ture, allowing users to easily extract data from ERP/ MES/EMI systems. “That’s the direction of the future,” he said, “given the need for immediate information and very rapid reaction to change.” Integrated systems offer users many advantages,
says Global Shop’s Alexander. “Manufacturers don’t want the hassle of having separate operational, fi nancial, quality, and customer relationship manage- ment systems. ERP brings together every aspect of the business under one fully integrated system,” Alexan- der said. “Increasingly, manufacturers are looking to connect their ERP systems directly to their production machines, biometric devices, tooling systems, etc.”
Linking ERP to Design Systems More effi ciency improvements also can be gained through using Global Shop’s direct interface to engi- neering systems such as the Solidworks or Autodesk Inventor design software. “By doing so, they can design a part and then click a button to automati- cally build the bill of materials and part numbers in the ERP system,” Alexander said. “Depending on the size of the job, this can generate huge time and cost savings. One of our clients recently had fi ve days to quote a job requiring a 900-part BOM. Normally, just entering the materials would take him at least fi ve days,” he said. “Entering labor and other costs could take several more. We installed our Solidworks inter- face and, counting installation time, he completed the entire BOM within four hours. With the interface already in place, he could have completed it in about 15 minutes.”
Synchronizing the Factory Floor With manufacturing software from
Synchrono (St. Paul, MN), manufacturers can synchronize their manufacturing facilities with a pull-based approach rather than with traditional push-based manufacturing. Founded in 2000, Syn- chrono’s software suite includes SyncManufacturing,
SS28
MfgEngMedia.com
the company’s patented software formerly called Adaptive Manufacturing, that enables synchronizing demand-driven manufacturing systems to improve effi ciencies. Synchrono’s software suite also includes SyncKa- nban for lean manufacturing inventory control. Focused on lean, the company’s solutions help fi ll a void in the industry, said John Maher, Synchrono vice president, Product Strategy. “Continuous improve- ment was the mantra of the people running these operations, but even in those environments that have been on a continuous improvement path for years with great success, we fi nd that we can still get double-digit improvements,” Maher said. The SyncKanban package is a pull-based inven- tory replenishment system that uses lean and Just- in-Time principles to respond instantly to changes in customer demand while maintaining minimal inventories. “The core piece of agile manufacturing is having actionable information, and the trend is toward get- ting that information in the hands of decision-makers at the time they need to make the decision,” Maher said. “I’m seeing where management is getting out of the offi ce and into the plant to see how they can improve things, and with this, there’s transparency from the shop fl oor to the top fl oor.”
Apriso Corp. Ph: 562-951-8000 Web site:
www.apriso.com
Epicor Corp.
Ph: 949-585-4000 Web site:
www.epicor.com
Global Shop Solutions Ph: 800-364-5958 Web site:
www.globalshopsolutions.com
Plex Systems Inc. Ph: 888-454-7539 Web site:
www.plex.com
Synchrono
Ph: 651-228-1172 Web site:
www.synchrono.com
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