MES SOLUTIONS INCLUDE
Two methods of WIP inventory control available to reduce costs and drive efficiency-- Material Management and Electronic Kanban
MATERIAL MANAGEMENT
TEST
Supervisors or planners can check for jobs on the Work List and test each job or groups of jobs simultaneously to find out if the required parts are available. A part shortage identified before a long setup is started can improve work center efficiency by avoiding downtime related to parts shortages.
REQUEST
After the supervisor or planner identifies a part shortage for a job or jobs, simply enter a request for the parts….without any paperwork. The correct parts will always be requested. This saves time in requesting parts and helps assure that the correct material is always available at the appropriate work center.
CONSUMPTION
Inventory consumed is reported as job activity is recorded. If batch, lot or serial number precision is required, it can be reported at this time. This is a great tool for quality tracking, since all components can be associated with the finished product via lot or serial number.
COUNTS
Cycle count requests generated by the stock room are presented in location sequence and provide an opportunity to verify the count. This saves time in taking WIP inventory. It also allows for maintaining accurate WIP inventory quantities and locations along with helping to verify that accurate quantities produced have been recorded.
PRIME, PICK AND PACK
Prioritized electronic picklists for the stock room can be created so material handlers can prime the resources with the necessary parts for the day’s schedule. Getting the parts to the work center in advance, helps optimize production efficiencies. Use of bar code readers improves speed and accuracy of recording picked parts. Inventory transactions are created as the pick is made, which provide accurate inventory locations and quantities, thereby saving time and increasing efficiency. Finally, electronic packing lists reduce costs and ensure accurate on-time delivery of requested materials.
ELECTRONIC KANBAN
An option available to manufacturers involved in lean manufacturing methods is Crossroads MES Electronic Kanban feature. A Kanban database maintains values for Kanban quantities (calculated and actual), pull sequences and points of use for each individual part number. Scanned bar coded Kanban cards generate requests to the correct point of re-supply to replenish the stock at the Kanban location. These include creating:
- purchase order releases
- new manufacturing orders
- requests to materials handling
Fully integrated with your ERP system, the Electronic Kanban functionality of Crossroads MES promotes continuous improvement at your facilities and replaces numerous error-prone manual methods of parts management.