Page 12 - MetalForming September 2009

Software for Manufacturing
New Manufacturing Software Streamlines Processes, Provides Key Management Metrics
Thanks to new automated production- planning software from Microsoft and the help of two Microsoft Gold Certified Partners, metalformer The Bing Group, Detroit, MI, has reduced premium-freight costs by 40 percent and inventory-car- rying costs by 20 percent. It’s also improved delivery performance to its OEM and Tier One customers in the automotive and office-furniture industries.
The Bing Group processes flat-rolled steel on two slitting lines in its Steel Pro- cessing Division; its Stamping and Assembly Group operates presses with capacity from 200 to 1650 tons, and robotic resistance-spot welding cells. The company sought a software solution that would support its stamping and assembly divisions, and that included a financial-management tool compliant with generally acceptable accounting principles (GAAP) that could provide automotive-specific manufacturing func- tionality and financial information that identified actual versus planned data on key operational metrics.
Other key requirements:
• Plan production schedules efficiently to improve supply-chain operations;
• Align accounting with production and materials management to accu- rately place orders and estimate costs; and
• Build effective lines of communi- cations with customers and suppliers for order and delivery exchange.
The Bing Group, along with Microsoft Gold Certified Partners AIM Computer Solutions (Fraser, MI) and The TM Group, opted to install Microsoft Dynamics GP financial accounting and business-man- agement software, along with AIM Vision production-management software. AIM Vision, designed for automotive suppli- ers, includes a materials-management tool that operations managers can use to determine a machine’s scheduled work- load and make quick changes to accom- modate incoming demand.
“If an inbound order that requires 10
hr. of work comes through for a specif- ic machine,” explains Thomas Lijana, CFO of The Bing Group, “and AIM Vision tells us we’ve only got 4 hr. available on that machine, we know we have to work overtime or bring in another shift.”
Microsoft Dynamics GP—thanks to a financial model created by AIM and The TM Group—extracts data from var- ious components of AIM Vision, includ- ing purchasing and materials manage- ment, and provides information directly to the General Ledger of Microsoft Dynamics GP.
“AIM Vision handles the raw data, and Microsoft Dynamics GP interprets the
financial data to help management make decisions,” adds Lijana. Microsoft Dynamics GP provides long-term finan- cial history on accounts receivables and payables, and manufacturing-based gen- eral ledger transactions such as inventory evaluation and variance, scrap values and other cost and revenue figures.
“Because we can see a rolling 12-week demand of an inbound order,” explains Lijana, “we can proactively schedule each plant to ensure that raw materials arrive on time for production and mini- mize overtime pay.”
AIM Computer Solutions, Inc.: 586/439-0300; www.aimcom.com
Factory-Reporting Software Updated to More Accurately Track OEE
Honeywell Wintriss, Acton, MA, introduces Version 3.4 of its Line Efficiency Track- ing Software (LETS) factory-reporting software, which allows metalformers to more accurately track overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) in applications where production rate is dictated by machine configuration. LETS automates the process of collecting production data from production machinery and processes.
Version 3.4 calculates OEE by applying an ideal rate for each part/machine com- bination. In previous versions, maximum machine speed represented the ideal rate for all jobs run on a machine. Now, the software improves the accuracy of OEE met- rics in piece-part processes where the part design limits the speed of the job.
The software also adjusts the ideal rate by applying a factor based on the machine configuration. For example, in applications where each machine cycle produces more than one part, LETS Version 3.4 automatically multiplies maximum machine speed by that number of parts. And, in processes that require multiple machine cycles per part, it divides machine speed by the number of cycles.
“Through job changes, varying production rates and changing lot sizes, LETS Ver- sion 3.4 makes what should be an extremely difficult tracking process simple,” says Mark Hatch, product line director, Honeywell Wintriss. “As a result, discrete man- ufacturers can get an accurate account of their overall efficiency.”
Version 3.4 can precisely weigh the OEE percentages for jobs of varying lot sizes by keeping a running total of the actual parts produced by the machine over the series of jobs, and the number of parts that could have been produced according to ideal rates and multipliers. This enables the software to accurately summarize performance over time regardless of the number or length of the jobs running in the machine.
Also new with Version 3.4: a real-time performance dashboard that graphical- ly compares the performance of current jobs and processes with user-selectable bench- marks. The dashboard allows users to quickly identify any processes that require immediate corrective action.
Honeywell Wintriss: 978/264-9550, www.wintriss.com
10 METALFORMING / SEPTEMBER 2009
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