Manufacturing activity slowed throughout North America in August. According to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), U.S. manufacturing activity fell to 51.1 from 52.7 the month prior. The reading is the worst in two years. In Canada, the RBC Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 49.4 from 50.8 in July. A score below 50 signals industrywide contraction.
In each market, factory managers are under renewed pressure to optimize processes and lower costs. Analytics tools could hold the key to finding areas of improvement. There are five metrics that may be worth studying as you implement Big Data in your factory.
