Scheduled investment

There are many reasons that drive the installation of production control or MRP software: an increasingly common one is that systems of this ilk can play a serious role in aiding accreditation to quality standards. This trend is illustrated admirably by Derry Precision Tools of Londonderry, Northern Ireland, which has invested in ProgressPlus production control software from Berkeley Myles (0141 440 1987) to assist the privately-owned company in gaining the AS9100 aerospace accreditation. "We considered several systems before settling on ProgressPlus," says company partner Tara Jackson. "Feedback from existing users was reassuringly good and we were further attracted by the user friendliness of the system. ProgressPlus software also offers enhanced ease of recording traceability information, while, as an accredited Sage developer, Berkeley Myles could ensure seamless integration with our existing Sage financial software." Berkeley Myles managing director Tony MacBride adds: "More companies are recognising that production control software can play a significant part in helping them to achieve the necessary efficiency gains and pass stringent quality audits by prospective clients." Image: ProgressPlus Enquiry Analysis Report Image: ProgressPlus, Efficiency By Employee report Image: ProgressPlus, Efficiency By Work Centre report Another company currently working towards the aerospace AS9100 quality standard is SRD Engineering of Bicester. Key to its application is the company's use of job processing software from Tricorn (01252 821889), which has helped deliver something of a transformation at SRD – as recently as five years ago, the firm was still reliant on fax machine, phone, pen and paper to organise workload logistics. Since then, the firm has doubled in size and director Mark Bonham insists that the company would be lost without its Tricorn system. "SRD Engineering would not be able to cope without Tricorn. It has given SRD a much more professional look; delivering our components with computer printed delivery notes and invoices," he says. Like almost all professional software systems, Tricorn is subject to ongoing review and improvement. According to managing director Colin Reardon, items that are currently in development include an enhancement that will link Tricorn to its RealTime time and attendance system to show operator productivity. Image: Tricorn's Delivery Performance graphic Image: Tricorn's KPI Report screen "Numerous charts and reports will be created linking employee shift times, clock-in/clock-out times and job/operation log-on/log-off times to show individual or group (cell) productivity," he says. "The charts/reports will also take into account employees who are logged on to multiple jobs/operations at the same time." Another enhancement to Tricorn will see the incorporation of performance charting, with initial metrics including: rolling 12-month delivery status; customer reject rates; estimates/actuals on jobs; and reviews of SC21 performance metrics requirements. At PSL (08456 345931), which develops Datatrack modular production management software, a recent initiative saw the implementation of new 'editions' so that manufacturers from any industrial sector, from subcontract manufacturing to assembly or product build, can purchase the edition required to help manage the business and reduce costs. New Datatrack editions include Evolution, Precision, Contract and Ultimate modules. First-time investors can consider the entry-level Evolution system, which provides the functionality to manage essential sales and purchasing functions, from estimate to invoice, together with component and material stock control, while the Precision module is suitable for larger businesses where scheduling, shopfloor data collection and job costing are more critical, together with more sophisticated production analysis. The Contract module is designed for companies involved in simple and complex assemblies, such as producers of special-purpose equipment, test rigs and electronic products, including PCBs. Finally, the Ultimate edition meets the requirements of companies with the most demanding and varied types of manufacture. It includes management of tooling, quality, EDI and more. At Jobshop (01233 506100), which is part of the Planit Software group, the company is also committed to the ongoing development of its software in ways that complement the needs of customers. In October, Jobshop plans to take a significant step forward by moving to a 'relational database' platform in the form of MS SQL. Why? Well, according to Jobshop, there are several advantages. The MS SQL platform will allow better integration with other software and provide speed improvements within 'thinking' programs like MRP and scheduling. It should also prove more scalable and operate more efficiently with larger user accounts, while data access is expected to be easier, as other 'tools' such as MS Query and Excel can be used. The company is keen to state that the shift will not affect any customer using the existing Pervasive database. Releases from October 2010 will accommodate both MS SQL and Pervasive users, and the company plans to continue partial development in Pervasive systems for the next two years before turning its full development resources to MS SQL. An example from India is also instructive. Plastic injection mould manufacturer Kraftsman Tooling of Pune, India, is not unlike a growing number of manufacturers moving away from spreadsheets to job management software, in this case MyWorkPlan from Sescoi (0844 561 7014). George Joseph, the company's managing director, explains the reasons behind his choice of system: "We needed a more systematic approach to managing our quotations, the progress of manufacturing and the ongoing costs of our tools. Previously, we were using spreadsheets, which made it very difficult and time consuming for us to keep track of costs and events." MyWorkPLAN is able to import existing data, so that accumulated knowledge and experience can be incorporated into the system as historical data. The quotation module in the software is able to draw on this information, as well as the latest cost and time data accumulated from new jobs processed in MyWorkPLAN, enabling accurate quotes to be produced in just a few minutes. "We can look up similar quotes and check on our performance when the job was manufactured, allowing us to anticipate likely problems and incorporate the cost of the mould base, any side cores or lifters, and estimate the machining costs for each element of the tool," says Mr Joseph. "Menus guide us through the system, ensuring that we have not missed anything, quickly generating an accurate cost for the whole mould." Once the quotation turns into an order, data is transferred into the scheduler, where more detailed planning takes place. This considers the human and machine resources available, allowing the company to arrive at a realistic delivery date and a schedule of the necessary work required to finish the job. MyWorkPlan also enables the company to have a snapshot of the current status of production in real time, tracking the progress of each job, employee time and attendance, and the ongoing costs of manufacture. Box item Industrial rugged PC Shopfloor software is one thing, but shopfloor hardware can be quite another, which is why DLoG (0121 544 6256) offers a range of industrial rugged computers, the latest addition to which is the ITC 7. A lean 38 cm touch-screen industrial client PC, the ITC 7 is suitable for applications such as data acquisition in assembly and manufacturing operations. Image: DLog's ruggedised computers can handle the shopfloor environment well The ITC 7 expands the existing DLoG portfolio of robust industrial computers for applications where space requirements are at a minimum – ITC 7 has just 70 mm depth – and for IT technical implementation options, such as the use of browser technology for machine terminals. First published in Machinery, September 2010