SOA in 2011: SOA Helps Coty Put New Face on Cosmetics Management 
Coty Inc. is using CDC Factory, a SOA-based manufacturing operations management solution from CDC Software Corp., to help the cosmetics maker operate its plants and manage SKUs and production lines more efficiently, according to a Coty executive.
Coty Inc. is using CDC Factory, a SOA-based manufacturing operations management solution from CDC Software Corp., to help the cosmetics maker operate its plants and manage SKUs and production lines more efficiently, according to a Coty executive.
While Coty implemented a lean manufacturing initiative at its Sanford, North Carolina plant to improve operations, executives wanted to ensure improvements continued while using its own home-grown system, according to Brian O’Neil, vice president of Coty Operations. After a CDC Factory audit, Coty discovered it could save a significant amount of money at the plant, he said.
“We understand the power of lean manufacturing in lowering overall operating costs, and in engaging our work force in collecting and using their own data to drive improvements,” O’Neil said in a statement. “In our initial lean projects, we did yield some benefits; however, we were looking to raise performance to the next level.”
SOA Powers Integration, Management of Manufacturing Systems
CDC Factory, a product line and business of CDC Software, will measure and drive actions at Coty’s manufacturing plant in real-time resulting in more cost savings. CDC Factory will record all the activities in a manufacturing operation using a combination of data from the plant (through automation and contextual information added by operators on the production lines).
Coty also wanted access to real-time intelligence, according to O’Neill.
CDC Factory is a SOA-based packaged manufacturing operations management system that transforms manufacturing performance by empowering people to make real-time decisions, according to Mark Sutcliffe, president of CDC Factory.
“CDC Factory…provides a system for manufacturers to execute meaningful and productive change management and efficiency improvements that will position them for long-term growth,” CDC Factory’s Sutcliffe said in a statement. “We are delighted to add this global beauty company to our expanding consumer packaged goods (CPG) customer base.”
CDC Factory integrates the functionality of shop floor data capture, MES, packaged metrics like overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), analytics and scorecards, continuous improvement capabilities, and paperless quality management.
CDC Factory is built on the Microsoft .NET framework, and uses SOA and web services to leverage legacy installed assets, As a result, it lets users tie control and MES systems on the factory floor with wider enterprise applications such as ERP, MRP, and corporate analytic software -- without modifications, he added.
CDC Factory’s SOA architecture helps easily provide data integrity, data security and scalability from smaller plants to large multi-plant operations with thousands of assets, hundreds of users, and millions of data points, he added.
Once deployed, CDC Factory serves as the single engine driving all factory-floor performance – including MES (manufacturing execution system), plant automation, shift performance and product tracking. CDC Factory can also capture production performance in real time; identify all manufacturing losses and measure OEE (overall equipment efficiency) and product costing at all levels.
