Wegu Canada Inc., a Whitby, Ontario-based Tier 1 molded
rubber and plastic manufacturer, asked CA-Plus to move its existing DOS
MISys application to the Windows platform. The Wegu Finance Department was
the prime user -- all production and quality personnel were running their
business with separate disparate custom applications. Except for the
receiving function, no one outside the Finance department even saw
the MISys data on the floor.
The CA-Plus solution replaced all custom applications to
run the business from its ACCPAC desktop. The ACCPAC/MISys framework
handles everything from preventative maintenance work orders to recording
the testing parameters within serial lot tracking for rubber compound
production. All production, both in-house and outside service
sub-contractors, are producing based on manufacturing orders. Customer
supplied material is tracked throughout the production process.
The signature mark for the Wegu implementation is a core
team from CA-Plus bringing each function online as staff was trained and
the pre-requisite pieces were in place. No new staff was introduced during
the implementation process despite the increased pressure for timely
transactions and the intense requirements for accurate data imposed by
shop operations. Wegu and CA-Plus worked together to tune the business
requirements with the software flow and the rigorous requirements for the
upcoming TS 16949 Management System Certification.
All the information a machine operator needs to provide
quality and on-time shipments to the customer is provided by this system.
The components required for production are listed on the manufacturing
order itself and the manufacturing order takes the number of cavities in
the mould and the unit run time at the work centre into consideration,
telling the operator exactly how many "heats" are required per shift. The
work instructions, mould setup instructions, visual aids, and production
tracking information are all printed in the manufacturing package.
Everything current. Everything from one system. Everything tied together
so that any deviation will be consistently caught and corrected each and
every time.
In the past, the press operators completed three separate
forms per work order (Production Tracking, Safety Checklist, and First
Heat Approval). CA-Plus and Wegu have developed a one-page manufacturing
order that includes these forms and the bill of material. At the
completion of the shift, the manufacturing order is then sent to payroll
where the production quantities, times, scrap, and purge are all recorded.
The manufacturing order also tracks which lot of compound was used in the
production process. It's filled out by the operator and within 24 hours is
filed in the employee's payroll records. On its way, this paper has
affected inventory quantities, lot tracking, machine performance
reporting, scrap analysis and scheduling.
Before the migration to Windows had begun, there were
several custom applications. Many of these systems had reached the end of
their life cycle. The platforms on which the applications sat were no
longer viable and the software companies that had created the custom
applications were no longer able to support them. Instead of interfacing
ACCPAC/MISys with outdated applications, Wegu decided to fold the
functionality of these external programs into the MISys rollout. Data such
as machine setups and quality parameters have all been neatly tucked into
the MISys application and database. The data is secure, accessible within
the security parameters, and more importantly, it can be accessed and
exploited by production personnel.
Everything from tracking the country of origin for NAFTA
certificates, to docking vendors for not providing certificates of
compliance, one person can manage the day-to-day rigors of purchasing both
productive and non-productive material and services for this booming
operation. Michelle Lagace, the purchaser, runs a one-woman show by
demanding the system carry its share of the workload.
The Wegu purchase orders is a custom crystal report that
morphs into an RFQ, a request for Customer Supplied Material and as a
plain purchase order. The master schedule for purchasing includes the
posting of customer forecasts several times weekly to maintain the
hundreds of raw materials required for production. |
