Understanding: How many hours remain in total and at each operation?

Now let’s look at what information is being supplied from the shop floor.

It’s not uncommon for transaction reporting to be captured manually on the shop packet that was issued to the factory floor when the SO was released.

The big question is, is anything done with the data? Is it collected and keyed to a  spreadsheet and not shared, or is the transaction data keyed to SFC600? If it is being keyed, ask how often and by whom? Some companies use alternative methods to capture transaction data that do not require batch keying via a keyboard.

Not a lot of data is required to be keyed to SFC600 in order for the SO Inquiry to be useful. The data that should be reported for the transaction process is as follows:

• The type of hours being reported – machine, run labor, setup labor
• If reporting setup and run labor you want an employee clock number
• The shop order and the operation that is being reported
• Is the operation complete
• How many good were produced at this operation
• How many hours – the numbers of hours are critical. Do the employees estimate how many hours they worked, or do they track actual time started and stopped in order to calculate the actual number of hours.

Based on what is captured and how often will have an impact on the SO inquiry screen. Understanding the batch times as to when the transactions are keyed will provide you with the window as to the SO status at that point in time. Or, are they keyed as they happen in a near real time fashion so that you can have a more current view of the factory floor.

You may have started your setup of your ERP system one way, and have discovered over time that maybe it no longer fits how you need to do business. Here are some pros/cons to consider for a Single Finance / Multi-Logistic setup. 

Honeywell has renewed Crossroads RMC’s Silver Level status in their Performance Partner Program for 2016. This recognition provides Crossroads RMC with the authorization to resell Honeywell/Intermec mobile computing products at a substantial discount, thereby allowing Crossroads’ customers to take advantage of that discount as well. 

Crossroads works closely with the Honeywell /Intermec engineering group to provide the best hardware offerings at a good price point for manufacturers across North America.

Understanding: How many hours remain in total and at each operation?

First let’s look at some key BPCS Master File data starting with the routing file.

How many routing steps (operations) are set up that reflect how the product is produced in the factory? If you take a short cut and set up only one operation for the entire process, then you will limit the information seen on the SO inquiry program. Set up the operation steps to reflect what you want to report back to from the factory floor.

Will each of the routing steps run in one work center, or in different work centers? To keep it simple you may want to set up work centers as departments. For example:

• Assembly
• Machine
• Paint
• Etc.

For each operation setup consider how you have set up the following:

• Load Codes – for example a code 5 is used if reporting both setup time and run labor time. These codes are maintained in the work center file
• Basis Code – typical codes are P for pieces per hour,  3 is used for hours per 1,000 pieces
• Setup hours – if you set them up, you also want to report them
• Run hours – Direct Labor
• Machine hours

How you set up th

You may have started your setup of your ERP system one way, and have discovered over time that maybe it no longer fits how you need to do business. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be providing some pros/cons to consider for different company setups.

Pros/Cons of Single Finance / Single Logistic Company Set-Up

Have you ever thought about what really motivates your employees?

It’s not about the almighty dollar, you know. Ok, ok…..money doesn’t hurt, but money alone doesn’t keep most people in their jobs. You actually need to motivate your employees to keep them showing up, mentally, and physically. Employees that don’t feel motivated are probably underperforming, and that means you’re losing money.

Ask yourself these questions about your employees:

• Are they happy…..YES….HAPPY! Do they enjoy coming to work every day?
• Do they feel challenged, or do they feel demeaned?
• Are they sinking, or are they swimming?
• Do they have the right tools in their arsenal to battle the giants?
• Where’s the reward?

Happiness - I’ve worked with manufacturers for almost 20 years now...

Crossroads RMC is proud to be featured in the IT Jungle article “ERP Upgrades: Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em”. Anthony Etzel of Crossroads RMC discusses the benefits of an add-on solution like Crossroads MES which provides the feature rich functionality that manufacturers need, typically not found in an ERP system.

Came across an article online from Lauber CFO’s, and thought I would share. Here is a checklist for things to consider in order to finish out the year and help you plan for 2016:

• Are your accounting records up to date so that you can make a projection of how the current year will turn out?
• Are all account reconciliations currently up to date to facilitate the closing of the books after year end?
• Are there accounts receivable that should be reserved for or written off prior to the end of the year?
• If your business carries inventory, do you need to plan a physical count as of the end of the year?
• Has depreciation on your fixed assets been recorded during the year? Have you considered depreciation on current year additions?
• Have all new asset purchases and bank loans been recorded on your books?
• Are there any liabilities, for example, pending legal actions or warranty issues, which will need to be recorded prior to year end? 
• Do you have a plan in place to properly “cut-off” revenue at year end to properly match revenue and expense?
• Will there be bonuses, profit sharing contributions or discretionary retirement plan contributions paid prior to the end of the year? How will these payments affect cash f