Moreover, by knowing the degradation of machines in the production floor, the operation supervisor
can estimate their impacts to the materials flow and volume and synchronize it with the ERP systems. The
revised inventory needs and materials delivery can also be synchronized with other business tools such as
CRM system.When cutting tools wear out on a machining center, the information can be directly channeled
to the tool providers and update the tool needs for tool performance management. In this case, the
cutting tool company is no longer selling cutting tools, but instead, selling cutting time. In addition, when
the machine degrades, the system can initiate a service call through the service center for prognostics.
This will change the practices from MTTR to MTBD (mean time between degradation) [10–13]. Figure
97.6 shows an integrated e-Manufacturing system with its elements.