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Quality Applications |
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Wesbar assembled a team to find and implement a new Y2K-compliant manufacturing execution system so the company could replace the aging IBM 36 hardware platform that was running 15-year-old software. The team oversaw the installation of a local area network that would serve as a springboard away from the IBM system, but it wasn't a permanent solution. Timely execution and quick issue resolution were the team's main priorities. In late 1997, they chose a software product called Time Critical Manufacturing from Effective Management Systems Inc. of Milwaukee. More... |
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Quality Assured Packing Inc., a tomato processor in California's San Joaquin Valley wanted a system that could document, monitor and update the company's key processes, and serve as a central knowledge reservoir that all employees could access for training, reference and other purposes. QAP conducted an exhaustive search for a program that would solve its problems. They found it in WorkDraw 2.0, published by Pleasanton, California-based Edge Software. More ... |
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Tool production at the Rover Group's Cowley, England, plant is demanding. No two tools for body panels and fittings are ever the same, and each one must be produced exactly right, the first time. In an ongoing review of toolroom production techniques, Rover has reengineered a number of its large, horizontal spindle Keller copy milling machines. Three of these Keller machines recently were subjected to a $750,000 upgrade to CNC operation by Norman Hargreaves Machine Tools of Keighley, England. This upgrade included fitting new ballscrews, servo-drives, bearings, encoders and AC spindle drives, and each machine now uses the Heidenhain TNC 426 control system. More ... |
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Software Gives Company Strategic Competitive Advantage For more than 60 years, Wesbar Corp. of West Bend, Wisconsin, has manufactured lights, wire harnesses and metal stampings for a variety of trailer or vehicle-towed components, along with marine accessories like stowaway ladders. Wesbar's owners and senior management recently took a hard look at how the company would transition into the 21st century; that look left them apprehensive about the company's future competitive standing. "We were going to have a problem with Year 2000 compliance," says Dean Cimpl, Wesbar's vice president of finance and administration. "None of our software was Y2K-compliant, and our hardware platform was one-dimensional and very limited." Wesbar assembled a team to find and implement a new Y2K-compliant manufacturing execution system so the company could replace the aging IBM 36 hardware platform that was running 15-year-old software. The team oversaw the installation of a local area network that would serve as a springboard away from the IBM system, but it wasn't a permanent solution. Timely execution and quick issue resolution were the team's main priorities. In late 1997, they chose a software product called Time Critical Manufacturing from Effective Management Systems Inc. of Milwaukee. The company was persuaded by the range of functionality offered by EMS's preintegrated TCM application set, recalls Cimpl. EMS's technology strategy has always been "open independence." Wesbar can easily interface TCM with pre-existing business software systems and hardware platforms, allowing them to make use of current and future technology advancements while maintaining the legacy business solutions already in place. Currently, Wesbar runs TCM on a Windows NT platform in conjunction with its Microsoft Office suite. Because TCM comes preintegrated, Wesbar gets an off-the-shelf solution requiring little customization. TCM's MES Suite offers real-time control of manufacturing operations by providing a database of plant transaction activity, which can be constantly updated through barcode readers and direct machine connections. Shop floor events are captured and turned into meaningful information that is continually available on the floor and throughout the organization. The six TCM suites include product data management; planning; supply-chain management; finance, accounting and administration; decision support and enterprise tools; and MES. Wesbar uses a number of modules to handle such critical functions as accounts payable, accounts receivable, bills of material, customer order processing, general ledger, inventory management, master production scheduling, materials requirements planning, purchase order and standard product routings. Implementation team members agree that the system's biggest advantage to date is that Wesbar is now learning its true production costs. Other benefits include a dramatic reduction in system downtime, improvement in inventory accuracy and improved order fulfillment rates. In phase two, the implementation team plans to add more EMS applications, including scheduling. Wesbar's EMS system will help move the company into the 21st century, leaving no Y2K issues to contend with. It will bring even greater overall operational improvements in the future. Effective Management Systems Benefits
Quality Assured Packing Inc., a tomato processor in California's San Joaquin Valley, supplies diced and pureed tomatoes to customers including Campbell's, Frito-Lay and Heinz, which use the tomatoes to make products such as soup, pasta sauce and salsa. Every year, QAP processes more than 200 million pounds of tomatoes with a staff ranging from 30 to 450 people. Founded in 1985, QAP is built around total quality management standards, says Mark DeLaMater, the company's general manager. The company also has its sights set on ISO 9002 and ISO 14001 registration. To reach these goals, the company undertook a major overhaul of its documentation and production process tracking. DeLaMater wanted a system that could document, monitor and update the company's key processes, and serve as a central knowledge reservoir that all employees could access for training, reference and other purposes. "It became apparent that we required a thorough system for process flow analysis and process mapping," he notes. QAP has an extensive operation, beginning with contracting for tomatoes with nearby growers and continuing through processing. DeLaMater and his staff monitor each process using a network of personal computers. "When we were doing it manually, it could take one person as much as eight hours to chart one process," explains DeLaMater. "It became very cumbersome. We ended up with one diagram and several text documents-all created by different people using a variety of software. If there were changes to be made to any of the processes or documents, it was back to square one." The entire process also was difficult to control. "There was a process diagram for the entire corporation and one for each department," remarks DeLaMater. "There could be hundreds of files. It became critical that we utilize new technology to increase productivity and reduce costs." DeLaMater conducted an exhaustive search for a program that would solve his problems. He found it in WorkDraw 2.0, published by Pleasanton, California-based Edge Software. "One of the things that appealed to us is the fact that it's not just a drawing program," comments DeLaMater. "It's a visual representation of a process database; it can capture inputs, outputs and metrics. All processes are contained and linked to the next higher or lower process." QAP keeps the program on a central server accessible to all production managers and supervisors on Windows NT-based personal computers throughout the plant. "Within weeks, WorkDraw was up and running, and an integral part of our operation," states DeLaMater. "For those who have never performed process flow before or who aren't familiar with knowledge management, they can follow the steps the program provides." Confident that he finally found the right tool for implementing total process management, DeLaMater now hopes to get QAP ISO 9002 and ISO 14001 registered so the company can continue to compete in both the domestic and international markets. Edge Software Benefits
Tool production at the Rover Group's Cowley, England, plant is demanding. No two tools for body panels and fittings are ever the same, and each one must be produced exactly right, the first time. These large, cast iron tools come in sizes ranging from one meter to three meters and can weigh up to 18 tons. In an ongoing review of toolroom production techniques, Rover has reengi-neered a number of its large, horizontal spindle Keller copy milling machines. Three of these Keller machines recently were subjected to a $750,000 upgrade to CNC operation by Norman Hargreaves Machine Tools of Keighley, England. This upgrade included fitting new ballscrews, servo-drives, bearings, encoders and AC spindle drives, and each machine now uses the Heidenhain TNC 426 control system. The switch from copying to four-axis CNC has certainly paid dividends. The Cowley plant's toolmaking performance, efficiency and flexibility have improved. Machining times have been cut by 20 percent, lead times have been reduced by 8 percent and hand finishing by a massive 30 percent. "We have progressively moved away from copying techniques for the machining of these large cast iron tools," says Bob Staniforth, facilities manager. "This is because programs now originate from a common and integrated 3-D CAD/CAM database and are downloaded by a DNC network to seven CNC mills in the toolroom. "The Heidenhain TNC 426 was by far the best package. It met our demands for power, flexibility, ease of use, CAD communications, digitizing and cost. We also appreciated the level of technical backup and service provided by the company." With longitudinal traverses of up to 4.26 meters and vertical movements of up to 2.13 meters, the Keller copy mills-originally manufactured by U.S.-based Pratt and Whitney-are large machine tools. The operator stands on an elevated gantry to control the machine, and it's here that the TNC 426 control has been fitted. Manufacturing functions and cycle times vary greatly from job to job. While the GG30 gray cast iron tooling that goes on the machine is naturally large, the complexity and amount of machining required can see cycle times range from around two hours up to 14 days. All three of the latest reengineered mills are operated around the clock on a three-shift working pattern, including several different operators. Multiple operator changeovers on complicated components with long cycle times could be expected to cause production problems. However, the user-friendliness and ease of operation of the TNC 426 has greatly simplified such procedures and raised productivity and quality standards. "All 20 of our CNC machine operators can program and run the Heidenhain control, and we always get a high standard of productivity and quality from these machines," states Staniforth. Each of the three TNC 426 controls was also specified with the digitizing option for reverse engineering and scanning existing models and tools. Surfaces can be digitized with a spindle-mounted triggering or a measuring 3-D touch probe. The latter can take data at speeds of up to three meters per minute. Staniforth says this digitizing feature has proved invaluable in the reworking of some older tooling. Heidenhain Benefits
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Software Gives Company Strategic Competitive Advantage
Tomato Processor Uses Knowledge Management in Market Race
Rover Bolsters Tool Production