Page 14 - MetalForming April 2011

Software for Manufacturing
Software Couples with ERP System to Manage Environmental Impact, Energy Consumption
Epicor Software Corp., Irvine, CA, has launched Epicor Carbon Connect, a software- as-a-service-based carbon-accounting solution to help companies address sustain- ability. The software provides the ability to identify, analyze, audit, track, manage, bench- mark and report on carbon emissions/environmental impact and energy consumption. Coupled with Epicor ERP utility invoices and production schedules drawn from cur- rent or forecasted orders, users of Epicor Carbon Connect then can calculate expect- ed emissions output and budget for environmental cost factors. Epicor Carbon Con- nect becomes a fundamental part of an overall financial management and accounting system to enable companies to engage in emissions accounting for regulatory, pub- lic relations, marketing, and operational efficiency purposes.
“Financial management applications are the central hub toward effective management of sustainability challenges,” says Matt Muldoon, Epicor vice president of product mar- keting. “Deploying an enterprise-class carbon accounting solution in the cloud will empower manufacturers to meet evolving reporting and regulatory requirements, while optimizing the performance, cost and value of their governance, compliance and risk efforts.”
Epicor Software: 877/338-9893; www.epicor.com
MIE Solutions Announces Two Recent MRP Installations
Heart-Fab Ltd., Manitoba, Canada, a sheetmetal contract manufacturer offering sheet and tube laser cutting, CNC forming, machining, welding and coating servic- es, has installed MIE Trak ERP production-control and job-tracking software from MIE Solutions, Garden Grove, CA. Among the numerous software features the fabricator enjoys is the ability to attach DXF files to sales orders and invoices, in order to print representations on the packing slips of the CAD file.
In a second announcement, MIE notes that its Trak MES software has been installed at Coastal Steel, a steel-erection and fabrication company in Brevard County, FL. The firm works in the ride/show and aerospace industries, among others.
MIE Trak helps fabricators manage quoting, order entry, routing, work orders, cost- ing, purchasing, receiving, raw materials, inventory, shipping, invoicing, scheduling, tracking and accounting.
MIE Solutions: 714/786-6230; www.miesolutions.com
The “E” in ERP Might as Well Stand for Efficiency
While metalformers may have been avoiding installing a new enterprise-resource- planning software system, due to the somewhat daunting investment required, the alternative typically can be much more time consuming, labor intensive, costly and even harmful to your businesses future. The right type of ERP system can actually reduce costs, save thousands of dollars and markedly improve overall profitability. Two areas, of several, where a new ERP system can significantly reduce costs: inven- tory management and production scheduling.
Trimming Inventory-Related Costs
Typically, when metalformers begin implementing a new ERP system, they’ll real- ize a reduction in net inventory costs, carrying costs on this inventory, and labor and shipping costs. For example, consider London Automotive & Manufacturing, which
operates a metal stamping and assem- bly facility in London, Ontario, Canada. Says company president Greg Ducharme: “We needed better inventory management of our raw materials, and had more than $500,000 tied up in the wrong steel inventory. Improved shop-floor schedul- ing with our new ERP system has result- ed in improved production levels since each piece of equipment is now in a level- load state. As a result, we have the right stuff at the right time, which has resulted in dramatically less equipment changeover.”
Stampers must be able to answer these questions—just a few of the ques- tions that new ERP software can answer with a keystroke.
• How much raw-material inventory do you have right now, and where is it exactly?
• How old is it?
• Is it the right material for the right job?
• Where did it come from and how much did it cost?
Similarly, metalformers must account for work-in-process (WIP) inventory, and understand how this inventory affects pro- duction planning. Says Jason Franklin, Tennessee Stampings, Portland, TN: “We had zero visibility of WIP components and finished goods, and our new ERP sys- tem now handles bar-coding capabili- ties from steel receiving to WIP inventory through to shipping.”
This type of tracking capability allows a metalformer to have answers to cus- tomer questions quickly and accurately, improving customer service. Integrating
12 MetalForming/April 2011
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