About the Author Patrick McCrevan has been with B&L Information Systems since 2006 - first providing technical customer support and then in business development helping potential customers understand the benefits of ERP. Prior to joining B&L Information Systems, McCrevan spent 20 years with a software firm whose MRP solutions included shop floor production and process monitoring systems for scheduling, quality systems,
production
efficient and less prone to error. When it is time to prepare the alloy for pouring, details about temperatures, material components, and process are made available to the Heat / Melt deck via printed travelers or real time screens with work instructions. As the melt is nearing completion, a sample is taken to a spectrometer to verify the chemical composition prior to pouring. This is a critical time and an accurate chemical analysis must be obtained and stored. This data will become part of the historical manufacturing process record and part of any certification documents provided to your customer. Once pouring begins, each casting as
may be serialized it is separated
from its tree configuration. Physical inspections will occur at various secondary points in the manufacturing process. These physical performance characteristics must also be maintained within the Quality area of your ERP environment. The physical performance results should be linked to the chemical analysis results allowing you to provide an accurate certification document to your customer. In addition to this information, associated with the makeup
®
of the casting, production activities, by serial number if required, must also be stored for reference if troubleshooting is required. Most quality certificates like ISO and Nadcap will suggest or require certain processes be closely monitored for variation to preclude defects getting out the door. Your ERP should be capable of managing those requirements. Many investment casting operations include ASTM standards in their processing and inspection standards, and these can easily be incorporated into the documents forwarded to your customer. Your ERP should have all the quality related documentation available to the staff responsible for shipping the product. This is an efficiency issue since Shipping staff should have easy access without having to contact a Quality manager to generate the required customer documents. Often, those documents differ from one customer to another, and this should also be maintained by your ERP so shipping staff generates the correct document type and data. Above is an example Certification document: In summary, your ERP system can and should be an integral part
reporting,
maintenance planning, and labor tracking. McCrevan is an Air Force veteran and received an Associates of Arts and Sciences in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Northeastern University. He also holds an Associate’s degree in Accounting from Southwestern Michigan College and has participated
in manufacturing
quality certification (ASQC) classes at Indiana University-South Bend.
of your current Quality Management environment, especially in the area of metal data tracking and certification.
About B&L Information Systems B&L Information Systems is the global leader in cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software for foundries, die casters and investment casters. Since 1976, B&L has implemented their unique ERP solutions at over 450 metalcasting operations, making their cloud-based Odyssey ERP match how metalcasters operate. With Odyssey, metalcasters maximize their resources, minimize costs, and make better decisions faster. For more information, visit
www.blinfo.com.
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