Product category:
Plant and shopfloor scheduling software
News Release from: FactoryMaster | Subject: FactoryMaster procurement, production control
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 19 June 2003
Plastics moulder improves procurement,
control
A user-friendly interface and 'common sense' layout lend themselves to quick, controlled implementations in plastics injection moulding and vac-forming.
Plastic Products ABC, formerly a division of a large telecommunications plc in Coventry, was formed in Sep 2002 following a management buy-out The company injection moulds and vac-forms plastics for a variety of industries; from automotive to mobile phone clients
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 31 Mar 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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A precision engineering company was struggling to meet its targets until it installed stock control and procurement software that has since increased turnover by over GBP 600,000.
MRP spruces up scheduling and procurement
MRP facility with lead times now tells a supplier what is needed and when, and has cut the administration involved in processing some sales order schedules from two weeks to hours.
Plastic Products ABC are also involved in several product development projects for domestic and export customers.
Problem 1: It was agreed that Plastic Products would be given access to the plc's central manufacturing system for a period of 3 months following the management buy-out.
In terms of functionality, the new system needed to be at least as capable as the system it was replacing.
Further reading
Controlling production and standards of quality
Problems of maintaining control of jobs on the shop floor, at the same time as expanding and building a skilled workforce, were solved by an integrated production control solution.
Integrated production system supports all areas
A problem at a nine-man CNC machining subcontractor was that the two partners stored all information in their heads and had always to be on site - until and MRP system took over.
Furthermore it needed to be quick to implement and easy to use and learn.
Problem 2: The legacy system demanded that users navigate numerous screens and menus just to 'excavate' a relatively small nugget of information.
Due to the complexity, even simple tasks could not be delegated in the absence of certain staff members.
Problem 3: The old system did offer an MRP (Materials Requirements Planning) function, but it was deemed too slow and the information too unreliable to be used regularly for procurement.
Problem 4: Bills of Materials and Manufacturing Instructions could not be replicated easily for similar components and had to be built 'from scratch' for every product.
Solution: FactoryMaster lends itself to quick, controlled implementations thanks to a user-friendly interface and 'common sense' layout.
The breadth of the product and a number of internal system switches makes FactoryMaster as compatible with plastics manufacturing as it is with conventional engineering.
The biggest advantages of the system have been brought to Lisa Cutter and Lee Gibson, both procurement and production personnel.
Lee: "FactoryMaster is a lot easier to use than the old system.
With FactoryMaster I can create a BOM and a Route in five minutes.
It used to take me at least fifteen.
Furthermore, based on the BOM, our stock is automatically and correctly down-dated when a Works Order is completed.
The screens are easy to use and the BOM and Route Copy functions are a god-send." Lisa: "FactoryMaster's suggested Purchase Orders, based on MRP is brilliant.
FactoryMaster gives us a really powerful report showing demand for bought-in items.
FactoryMaster then suggests the Purchase orders we need to raise to our preferred suppliers for the given products.
I then just check and confirm.
This has saved me literally hours every week." Just some of the benefits brought to Plastic Products ABC by FactoryMaster: a.
Quick, smooth implementation to meet a target date.
b.
Easily created BOMs and Routes.
c.
Suggested Purchase Orders (and Works Orders) based on MRP.
d.
Auto issued components to Works Orders.
e.
Significant time savings for Key Staff.
For more details about what FactoryMaster could do for you, please contact us or visit our website.
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