In anticipation of IMTS 2022, we’re celebrating 6 Weeks of Collaborative Manufacturing! This week, we look at some of the tools included in Excellerant that bridge the gap between the shop floor and front office.
Job tracking – why ERP is not the solution.
Estimators, planners, and other office staff are largely disconnected from the day-to-day operations on the shop floor. Many shops rely on ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems to keep the front office updated. Unfortunately, most ERPs rely on slow manual data entry, often after a job has already been completed.
With a traditional ERP, if a machine experiences unplanned downtime, or a job is unexpectedly delayed, it could be days before this critical information gets passed to the front office. Without real-time data, there’s no opportunity for planners and operators to collaborate on solutions, or for resources to be reallocated to priority jobs.
Bridging the gap with real-time data.
Excellerant’s Collaborative Manufacturing Platform bridges the critical gap between the shop floor and the front office. Using our “always-on” portal, office staff have instant access to shop-floor data and communication tools. Our Intuitive dashboards make it simple to schedule, track, and manage every job.
Because Excellerant pulls data directly from your machines, idle states and speed reductions are automatically captured and recorded. Your team is instantly informed of any delays in the current production schedule. With real-time data, your teams can work together to solve production bottlenecks before they affect your bottom line.
Don’t just track downtime, prevent it.
Eliminating unplanned downtime is one of the most critical areas of improvement your shop can make. Unplanned machine downtime can occur for several reasons, such as running out of raw material, a broken tool, or unplanned machine maintenance.
Excellerant automatically detects when your machines stop running, and operators can contextualize the stop with trackable reason codes (i.e. “Broken Tool”). Using our built-in reports, you can measure the largest causes of downtime, both in individual machines and across your entire shop.
With objective data in hand, your teams can actively collaborate to eliminate future downtime events. Better yet, our tablet-based Shop Floor Interface (mounted to each machine) lets operators flag potential issues before they even occur. One-tap “downtime prevention” buttons make it simple to request materials, tools, or engineering assistance. For more nuanced requests, our integrated chat system keeps everyone up to date, even across departments.
Join us at IMTS 2022 for a chance to win $600 in prizes.
In celebration of collaboration, we’re hosting a free raffle at IMTS 2022! If your entry is chosen, you’ll receive (3) $200 gift cards that you get to share with two of your co-workers. Entry is free at our Booth # 133354, East Building, Level 3. We hope to see you there!