Finger on the pulse

"For us, introducing a new production control system has been about supporting our growth in the industry and having a work processing package that is able to cope with that growth, the increasing sophistication of our client base, and make as many of our work processes as automated as possible," says Andrew McLaren, managing director of Stalybridge, Cheshire-based Numac Engineering, a sub-contract manufacturer that replaced a job card system with job processing software from Tricorn (01252 821889). As well as greater flexibility, the software has allowed Numac to integrate stock control. Prior to the Tricorn system, stock was managed manually on the shopfloor and in accounts. "Although we've used Tricorn's works processing system for less than a year, we have already seen a vast number of improvements, particularly regarding work efficiency," says Mr McLaren. "We used to run a manual system that would clock jobs in and out at specific stages of their completion. However, it is now all automated with a barcode system, so we know exactly how close a job is to completion as it moves through the process." These thoughts are echoed by Nick Ellis, managing director at fellow sub-contractor Pope & Meads of Ware, Hertfordshire, which is another recent convert to Tricorn. "Similar to a lot of engineering firms, we relied on manual job cards prior to the introduction of Tricorn Systems," he says. "This paper-intensive arrangement required the movement of handwritten cards through a series of pigeon holes, as work progressed towards completion. Using our Tricorn solution has improved levels of efficiency throughout the company and therefore increased productivity." On behalf of its customers, Tricorn has recently announced partnerships with other, complementary software developers, including Seiki Systems, a supplier of software solutions for shop floor communications and machine monitoring. Here, Tricorn will market and support Seiki's software under the name of Tricorn Shopfloor Management. Seiki Systems (01273 680411) itself has an established list of UK users, and a case in point is Norbar Torque Tools of Banbury, Oxfordshire, a manufacturer of electronic and mechanical torque measuring and calibration equipment. Norbar was not just facing production control issues, it was also struggling with corrupted transfer NC code on the shopfloor. An early advocate of DNC technology, the company had linked all of its CNC machines via a system that relied on a complex switchbox, which was temperamental. Following a review of the solutions available, Seiki Systems was called upon to install its DNC file transfer software and graphical 'Planning Board'. "Installing Planning Board has given us a much better insight of what we can do on the shopfloor on a daily basis. Jobs are loaded on to the relevant machines and the software provides a predictive graphical view of the capacity status," explains senior cell leader Neil Bennett. Image: Seiki System's Planning Board function has been particularly welcomed at Norbar Torque Tools From the positive results achieved, the company has since decided to enhance the solution by installing Seiki Scheduler finite capacity scheduling software, as well as Seiki Systems' Machine Tool Monitoring software, which captures live manufacturing data and provides real-time feedback for the Planning Board, and also allows Norbar to make efficiency gains in set-ups and changeovers. Another manufacturer that has grown extensively over the past four years is Witon Engineering of Barnstaple, Devon – growth that has been facilitated by the installation of DataTrack production control software from PSL (08456 345931). Witon had become disappointed with issues of inflexibility and poor service provided by its previous software, and ultimately became disillusioned with the objective of running the business through a manufacturing-based system. This brought about a reappraisal of its processes, which led to the installation of DataTrack, an event that allowed Witon to communicate more easily throughout the facility, saving money by streamlining operations. The company also found that keeping track of stock and materials was far simpler than before. As a result, a decision was made to add the scheduling module and bar-coded shop- floor data collection, concurrently. Image: Witon installed DataTrack, which has allowed it to communicate more easily throughout its facilities Similarly, stock control is a much enhanced and more intuitive feature of e2i 2010 R1, the latest version of Planit Software's (01225 721330) manufacturing management system. Users can now manage the total quantity of a stock item in relation to real time supply and demand, rather than individual allocations. It also enables users to record the consumption of raw materials at the point of use. Dave Caughley, development manager for e2i, says: "With the current cost of materials, every extra job that can be squeezed out of stored material is a financial boost to our customers." At T&G Engineering of West Byfleet, Surrey, managing director Tony Smyth has hailed the benefit of remote access to production control software ProgressPlus from Berkeley Miles (0141 440 1987). Mr Smyth credits the system with driving a number of commercial benefits, including increased reporting and analysis capability. However, the ability to connect to the system remotely has also enabled the business to remain responsive to the demands of its customer base. "There are times when I am out of the office at a conference or a business meeting and my clients require an order status. ProgressPlus allows me to access full client production records remotely through a Wi-Fi connection." Everything points to continued software development throughout 2010, a sentiment echoed by Dave Nichols, managing director at manufacturing management software developer Match-IT (0845 1300 510), a company that has its 2010 development road map well planned. "There are three major threads of development we intend to implement this year, with the objective of making Match-IT more reliable, faster and easier to use," he says. "Improved reliability will come from turning Match-IT from a peer-to-peer system into a client-server system. This will reduce network traffic and make Match-IT virtually immune to corruptions caused by network problems. "Improved performance will come from using more sophisticated caching techniques, where most information is held locally, rather than being dragged across the network every time it is needed. Finally, improved ease-of-use will come mostly from an extensive set of 'how to' videos. The support website will also be extended to include forums and FAQ sections." Box item EntERPrising software development Lantek (01684 585384) invested five years and €7 million in the development of its new ERP system (Integra) in order to increase the output, competitiveness and accessibility to information through web 2.0 technologies. Lantek Integra consists of modules that include finance, sales, purchasing, manufacturing, warehousing, CRM and WOS. It incorporates a significant number of features that help to improve decision-making processes, thanks to the incorporation of business intelligence tools, reporting and dashboards. Sescoi (0844 561 7014) has also been busy developing version 3 of its ERP system, WorkPLAN Enterprise. Integration options start with Sescoi's own software systems. Already able to link to the WorkNC automatic CAM system to determine project part machining times, the V3 solution can now also interface with WorkXPlore 3D, Sescoi's high speed collaborative viewer for advanced CAD file analysis and sharing. Combined, these systems facilitate collaborative and concurrent working for shorter lead times and higher efficiency.