Page 33 - MetalForming Magazine May 2022

How ERP Enables Shop-Floor Success
Proper ERP integrates with information from MES and nesting software to provide visibility into the three Ms—machine, manpower and material.
BY LOUIS A. KREN, SENIOR EDITOR
Aproper ERP/MES setup in your may originate from faulty design, which To avoid this, map the material—type,
thickness, sheet dimensions, etc.—to the CAM system, and see how seam- lessly the material can be brought into the manufacturing operation.”
Secondly, Chakraborty advises, define procedures.
“A fabricator has built-in proce- dures, such as first-article inspection,” he says. “Create the first nest, then look at the part. If everything is fine, then continue. This must be defined. ERP will dictate a first-article-inspection requirement, and other downstream requirements.”
And, track data throughout the manufacturing process.
“To err is human, and machines can err as well,” says Chakraborty, “so man- ufacturing may still produce scrap.”
The possibility of errors demands tracking of data for analysis.
“Why did the process generate scrap?” he asks, explaining the need for data gathering. “ERP should have the analytical background to determine
shop pays real dividends on the
shop floor, providing for elimi- nation of scrap and rework, and smart machine utilization.
“It comes down to how visible is your shop floor,” says Anupam Chakraborty, commercial director for Lantek Systems, Inc., describing how effective shop- management software can transform operations, with real shop-floor wins. And, as he explains here, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufac- turing execution system (MES) software provide a path for operational contin- uous improvement.
“I call it the three Ms: machine, manpower and material,” Chakraborty offers, with proper software having the ability to efficiently oversee all three.
Eliminates Rework and Scrap
“Let’s consider rework as scrap,” Chakraborty explains, noting that the need to rework likely results in scrapped original-part material. “Scrap
occurs outside of the ERP system. Or, the wrong cutting parameters cause fabrication of faulty parts.
There must be validation based on the order that has been created.”
ERP enters the equation with the creation of a work order.
“Does that work order match the output CNC file?” he asks. “That is very important. So, how do we synchronize the work order with the file? Often, when a fabricator first receives a work order from a customer, administration personnel key the order into the ERP system. Then it routes to the MES, which provides the manufacturing framework. Problems may occur when synchronization is lacking between ERP and MES.
“For example,” Chakraborty contin- ues, “a fabricator may enter cut con- ditions based on parameters such as material type and thickness, and sheet dimensions. Selection of improper cut conditions leads to scrap and rework.
30 MetalForming/May 2022
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