Source: Shop Talk Magazine
By
Wade Dawson
These
days a job shop sinks or swims based upon the extent
to which it has automated its operations. The deployment
of some level of computerized technology is no longer
an option or even a luxury, but an absolute necessity.
This is true not only for job shops and heavy manufacturers,
but for enterprise in general. There is simply no
way, except through automation, to keep in step with
the rest of the world, especially with customers and
competitors.
Software
is the electronic brain matter fundamental to any
process of automation. It puts the “smart”
in smart machines and makes the miracles promised
by automation a reality. So what kind of software
do you need to keep your automated shop on track?
“Most
important by far is a program for managing the jobs
that are currently underway,” says Larry Freedman,
Marketing Director, Realtrac, a developer of job shop
management software based in Irvine, Calif. “You
need a program for entering orders, creating process
plans, and tracking jobs as they travel through the
shop. We’re talking here about software that
will control and manage the workflow in the shop,
something that will enter orders, and track the whole
process from cradle to grave. This type of software
management tool is called Shop Floor Control. It’s
a must-have in today’s light manufacturing environment.
Many smaller shops don’t have such a system,
but without it they’re working in the dark.”
The
average job goes through a series of steps before
shipping, Freedman continues. These steps may include
sawing, milling, turning, and staying connected with
outside vendors on specialized tasks such as heat-treating.
The mix of tasks involved is often very complex, and
if you can’t track a job down when a customer
calls to inquire about its progress, then your credibility
may be compromised. Customers are frequently in a
big hurry, and many will want regular assurances that
you will meet the deadline required. Shop Floor Control
will provide such assurances at the click of a mouse,
but without hard data you may not be able to convince
your customer that you’re on schedule. You may
even leave him with the impression that your shop
is not up to the job.
“We
recently installed a Realtrac Shop Floor Control program,”
says Ron Phillips, general manager, Valley Header
Die Inc., a manufacturer of carbide header die tooling
for the fastener industry based in Belvedere, Ill.
“We especially love the router function, which
allows you to program and track an entire shop from
the comfort of your desk in real-time. When a customer
calls about a job in progress, I can tell him exactly
what’s happening: where it is in the process,
how much time is left on it, anything, in short, that
he may want to know. I can also see what’s happening
beyond the shop walls when secondary work is being
done.”
Time
savings, since installing the Realtrac program, have
been tremendous, Phillips adds. Prior to the installation
of the software, customers usually resulted in a wild
hunt through file cabinets, and a great deal of unnecessary
hoop jumping. Now all the information a customer could
possibly want is available via Phillips’ computer
monitor.
Cost
& Scheduling
In a shop scenario it is just as important to schedule
individual work centers as it is the shop overall.
Most machines in a job shop are set up in groups of
the same type, Freedman says. When a new job is launched,
each must be scheduled so that work is done in proper
sequence. As the machines are tied to a work center,
a schedule should also be established to track the
progress of each center rather than individual machines.
Shop scheduling software does that for you, Freedman
explains, and it is one of the most important functions
of the entire system.
“It’s
just as vital to have a system in place for monitoring
costs,” he adds. “You’ve gone into
the job with a price and a quote but you have to make
certain that the real costs entailed don’t put
you over budget. You’ll want to know how you’re
doing as you go along because problems will come up,
and if you don’t address them immediately they
will cost you money. You’ll also want to identify
budget troubles and bottlenecks in the schedule—work
centers, for example, causing delays in the job. You’ll
need a system that will provide you with such information
in real time. Such a system will be key to your efficiency
and profitability. It will tell you whether a given
job is making or costing you money. It will also provide
you history which you can use later to maximize job
profitability.”
Quoting
and estimating works part and parcel with shop floor
control and scheduling, Freedman adds. Job shops need
a good estimating program to figure out material costs,
labor charges, and expenses generated in outside work.
Ideally, you’ll want a shop floor system with
a quoting-estimating function thrown in or, worst
case, one that will easily integrate with the shop
floor system you already have.
“This
will reduce redundancy,” Freedman says. “You
don’t want to have to re-import your estimating
into the system. That’s work done twice, and
it’s expensive. It’s also important that
you be able to duplicate prior quotes. While you won’t
be working with identical parts every time, it’s
likely you’ll be using similar parts for certain
customers from job to job. Estimating software is
very important because it keeps a history of prior
quotes. You don’t want to start from scratch
every time you perform a new job. Instead, you want
to bring up process plans that allow you to work jobs
with parts similar to those you worked earlier.”
“The point of all shop software is to insure
on-time delivery and profitability,” Freedman
says. “This applies to all aspects of operation
from shop floor control to purchasing, and inventory
control to accounting. In the best of all worlds,
all the software systems in a shop should be integrated,
allowing each element of operation to function as
cogs and wheels in a single, well-oiled machine. Efficiency
is the bottom line of all business nowadays. It really
doesn’t matter whether you’re talking
about a job shop or a pizza parlor. Good software
makes maximum efficiency possible, and the packages
available right now are better than they’ve
ever been.”
