Supply Chain Visibility Can Take Quality To New Heights

By: Michael A. Lyle, CEO and president, InfinityQS

When flying a plane, a pilot relies on air traffic control to keep him on a safe path. However, he may not necessarily have all the same technology on board to direct his flight. Likewise, air traffic control is able to view the “big picture” of the plane’s route, but it is not able to physically control the plane. Without visibility on both ends, it may be impossible to avoid disaster, should one plane enter another plane’s flight path.

In the case of a manufacturing plant, the pilot is like the operator, and air traffic control is like a quality executive. Visibility  — from the plant floor, across the enterprise and throughout the supply chain — is not