Noted technologist, inventor and author Ray Kurzweil is bullish on the prospects for the global solar power industry, forecasting exponential growth along the same lines as another silicon-based sector -- semiconductors. One well-positioned company, Prism Solar Technologies Inc., manufactures a solar module technology commonly used in a wide range of residential, commercial and industrial solar electric applications. With all signs pointing to a market about to catch fire, Prism needed to be able to react more quickly to changing market demands and implement process controls to accommodate its expanding business.
"Flexibility, scalability and control are critical issues for us as we project future business growth," explains Prism Solar president Rick Lewandowski.
Adding to the favorable market climate are government initiatives (such as state-based renewable portfolio standards) that are driving an ever-expanding market for solar and wind power solutions across the country and teh world. To help capture and manage their part of this global growth, company officers at Prism Solar chose to implement an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system -- IFS Applications -- at its Lake Katrine, N.Y., manufacturing location. The implementation was carried out by a third-party -- Corning Data Services -- which helped Prism Solar with its application selection process, and will be on hand to further assist the company match processes and technology. Prism Solar will implement a product suite of mixed-mode manufacturing, which will also be integrated with existing PLC devices and RF devices to automate its data collection processes.
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