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IT Tutorials

A range of tutorials designed to help you get the best out of general office software.

Making the numbers add up

Choosing the right accounts solution for your manufacturing business.

Regardless of what your business does or what sector you serve, any company needs a competent accounting system. However, many will argue that when looking at manufacturing systems accounting should be front and centre of its competences. There are strong arguments for accounting information to be visible from directly within MRP, but should you select a platform for your entire business purely because of its capabilities for your financial department?

Read more: Making the numbers add up

CADCAM - automation and integration to today’s shopfloor data systems

Many companies will comfortably spend a five or six figure sum on a Production Control software (MRP) system but find a black hole of invisibility of jobs that enter their CAM system. Management or Sales unsuccessfully trying to obtain information on the status of an order, other departments trying to locate parts that possibly have not even been programmed yet into CAM system etc. These are day-to-day occurrences for many manufacturers. Perhaps you’re one of them, or are just about to take the plunge into shop floor data management. Find out the common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

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Top tips to speed up Outlook 2007

While Outlook 2007 offers many new features that do indeed offer real benefits it can come at a price - performance. On my Core 2 Duo with 2GB of RAM Outlook 2007 originally took a good 20 seconds to fire up from a fully booted PC and appeared to be constantly sluggish. So what can be done about it?

This factsheet provides a series of useful tips to keep Outlook 2007 running at optimum performance.

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MRP. Why you need it and what it can do for your business

Most companies start in the same way – a few people have an idea, create a business and then build the manufacturing processes required to make it happen. The tracking and reporting on these processes are often a reactive afterthought, usually as a result of problems caused through a lack of production planning. Does your business suffer from the same problems and what can an MRP system do about it?

Read more: MRP. Why you need it and what it can do for your business

How to evaluate a CADCAM system

CAM systems are used to take electronic part drawings (CAD files), process and ‘nest’ them onto sheets or rolls of material and convert the resulting nesting layouts to a series of coordinates and machining instructions, known as CNC programs so that the part can be accurately and effectively machined on a specific machine tool. The resulting code is sent electronically to the machine tool, ready for machining. These CNC programs are very specific to each particular CNC machine technology and machine  controller.

Read more: How to evaluate a CADCAM system