Promoting Production

In the latest issue of Manufacturing Today, Mary Floate speaks to Rob Sinfield, VP of Product at Sage, about getting manufacturers ahead of the curve so they are not chasing but are actually setting trends.

GETTING AHEAD OF THE CURVE IN MODERN MANUFACTURING

Rob Sinfield, VP Product, Sage, ended up in the ERP industry almost by mistake. “I started out thinking I was going to change the world as a risk manager and auditor, but realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I worked for a global manufacturing company initially and several subsequent moves later, decided that I wanted to get behind the scenes and cross over into software implementation.

I felt there was a misalignment between software vendors’ product and the operational capabilities in the hands of the customer. In the past, frameworks often required a huge amount of technical knowhow from a customer perspective, in terms of day-to-day implementation. I wanted to move away from that scenario to be able to deliver capabilities that could be readily and easily deployed.”

As VP of Product, Rob is responsible for the design, development and delivery of software solutions to manufacturers and distributors. “I look after a number of different teams that are focused on creating tailored customer solutions to ultimately deliver on our promises. Another aspect of my job is to look at what is happening form a policy and trend perspective. My goal is to get manufacturers ahead of the curve, so they are not chasing but are actually setting trends”, he explains.

In terms of trends and current challenges facing the sector, Rob breaks them down into three distinct areas. “There are technological, macro-economic and perspective challenges that manufacturers face. All three areas of challenges need to be considered, but not in isolation. Legislation and societal trends are driving technological changes, and macro-economic circumstances are impacting all of them. So, it’s the perfect storm, but it’s not all bad. There are some really great things that are going to out of this as well.

To read the full interview, check out the March issue of Manufacturing Today (pages 10 – 15).

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