Maintaining Quality Eagle Precision is able to track almost all of its quality-related metrics within Odyssey, or by pulling reports from Odyssey using Crystal Reports. The company utilizes Odyssey to track scrap, customer returns, on-time delivery, bookings, and more.


“Using Shop Floor Manager, we can


display reports and Intelligent Views out on our production floor to help with employee awareness. We post our scrap percentages and return percentages out on the floor so that employees can see how well we’re performing to keep them involved and give them a sense of ownership,” explains Menefee. Since using Odyssey, Eagle Precision has further reduced its scrap rate by 2%. The company uses Lot Tracking and


Heat Tracking to maintain chemical and physical analysis of all the heats they pour. As those heats are being poured, the information is automatically transferred into Odyssey and stored indefinitely. “We’re able to confirm that the chemistry meets our customer requirements or any ASTM requirements that are set on the parts. That level of information and transparency builds customer trust. They know that our data’s good, and that it’s reliable,” states Menefee.


Managing Process Details and Instructions There are tremendous amounts of detail and process steps in an investment foundry. “Odyssey really allows us to customize and update our process routings and our steps to account for any of the operations that have to be completed to produce our parts,” explains Menefee. “This capability in Odyssey helps us with employee awareness of what our process and customer requirements are.” The process instructions can be entered in Odyssey for each routing step or each operation. Using Shop Floor Manager, the company can link documents, pictures, and details for special inspection requirements for each operation. The system will alert operators while on the job to look at images, for example, or an instruction guide. “This capability saves us all a lot


®


of time and improves the quality of our product,” states Menefee.


Accurate Scheduling, On-time Delivery The ability to accurately schedule production and delivery dates ensures a high level of customer satisfaction and loyalty. “Our on-time delivery rate improved greatly by using Odyssey’s scheduling module. It allows us to identify jobs that don’t have accurate production rates or lead times associated with certain operations, and to adjust these variables to generate a more realistic shipment date/lead time for our customers,” says Menefee. When scheduling production in


the wax department, the Odyssey ERP system is able to calculate the shop order completion date based on multiple factors, including the different capacities at each operation step, any additional days that may have been added in for buffers between operations, any outsource operations, and more. Based on Odyssey’s calculations, Eagle Precision can then confirm an accurate delivery date for clients so they can update the delivery date in their system, and have greater confidence their order will be delivered at that time. Odyssey’s “Make To Stock” feature is


used by Eagle Precision to automatically generate shop orders to ensure 30-40 pre-determined parts never drop below a certain inventory level. This allows customers to place Kanban orders at pre- determined release quantities, reducing the amount of inventory the customer needs to keep on the shelf.


Real-Time Visibility on KPIs Odyssey gives Eagle Precision an integrated, real-time view across all of the company’s data. “We know exactly what is going on with our business at all times,” says Menefee. “We look at on-time delivery metrics, customer returns,


and in-house scrap. We’re


always monitoring pouring and shipping dollars, and our bookings. We have reports throughout the plant for each department that monitor and track how much of a backlog we have or how much work is due to be processed through the department by a certain date, so lead people and supervisors know what


needs to be prioritized.” The front office uses Odyssey to analyze bookings so they can determine how many employees are required, and if they need to add overtime or more employees to satisfy orders. On the production floor, the


company highlights which orders are expedited or are samples so that operators


are aware of high-priority


jobs. Employees are able to review quality metrics on displays throughout the plant to see how they can impact those numbers. The company can track dollars in


inventory throughout the plant, know where product is, and then understand how many dollars they have wrapped up in work-in-process vs. in finished goods. With visibility across the entire manufacturing process, the company can also answer customer inquiries in real time. “If a client calls and wants to know where their order is in the process, if it will be on time, or if we can possibly get it to them earlier, we can look at the system and give them a definitive answer. There is no guesswork,” says Menefee.


An Ongoing Competitive Edge B&L Information Systems caters specifically to foundries. Because they have people that have worked in the foundry industry, they have a better understanding of what our needs are,” notes Menefee. “That combination of technology and expertise has made a huge difference.” B&L’s interaction with the Odyssey user base and their willingness to embrace and react to feedback is another quality Menefee appreciates. “That’s been a real benefit, as well as the customer support side of things. If we ever have a question, we always get a prompt response from everybody we interact with.” Menefee says he would absolutely recommend Odyssey to other investment casting foundries.


“Our business is complicated.


Odyssey was built for our industry by people who know metalcasting. It has made a tremendous difference for Eagle Precision.”


Photo courtesy of Eagle Precision Cast Parts August 2020 ❘ 27


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