How Jaspersoft reporting can improve manufacturing operations

Thanks to legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act, manufacturing spending increased 70% year over year to $201 billion in July 2023. Trade in August 2024 also increased by 2.4% from August 2023. Manufacturers can track the benefits of these legislative acts to their business using reporting tools like Jaspersoft.  

Organizations need reliable reporting tools that provide insight into what's running most efficiently in their businesses. Manufacturing companies can deploy them on-premises or in the cloud, allowing team members to tap into reports from any device in the field, the office, or other remote locations. 

Jaspersoft allows companies to take advantage of other monitoring technology used within warehouses to gain a 360-degree view of the entire production line. Let's look at how reports get used within manufacturing and what you can gain by investing in a robust reporting platform. 

How the manufacturing industry uses reporting

The best way to decide what improvements to make in a manufacturing firm is by tracking processes to measure how well they function and use resources.  

Many manufacturers use business intelligence tools to create data visualizations to help reveal patterns and trends. Jaspersoft allows users to embed these visuals and other analytics directly into reports and user applications to help identify areas that need attention or improvement. That provides a more immersive, engaging user experience that simplifies complex data and drives home the most important details of what's happening in your manufacturing company.  

Jaspersoft offers additional advantages by adapting to the specific needs of individual manufacturers as the most flexible and customizable BI platform available. You can seamlessly embed Jaspersoft into existing applications and deploy reporting to some of the most popular cloud architecture platforms, including Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). 

The Jaspersoft platform can connect to any data source, including relational databases, XML, JSON, RestAPI, apps, and more. Jaspersoft Studio and its Ad Hoc Designer let you create pixel-perfect reports and export them in your desired format, including PDFs or interactive web reports. Once you build a report, you can turn it into a template by using our externalized style sheets to reuse and recreate reports, saving loads of development time and ensuring consistency. There's a scheduler available for distributing reports to millions of users, increasing productivity and reducing errors. 

Report examples include:

Annual reporting

Use Jaspersoft to collect data from everywhere in the organization to create annual reports. These reports provide basic information on the company, such as its industry, current market share, and revenue generated. Using Jaspersoft's deployment tools, you can seamlessly deliver reports to stakeholders in any format they need with pixel-perfect precision. 

Stakeholders and other interested parties can easily tap into insights about your manufacturing company’s yearly performance to make data-driven decisions about budget planning, forecasting, and investment options.  

Production line reporting

Production line reports help analyze and visualize the performance of a manufacturing line by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and other essential process data. Tracking production metrics lets an organization better plan and evaluate asset management decisions such as maintenance requirements or new equipment purchases. Jaspersoft's pixel-perfect reports can include bar codes for inventory and equipment to track product movement and feed the information back to a database for compliance or record-keeping purposes. From there, analysts can create visualizations and dashboards in Jaspersoft to detect potential bottlenecks and other issues affecting operational efficiency. 

Edge reporting

Edge reporting helps manufacturers achieve real-time reporting by collecting information at the source of generation through tools like sensors and devices planted around the factory floor. A real-time reporting tool that can connect to any source lets you track critical parameters like machine vibrations, temperature fluctuations, and other indicators of potential equipment failure. 

Instead of waiting until something breaks down, users can proactively review daily stats and pinpoint equipment that needs immediate attention. It's an excellent way to prevent disruptions and other line issues that could delay production.

Inventory reporting

Inventory reporting summarizes what manufacturers have available, including raw materials, products still in production, and completed items. Manufacturers use inventory reports to measure turnover rate (inventory sold and replaced during a given period), keep an accessible supply on hand to fulfill sales orders, and pinpoint aging products that aren’t moving quickly. 

Ad-hoc reporting lets end users generate custom reports on demand to quickly answer specific business questions, such as current inventory levels and upcoming orders, to produce optimal stock and increase revenue opportunities. To save time, you can set up inventory report templates to measure metrics such as turnover rate and aging product levels that matter most to your organization's decision-making process.

POS reporting

Point of sale (POS) reports give manufacturers insights into product sales for more accurate forecasts and production schedule planning. Manufacturers can easily examine products sold versus the inventory stocked. It's also a good way to track where inventory may need to be restocked at retail locations and where manufacturers may be overstocking slow-selling items. An architecture-agnostic reporting tool that can easily integrate into any on-premise, cloud, or hybrid environment will make the report delivery process faster and easier. 

Advantages of Jaspersoft reporting 

One of the benefits of using tools like Jaspersoft is their ability to integrate with other technologies, such as warehouse management systems (WMS) and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Manufacturers can proactively address issues by connecting various systems and analyzing data across their whole operations.  

Tools like Jaspersoft help users interpret data through visualizations that can point to indicators of problems that could result in downtime. Workers can view information ad hoc as needed, eliminating the need for supervisors to cover every production line. 

Reports also help companies forecast and plan for the quarters ahead. Inventory specialists can track what the firm produces to ensure it doesn't have problems with overstocking or insufficient products to fill orders.  

Reporting platforms like Jaspersoft can help highlight equipment that needs maintenance by setting alerts and providing a production trend analysis over time. Companies can also create reports that show all activities associated with each piece of equipment to determine whether it is nearing the end of its lifespan. 

Manufacturers can tap into information employees and supervisors report regarding injuries at work and other safety incidents. Those in a position to take action can look at these trends and determine if there's a need to make changes on the floor. 

Key capabilities to look for in a reporting platform

Manufacturing leaders need a platform capable of connecting all their data and generating pixel-perfect reports to align their operations. That means being able to place images, data points, and other text where needed to create polished presentations and clear, concise reports that comply with industry regulations and standards. 

Other critical capabilities to look for include: 

• Flexible data connections: Allow the platform to connect to various data sources like SQL and NoSQL databases, flat files, and data warehouses

• Seamless integration: Enables integration with other business systems like a customer relationship management (CRM) platform.

• Scalability: Ability for the platform to handle larger numbers of users and increased data loads

• Multilatency: Capable of providing real-time and batch reporting

• Ad-hoc reporting: Ability for end users to create custom reports, dashboards, and visualizations on demand to quickly answer business questions

• Flexible deployment: Compatible with all on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, including GCP, Azure, and AWS with the option for independent microservices  

Industry examples for reporting

Below are various use cases from different manufacturing industries where Jaspersoft can provide the reporting solution needed to succeed. 

Oil and gas production 

Storage and transportation companies try to address environmental concerns by reporting on items like greenhouse gas emissions, water and waste metrics, and methane emissions. Companies can use Jaspersoft to collect this data, analyze the results and produce pixel-perfect reports that meet industry and regulatory standards for keeping the environment safe.  

Automotive companies

Companies in the automotive industry closely track their production lines, inventory, and profits. These organizations normally publish interim reports outlining their business model and sustainability performance. Jaspersoft can cover these needs and allow manufacturers to easily produce similar reports for stakeholder review. 

Airline industry

Many airlines use data analytics for route planning. These reports provide insights into travel patterns, passenger demand, and market trends. Analysts also look at historical flight patterns to determine optimal pricing and expand revenue generation. Embedding Jaspersoft into their applications helps decision-makers gain quick answers that equip them to gain efficiencies and optimize revenue opportunities. 

Using Jaspersoft for your reporting needs 

Jaspersoft's reporting and embedded analytics platform helps manufacturers tap into information at every source available. That way, they can have a 360-degree view of their operations and provide real-time feedback to supervisors and managers on the front lines. From executives, KPIs and performance metrics provide essential feedback on the organization's health, which helps them figure out the best path forward for investments. Good reporting also helps streamline communications with various stakeholders. 

If you are looking to improve your manufacturing operations and drive more informed decisions with your data, try Jaspersoft free for 30 days.

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