The role of data and analytics in optimizing your business processes in the manufacturing industry can’t be understated. With the actionable insights they provide, you can increase performance and gain a competitive edge in the market. Thus, the significance of manufacturing analytics platforms and business intelligence (BI) solutions continues to soar.
In this article, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive guide to the top manufacturing-focused business intelligence software available in the market. We’ll explore the benefits of each platform so you’ll easily gauge whether you’re getting a bang for your buck.
With these tools, you can gain insights into your entire process, from production to supply chain management, and make informed decisions to improve. By the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of how these platforms can help your company. Not only to streamline operations but to also help with revenue growth.
So, let’s dive in.
Understanding Manufacturing Analytics Platforms: What It Means For Your Business
Manufacturing analytics platforms are essential tools for manufacturers like you looking to optimize processes and improve overall performance. This manufacturing-related BI software have many key features, including:
- Integration with other systems
- Real-time monitoring and alerts
- Data visualization and reporting
- Predictive analytics and forecasting
- Process optimization and simulation
These features enable organizations in the manufacturing business to:
- Increase productivity and effectiveness by reducing downtime.
- Improve decision-making by providing actionable insights to manufacturers.
- Analyze your manufacturing process data immediately, identifying inefficiencies and areas for improvement.
By implementing these systems, you can stay ahead of the competitors in your industry. You can also better comprehend your manufacturing procedures and take action to continuously improve them.
Following that, it’s time to delve deeper into the different business platforms that’ll allow you to streamline your manufacturing process. The list will be a decision-making guide as we discuss their features and give examples of how they can work for your business.
16 Best Manufacturing Analytics Platforms & Business Intelligence Solutions
As a manufacturing firm, you need to have the right tools to collect information, here are our top 3 picks:
- Dilytics – Overall best-manufacturing analytics platform
- Rockwell Automation – Best literature library to gain technical knowledge
- Microsoft BI – Backed by one of the biggest companies in the world
With that in mind, let’s explore the 16 best manufacturing analytics platforms available today. The first three on the list come with case studies to help you develop a deeper understanding of how BI software impacts manufacturing.
1. DiLytics
DiLytics is a leading provider of manufacturing analytics platforms that enable manufacturers like you to harness the power of your manufacturing data to drive your business goals. With DiLytics’ data analytics platform, you can identify areas in your processes where you can refine productivity and deliver actionable insights to improve the quality of your products.
One of the key features of our manufacturing business analytics platform is that it can perform predictive analytics to identify potential issues before they occur and determine trends. It also has a demand forecasting platform. Not to mention, our BI solution is also capable of wide-range applications and scalability.
Case Study
An American biotech company came to us for assistance. Its team was facing challenges in the manufacturing process, including:
- Limited visibility into material type, resource, and operation, making it difficult to examine and upgrade processes.
- Unreliable data for inventory balances, aging, and inventory expiration days, making it challenging to analyze and reform procedures with accurate insights.
- Inadequate visibility into production quantity, scrap percentage, and percentage produced on time/late, limiting real-time visibility into processes.
DiLytics came in and we implemented our manufacturing analytics solution in just 100 days. The provided solution granted the client’s manufacturing supervisors and executives access to the most up-to-date production data. Thus, allowing them to effortlessly make decisions in the following areas, including:
- Identify specific cost elements to target to achieve a 5% reduction in production costs.
- Compare the accuracy of planned order quantities versus actual material requirements to identify any discrepancies and take corrective action.
- Evaluate the timeliness of transactions on the shop floor to identify any areas for improvement.
- Assess the feasibility of increasing production quantity to meet actual demand.
With our manufacturing BI platform, we can collect and examine your data to help you maximize your production levels without going over your budget. Just like our other clients, you’ll see significant improvement in your manufacturing operations.
Pricing
We offer customized plans according to your manufacturing business needs. You can contact us to get a quote or share your information in the below form.
2. Tableau
Tableau is a data analytics platform that offers a suite of business intelligence software tools that allow you to create dynamic and interactive data dashboards. Moreover, Tableau is easy to use even for no-experts with its drag-and-drop features. Plus, it’s designed to make it effortless for your team to make the presentation of data more effective.
Not to mention, it’s a great tool for analyzing metrics, improving processes, and harnessing the power of data to improve productivity in your industry.
Case Study
Mondelēz’s team was facing challenges in serving stakeholders and structuring data effectively because of the analysis stuck in spreadsheets, resulting in time-consuming processes. Its team leveraged Tableau software to establish a digital procurement process that streamlined its digital process.
Integrating all data into a central repository enabled Mondelēz to establish sustainable analytics for its complex supply chain. This resulted in simplified spend KPIs worldwide, refined analytics, and more responsible practices to achieve its business goals.
This process drove operational efficiencies, cash generation, and cost savings upwards of several million dollars while ensuring quality and optimizing the supply chain.
Pricing
- Viewer [$15/per user/month]: View and interact with dashboards.
- Explorer [$42/per user/month]: Included full self-service analytics.
- Creator [$42/per user/month]: Includes a suite of products to support end-to-end analytics workflow.
3. Domo
Domo provides a cloud-based platform for data management and analytics that can help you make informed decisions about your manufacturing tactics. As part of the manufacturing industry, here are ways you can utilize Domo:
- Collaborate with teams across the organization and share data to drive alignment and better decision-making.
- Monitor key metrics like cycle time and inventory levels to identify areas for improvement.
- Develop real-time alerts to notify members when data changes.
These features can help manufacturing companies like you to streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve overall performance.
Case Study
La-Z-Boy needed help in achieving consistency and coordination among multiple subsidiaries and departments. If you’ve faced similar issues you’d know that this has a massive impact on operations and even labor hours if not everyone is on the same page.
So, what did Domo do to help the company?
Its BI analytics software was incorporated with the company, allowing La-Z-Boy to become data-driven across the organization. It gave every department from HR to finance to logistics to utilize data analytics to build the brand and improve productivity.
This allowed La-Z-Boy to ensure quality and optimize its supply chain while monitoring demand signals and controlling the budget with manufacturing analytics. For instance, Domo helped the company’s furniture division, Joybird, see an increase in average order-to-ship days and improved operational effectiveness to reduce shipping time by 17 days.
What’s more, the team uses Domo to monitor warranty and product performance statistics instantly. This helps with monitoring and boosting the cost of quality and customer experience.
The supply chain team also uses Domo to monitor shipping performance and backlog to optimize plant loads. By leveraging historical data, La-Z-Boy helps with supply chain optimization and boosts the experience of the end customer.
Pricing
Get in touch with them to get a quote or book a demo.
4. Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation is a company that offers an automation platform for industrial manufacturing. Its software and services enable manufacturers to optimize their operations and increase productivity. Some specific features of Rockwell Automation include:
- Connected factory floor solutions that integrate data from various sources to provide instant visibility into production processes.
- Predictive maintenance capabilities to detect potential issues before they cause downtime or quality issues.
- Supply chain optimization tools to improve efficiency.
With its various manufacturing BI tools, manufacturers like you can make smarter decisions. Its platform helps manufacturers like you to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve product quality while maintaining safety and compliance.
Pricing
Contact its support team to get more details about their pricing tiers.
5. Sight Machine
Sight Machine is a software company that specializes in manufacturing analytics. It offers manufacturers an AI-powered platform that collects and analyzes massive amounts of data from the factory floor. It can help you optimize your manufacturing processes and improve overall performance.
Here are its key features:
- It provides immediate visibility into raw materials, manufacturing processes, and product quality to help you improve your process.
- It’s highly configurable, allowing manufacturers like you to tailor the analytics applications to your specific needs.
- It’s designed to be easy to use and requires no coding or data science skills.
Sight Machine’s investment in software is evident with its integration capabilities, and its capability to standardize data from different sources. It lets you unlock actionable insights to make better decisions.
Pricing
You can book a demo to request a meeting.
6. Microsoft Power BI
Microsoft Power BI is a BI solution that provides interactive visualizations and real-time insights. It can help you collect, study, and visualize manufacturing data in real-time to identify patterns and anomalies.
Using this software allows you to make decisions backed by data for improved operational efficiency, lower costs, and better end-customer experience.
Here are the key features of its manufacturing analytics software:
- Real-time monitoring of shop floor operations to identify inefficiencies and control costs.
- Built-in security and compliance features to protect sensitive data.
- Comes with pre-built templates for data overview.
You can use Power BI to monitor the performance of your production line, identify bottlenecks, optimize workflow, and improve quality to ensure customer satisfaction.
Pricing
- Power BI Pro [$13.70/per user/month]: Includes self-service analytics.
- Power BI Premium [$27.50/per user/month]: Includes advanced AI capabilities.
- Power BI Premium [$6,858.10/per capacity/month]: Includes access at enterprise scale—without per-user licenses for content consumers.
7. Augury
Augury provides machine health and performance insights to help manufacturers prevent equipment failures, reduce downtime, and increase machine reliability. Augury’s software uses AI to study data from machines and provides valuable insights to maintenance teams.
An example of how Augury helps manufacturers is by using vibration tools to detect early signs of wear or damage on rotating machinery. The software then alerts the maintenance team to take corrective action before the machine fails, reducing downtime and lowering maintenance costs.
Its key features include:
- The system is designed to be easily integrated into existing manufacturing practices and machinery, making it accessible and user-friendly for manufacturers.
- It provides continuous monitoring and data analysis of machines and equipment to detect anomalies and potential issues.
This platform is beneficial if you’re focused on ensuring your machines are in tip-top shape and allows you to minimize costs and reduce the risks of downtime.
Pricing
You can contact them to get a quote.
8. Oracle Business Intelligence
Oracle Business Intelligence provides a suite of tools to help you develop dashboards, perform ad-hoc reporting, and explore data from various sources like traditional data warehouses and big data sources.
Look at some of its key features:
- The platform is scalable and can handle large volumes of data, making it suitable for enterprises of all sizes.
- It has advanced analytics, data visualization, predictive analytics, and real-time monitoring.
- Its automated databases are self-driving, self-secure, and self-repairing.
Pricing
You can chat or call them to know more.
9. SAS
SAS offers a variety of analytics products for different industries, including manufacturing, finance, and healthcare. It turns large amounts of data into actionable, instant insights that can be used to improve performance and drive growth.
Some of its key features include:
- It offers predictive maintenance capabilities to help reduce downtime, avoid equipment failures, and improve asset utilization.
- The data model combines various data sources to create automatic explanations of the process parameters that impact energy usage the most.
- SAS helps reduce warranty costs by analyzing data and sending alerts.
Pricing
You can request a pricing quote by contacting them.
10. Qlik
Qlik has a user-friendly interface, allowing you to easily build visualizations and dashboards to analyze data from various sources. Its powerful data integration capabilities provide action-oriented insights.
The following are some of its key features:
- It’s a secure and scalable platform for collaboration and sharing insights across teams and departments.
- It can help you track key performance indicators, production procedures, and supply chain operations.
- It allows you to consolidate data from multiple sources and create dynamic visualizations like dashboards.
Qlik Sense allows you to explore data instantly, identify trends, and discover patterns to gain a deeper understanding of your overall manufacturing system.
Pricing
You can contact them or join the free trial.
11. Zoho Analytics
Zoho Analytics offers self-service business intelligence and has a wide range of pre-built reports and control panels that allows you to visualize data. It also provides AI-powered augmented analytics and predictions that can be customized to meet the needs of different industries, including manufacturing.
Here are a few of its key features:
- It has advanced analytics AI capabilities like trend analysis and predictive modeling to identify and respond to emerging trends and issues.
- It features such as data blending, drill-downs, and pivot tables, to help you get the most out of your data.
- Monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) such as downtime and defect rates.
With its ease of use and scalability, Zoho Analytics can ensure your manufacturing process runs smoothly even as your firm grows.
Pricing
- Basic [$22/month]: Only 2 users allowed.
- Standard [$45/month]: 5 users are allowed.
- Premium [$112/month]: 15 users are allowed.
- Enterprise [$445/month]: 50 users are allowed.
12. Tulip
Tulip provides a no-code platform for building digital applications that connect workers, machines, and systems. The platform enables you to collect and examine data instantly, automate manual tasks, and optimize production processes.
Some of its key features are the following:
- Speed up batch releases, simplify compliance tasks, and guarantee quality throughout all stages of your manufacturing process.
- It integrates with existing manufacturing systems and machines to provide a complete view of the production line.
- It’s a no-code app platform for manufacturers.
With its technology, utilizing Tulip results in better performance from employees, which leads to greater business outcomes.
Pricing
- Essentials [$1,200/per interface/annually]: Good for basic production needs.
- Professional [$1,200/per interface/annually]: Includes access to data from sensors, machines, and adjacent systems.
- Enterprise and regulated industries: Get in touch with them.
13. MicroStrategy
MicroStrategy is designed to empower users with self-service analytics, allowing them to access and analyze data on their own, without the need for technical expertise.
Here are some MicroStrategy’s key features:
- Support a variety of data sources, including cloud, big data, and traditional databases.
- Provides scalable analytics solutions that can handle large volumes of data and user traffic.
- Leverage native SDKs and APIs to integrate analytics into your application.
These features allow you to seamlessly integrate analytics capabilities into your manufacturing application or platform.
Pricing
Get in touch with them to request its pricing plans.
14. Sisense
Sisense is a business intelligence software company that provides an end-to-end solution for preparing, analyzing, and visualizing complex data. Its technology is designed to work with any data source and scale with your company.
Let’s take a look at some of its key features:
- Link your internal systems like MES, ERP, and more to blend the data of external partners, and gain a comprehensive view of your supply chain.
- Consolidate all your data sources into a single data management system to get a comprehensive view of the entire manufacturing cycle.
- Identify and address production bottlenecks and defects with root cause analysis.
Sisense helps proactively manage your systems to achieve your manufacturing goals and drive business success.
Pricing
You can request a demo or join a free trial.
15. Klipfolio
Klipfolio allows you to consolidate metrics in one platform, making it easier for you to make business decisions. Plus, you can import and modify data using the data modeler and display it according to your preferences.
Here are some of Klipfolio’s key features:
- PowerMetrics track your business progress by setting metric goals and targets and receiving notifications when changes occur in your data.
- Its data analysis tool, Explorer, allows you to have visualization options, flexible date ranges, and filters for in-depth data analysis.
- The metric warehouse is optimized for time-series operations and is ideal for data visualization, segmentation, and exploration.
As it lets you have a complete view of your business metrics, you can determine if you’re hitting your manufacturing goals.
Pricing
- Free [$0/month]: Only 2 editor users.
- Plus [$99/month]: Only 4 editor users.
- Pro [$229/month]: Includes 8 editor users.
- Business [$799/month]: Flexible editor users.
16. TIBCO Spotfire
TIBCO Spotfire allows you to easily connect to and visualize data from multiple sources, including spreadsheets, databases, and big data sources. With their advanced analytics tools, you can perform complex calculations, predictive modeling, and machine learning to uncover hidden insights in your data.
These are some of its key features:
- It has automated data wrangling and natural language processing and also enables users to find insights and trends quickly and easily.
- Users can collaborate with others in real-time using shared data and dashboards, making it easier to work together to solve problems.
Pricing
You can contact them to get their pricing plans.
Conclusion
With the increasing complexity of today’s manufacturing industry and procedures, it’s more important than ever to have a comprehensive view of your operations. Thus, manufacturing analytics platforms are critical to achieving long-term business success.
For instance, most manufacturers have multiple data sources and legacy systems, making it challenging to gain actionable insights that can drive performance improvements. Manufacturing BI software allows you to unify all your data sources into a single package and gain real-time visibility across your systems.
This list is here to guide you in making the right decision to maximize your manufacturing analytics for increased profitability.
So, what’s the best choice for you? That depends on your business needs since these platforms have unique features.
With tools like DiLytics’ manufacturing analytics platform, you can make data-driven decisions and improve your bottom line. As you continuously evaluate your manufacturing strategies, we can help you scale your system to meet your changing needs. Contact us now and learn more about our action-driven data analytics.