LEAN MATERIALS MANAGEMENT - SUPPLY CHAIN

Material Pull vs. Push 

Automated material selection following actual consumption, spoilage and schedule, replaces the need for multiple bloated kits of materials, enhancing ERP.

Individual material IDs enables accountability and specific point of use verification.

The location and status of every material is accounted for, enabling accurate stock management, increased inventory turns, eliminating needless buffer stock without risk of unexpected shortage.

End-to-End Material Flow Management

Eliminate time and resources needed for searching for misplaced or lost materials, assuring MSD compliance, counting of components, the tear-down of unneeded or partially used kits, as well as partially-used material management on the shop-floor.

Optimize material search and kitting activities in the warehouse with mobile interfaces, guiding operators along the best pull routine.

Smooth out the material flow, avoiding overload and down-time of material operators.

Optimized Closed-Loop Materials Flow Between Stock and Work Centers

Advanced look-ahead of material requirement, based on actual live production processes via IIoT data feeds, eliminates the risk of sudden unexpected material starvation.

Material pull requests automatically take into account active warehouse shifts and average time required to transport materials to point of use when driving replenishment.

Reduction of quality issues reduces re-work, improving machine utilization and OEE.

Assured Materials Quality & Reliability

Since materials are not waiting around to be used, moisture sensitive device (MSD) management is strictly maintained, reducing defects.

FIFO picking of stock keeps average age of materials as low as possible.

Materials and consumables are monitored continuously for expiration, and forewarning of expiration is provided.

The reduced need for material touches reduces damage caused by physical actions and effects of ESD.

Keep Lines Running Through Adaptive Materials Control

Materials on the shop-floor, at the line, machine and process, are only those immediately needed. Without the need for kits prepared in advance, production schedules can be changed without tear-down of kits, material re-counting, or materials returned to the warehouse.

Adapt instantly to line-down conditions, by finding and reassigning materials in idling workcenters to where they are needed. Production planning has more opportunity to optimize the factory based on actual customer need.

Assured Material and Supplier Quality

FactoryLogix incoming inspection is an integral part of the materials and quality elements of the platform. Detailed, visual, guided inspection instructions expedite data collection. Inspect no more or less than is required based on past supplier performance and automatic sampling rules. All data collected becomes part of the traceability records for final products. Non-conformances drive corrective actions and preventive actions, as well as supplier scoring.

Increased Asset & Floor Space Utilization

With the need for shop-floor material kits and part-used reels / carriers storage greatly reduced, space is created on the shop-floor, such that machines, lines and assembly processes can be put closer together, increasing the factory capacity without the need to increase space.

OEE and asset utilization increases due to the reduction in downtime related to materials starvation and changeover delays.