Page 90 - MetalForming October 2017

Job-Shop-Management Software
“Job-shop manufacturers frequently voice the need to make sure they are shipping on time,” Ehemann says. “Every company believes that they pro- duce the best parts and products, but worry about pressures applied to their operations that may result in lower qual- ity due to time pressures. Customers of job shops keep pushing tighter due- date schedules, sometimes dictating not only these but profit margins as well.”
Without job-shop management software that can process a wealth of information and provide detailed analysis, job-shop fabricators may not know the extent to which these pres- sures affect the business.
“In some cases, software can deter- mine that a customer with such dic- tates may not even be profitable and not worth the work,” says Ehemann. “I’ve seen it happen, where, instead, the fabricator was able to diversify away from a large OEM, and found more profitable work. It is difficult to get out of that comfort zone of large- volume familiar customers, but the right software can lead to new cus- tomers and higher profit margins.”
Quoting is another area where job- shop-management software can pay big dividends by detailing where a fab- ricator is winning and losing.
“When a customer has 20 quotes sitting on the desk and has to get them out the door,” says Ehemann, “it is nice to know that one particular RFQ is from a customer that accepted only one of 100 quotes but another accepted 25 of 50. Software provides that data so you are not wasting time, and instead can prioritize your quoting process to con- centrate on work you reasonably might win. This strategy saves time and money and pays off in the long run with more business through your doors.”
Ehemann goes on to explain how a shop management system can operate and assist fabricators from beginning to end.
“The RFQs that come in can be sort- ed and prioritized by past winning per- centage, previous profitability results by customer, etc., to make quoting as efficient as possible,” he notes. “Then,
potential jobs can be dropped as what-if scenarios into the current workload. The software can deter- mine the earliest dates of delivery, taking into account a host of vari- ables. From there, realistic due dates can be determined—very important considering how due dates impact so many aspects of a job-shop’s operations.”
Tracks the Entire Job
With a job in the queue, shop-man- agement software can monitor and ana- lyze all aspects of that job to ensure timely completion.
“Not only can it
track inhouse opera-
tions, but outside sec-
ondary processes
such as heattreating
and plating,” explains Ehemann. “Some software, such as ours for instance, can create a routing sheet that travels the shop to inform production personnel on when parts have to be ready for, say, heattreating, and when we expect those parts back.
“The software also can track vendor performance,” he continues. “Job shops receive reports from their customers tracking their on-time delivery, so now the job shops have a way to track which of their vendors are most reliable—if parts were delivered on time and if the parts are of sufficient quality, for example.”
Buy-In is Critical
From Ehemann’s account, it sounds like job-shop-management software is an excellent tool for fabricators. Of course, software that tracks and ana- lyzes all aspects of a business requires an implementation period. How does that proceed, and is it painless?
“Once in a while, when such soft-
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A job traveler sheet contains all tracking and job information for a particular part, helping to ensure that it moves through production as efficiently as possible (for inhouse and out- sourced work) while tracking accountability for every step of the process.
ware is first introduced, some employ- ees may get the feeling of, ‘Uh oh, here comes Big Brother to track whether I’m a good employee,’” says Ehemann. “But once training begins—and a good software provider will be there every step of the way along the implemen- tation journey—that attitude seems to change. We, for example, explain that it is not about Big Brother, but it’s about making sure that this company is prof- itable enough to survive. With the onset of global competition, employees are starting to understand that. Just as important as the management decision to buy the software in the first place is, so is the need to bring the people running the machines on board.”
Again, a good software provider will guide a fabricator through implemen- tation and provide ongoing support. From there, job-shop-management software can pay big dividends for fab shops in sizes from five to 500 employ- ees or more. MF