| If your business operates in the online realm, you might | | | | scheduling rules, an Advanced Planning and Scheduling |
| not think of it as having a factory floor. Whether it's an | | | | (APS) and finite scheduling system visually improves |
| actual one or a virtual one, however, every | | | | the overall sequencing of production (and raw |
| manufacturer has a factory floor. How do you get | | | | materials). |
| your virtual floor up to snuff? To answer that question | | | | In particular, an APS scheduling system accurately |
| we turn to the advice of Managing Automation, which | | | | models the system constraints, integrates with existing |
| recently addressed the topic in an article titled "Deep | | | | software such as ERP and provides an easy-to-use |
| Dive: Technology Directions - Building the Digital | | | | decision support tool for production planners. Unlike |
| Factory Piece by Piece." | | | | wallboards, spreadsheets or simple electronic planning |
| To stay competitive in today's economic downturn, | | | | boards, the solutions it offers are interactive, intelligent |
| "companies are starting to take a serious look at the | | | | and can be customized to meet the specific needs of |
| value of incorporating more simulation and visualization | | | | the application. All of these capabilities put digital |
| into design-to-production processes so that they can | | | | factory floor managers one step close to virtual |
| see and test production setups before actually making | | | | synchronization. |
| new production investments," the article points out. | | | | New enhancements to such technology are constantly |
| This is where "visualization tools that virtualize the | | | | taking place as well. Some of the latest upgrades |
| factory floor experience" come into play. "The | | | | include: machine interface software that reads |
| challenge, however, is keeping digital models in sync | | | | production directly off machines, scales, etc.; the ability |
| with the physical world, particularly the plant floor, | | | | to allocate material at any operation to eliminate errors |
| where change is constant." Businesses that want to | | | | and avoid large material variances; interfacing to bar |
| overcome this obstacle will want to choose a real-time | | | | code label printing software that allows labels to be |
| data collection system utilizing touch screen capabilities. | | | | printed on demand during production runs; new Labor |
| That way, they can oversee WIP tracking, job tracking | | | | Audit reports that allow supervisors to check for |
| and factory floor control, labor collection, job | | | | discrepancy in shift data in order to provide easier |
| sequencing and machine integration, as they occur. | | | | identification of unusual amounts of "clocked-in" time, |
| They can also enjoy greater visibility to jobs on the | | | | time not "on-the-job," operations started prior to the |
| floor via an easy-to-install and intuitive push-button | | | | previous operation; and biometric readers that can |
| touchscreen user interface. | | | | now be used to "scan" into the factory and jobs. |
| The advantages of such a system are that it | | | | Although the idea of a digital factory floor sounds like a |
| embraces ERP to "track the material flow based on | | | | futuristic concept, a vendor of a real-time data |
| purchase orders" and it ties in MES software "to show | | | | collection system that provides job tracking and |
| the status of manufacturing." By leveraging a | | | | factory floor control can "take much of the complexity |
| PC-based system that is completely interfaced with | | | | out of directly integrating product and production |
| most ERP and MRP systems and by using a drop and | | | | models. |
| drag electronic board and an unlimited set of | | | | |