va/index.aspx  

Visit Aberdeen.com for additional access to complimentary Manufacturing Research.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.

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