ERP Software Improves Shop Floor Control
ERP Software Improves Shop Floor Control
In a manufacturing company, the shop floor is where it all happens. It’s where the rubber meets the road or whatever you favorite cliché for the action. Once an order is received and transmitted to the shop; various individuals do their part to provide the materials and labor to make a product reality.
There are many aspects to making a product. You need to make it right, you need to make the right amount and you need to make it on time. How this is accomplished is known as the manufacturing process.
The manufacturing process takes raw materials and finished sub components and a completed unit is created. It may be a simple one piece machined part or an assembly with hundreds of pieces. To do this there exists a lot of support documentation. A shop packet or traveler contains a routing or map of the steps in the manufacturing process, a print or specification sheet, and any quality related documents.
The benefit of the traveler in a manual system is that all of the information required is printed out in a packet or similar binding. This packet then “travels” with the material in order to be available for the next step. There are several disadvantages to a manual system. Manual systems usually rely on some sort of manual reporting at each step. This includes, number of units made as well as number of units that drop out for various reasons. The manual system also has a time lag in reporting, or a step in reporting may be missed altogether. The more complex the part is the greater the chance there is of system failure. This type of system is common in smaller to second and third tier shops.
There is one major problem of any manual system and that rather than information getting lost the information is kept instead. This means that someone keeps information in a toolbox or at a workstation. This presents a problem for revision control as these items have a life of their own and will appear at the wrong time and cause problems.
The manufacturing system can be made more robust by using manufacturing software such as MRP/ERP software. The benefit to an ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning software system is that it puts the process online. Being online is not the major benefit. A manual system of forms and check sheets can be put online however it’s still an unconnected manual system.
An ERP system contains all of the required information in a central database core. This information can then be displayed at any operation in predefined formats. Updates to the system are real time, so as the job progresses, the information stays current. Having dispersed terminals eliminates the need for printing. This can effectively eliminate toolbox copies of information mentioned above.
ERP systems provide many benefits for controlling documents on the shop floor. These controls can prevent waste and costly mistakes.
