Case Studies

Meter manufacturer improves inventory processes by Brian Albright

AMCO Water Metering Systems has one of the widest product portfolios in the water metering industry, but manual inventory management processes were slowing down its warehouse and distribution operations, even as the company continued to grow.

Workers used paper forms to record product moves and take annual physical inventories, then later entered the data on stationary computer terminals. But the company has found a technology solution to help its distribution operations keep pace with the company's growth. AMCO has cut the time it takes to complete its physical inventory process in half and significantly improved inventory accuracy and warehouse efficiency using a wireless data collection solution that communicates in real time with its MAPICS enterprise resource planning system.

The Ocala, Fla.-based company (part of the Elster Metering Group) manufactures and distributes high-accuracy metering products to the North American utility, submetering and industrial markets. The company recently revamped its procurement processes, switching from offshore to domestic parts suppliers for some components to provide more flexibility in its supply chain. Workers at its 100,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Ocala, however, were bogged down with a paper-based, manual inventory management process. All inventory moves were written down and key entered into MAPICS on stationary desktop PCs, a time-consuming process that made it difficult to manage the company's inventory of parts and finished products. Annual physical inventories took two days to complete with a large staff. Cycle counting was nearly impossible because of the manual data entry process.

"In our warehouse, in order to make any adds or moves, staff had to go back to a PC for the data entry. We were looking for something that they could do for remote connectivity," says Doug Brucker, information technology manager at AMCO. "That was the primary reason we were looking for an automated solution. We also needed to improve our physical inventory process. Workers used to count everything in the warehouse, write it on a piece of paper, bring it back to the office, and then hand key everything into the system. It took at least two days with twice as many people."

AMCO found a solution to its data entry woes with QuikTrac® I-Series v. 5.1 data collection software from Integrated Barcoding Systems of Adrian, Mich. Brucker discovered the company at a MAPICS user conference, and found that QuikTrac was the only solution that offered real-time integration with MAPICS. Working together with the Integrated Barcoding Systems team, Brucker was able to quickly get the project underway.

"They put together a project plan along with cost estimates, we submitted it to management, and they said, 'Go for it,'" Brucker says. The selection and implementation process took approximately one month, and Brucker says actual installation progressed rapidly. "IBS said they'd have it up and running in five days, and they did that."

Now, using wireless data collection terminals, physical inventories take half the time with fewer workers involved, and regular cycle counting has improved warehouse accuracy and performance. By eliminating paper forms and manual data entry, both shipping and receiving processes are more efficient as well.

"Before QuikTrac, we used 70 people to do the physical inventory in three days," says Brucker. "After QuickTrac was deployed, we used 40 people over only one and a half days. We could have done it with even fewer people, but since it was the first time using the system we had extra people on hand in case there were any difficulties."

Although AMCO did not have a wireless inventory management system in place, the company was already using some hand-held data collection devices from Symbol Technologies in its assembly operation. AMCO used the bar code scanners to track its finished water meters (all of which are tagged with a bar code that includes item and serial numbers) through production, and match them to customer orders. "We do testing of all water meters," Brucker says. "They were doing that manually before I got here, so we put in a wireless LAN and hand-held computers so they could use the devices to gather that data. Since we had that hardware, I preferred to keep that same equipment across the board."

AMCO deployed additional mobile devices to its existing Cisco Systems wireless LAN infrastructure for the QuikTrac system. Integrated Barcoding Systems provided a one-day training seminar for warehouse staff that hadn't previously used the devices.

"It took them awhile to get used to the hand helds," Brucker says. "They had not been using them previously. After the training they were able to pick it up and run with it."

Using label printers from Zebra Technologies, AMCO has deployed bar coded location labels throughout its warehouse. Workers scan the location labels with the mobile computers, and key enter quantities during inventory moves. Warehouse employees also use the devices for cycle counting, and annual physical inventories.

"If they were doing something like year-end counts before, this process took literally days before they could record the actual data into the system," says Ray Toren, sales and service consultant at Integrated Barcoding Systems. "This was time that they couldn't be doing production. They had to stop everything to do counts."

"Now we're much faster," says Brucker. "It takes about half as long and with fewer people. With the QuikTrac software, we can just enter the quantity of each part number and send that into the MAPICS system wirelessly in the warehouse, as opposed to writing all that data down. Once all of that is completed, we can go back through and do spot checks.”

"We're doing cycle counting now that we know we're maintaining our inventory much better. Before, we weren't necessarily doing cycle counting because of the aggravation of writing down the item numbers, writing down the quantities, and then going back to a terminal and typing it all in. The warehouse is doing a much better job cycle counting and maintaining an accurate inventory."

"Where they really felt the bang for the buck was with the physical inventory," adds Toren. "This process now takes hours instead of days."

At A Glance

AMCO Water Metering Systems, Ocala, Florida

Application: Inventory and warehouse management

System:

• QuikTrac 5.1 screen integration and data management software from Integrated Barcoding Systems, Adrian Michigan
• Symbol Technologies wireless hand-held computers
• Cisco Systems wireless LAN
• Zebra Technologies bar code printers

Benefits:

• Physical inventory takes half the time with fewer people—from three days with 70 people, to one and a half days with 40 people.
• Cycle counting provides more accurate inventory
• More efficient shipping and receiving

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APC, Inc. - Data Collection Integration speeds shipping operations for protein manufacturer.

For more than 20 years, APC, Inc., has built a reputation as a high-quality provider of blood-based protein supplements for use in animal food. A division of the Lauridsen Group, Inc., the Ankeny, Iowa-based company operates six facilities in the United States, as well as several others in Canada and overseas, providing a key ingredient to both agricultural and domestic animal feed manufacturers around the world.

Unfortunately, the company's manual shipping processes were costing it both time and money. APC knew that it needed an automated, bar-code-based system to improve shipping efficiency and reduce its data entry workload, but finding a solution that would integrate with its existing MAPICS enterprise resource planning software proved to be a challenge.

APC had no way to automatically enter shipping data into the MAPICS Customer Order Management (COM) module. When product was shipped using the manual process, employees had to key enter redundant data for every pallet in each lot into MAPICS (now part of Infor Global Solutions). Since the company generates more than one million inventory transactions per year in MAPICS, that data entry took up a considerable amount of time. Because the process was so slow, most shipments (especially time-sensitive international orders) were recorded on paper forms and then entered into MAPICS hours later, often by the plant secretary.

"You're keying the same information in twenty times," says Steve Harper, Vice President of Information Technology at APC. "It's easy to make a mistake, and really nothing was changing other than the last character in the batch lot number. When you have close to a million of these in the course of a year, it's really time consuming."

A Lengthy Search

APC needed a real-time data collection interface that could work with its existing MAPICS COM transactions, but finding a solution for its shipping woes wasn't easy.

"We had to do a lot of research, because we could not find anybody at the time who could integrate the actual shipping transaction from the MAPICS Customer Order Management module into the data collection system," Harper says. "It seems like a transaction that most companies would offer, but they really didn't because of the fact that MAPICS can get kind of complex. Each user, each warehouse, each item and each customer can have a different set of rules applied to them."

APC put together a project team that included Harper; project manager Tara Barbatti; manufacturing superintendent Ryan Olson; plant manager Ralph Olson; IT staffers Bruce Schimmel and Hari Mosali; Kelly Jordison from the finance department; and Julie Lynch from customer service. The team reported to Vice President of Operations Larry Hoelting.

After a lengthy search, APC was able to find only one solution that could automate the shipping process and integrate with both the MAPICS system and the company's laboratory management system without requiring back-end modifications: QuikTrac® I-Series data collection software from Integrated Barcoding Systems of Adrian, Mich. In conjunction with bar code label printers and wireless, hand-held bar code scanners, APC staff can now automatically scan shipments of its supplements into the MAPICS system, saving hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in labor.

QuikTrac didn't require any host modifications, isn't affected by MAPICS updates, and could be installed quickly, all of which made it the most appealing solution for APC's shipping operations. "It was also the only product that provided true, real-time connectivity into MAPICS," Harper says.

"QuikTrac is a screen integration tool, so there's no custom coding or scripting of the hand-held devices," says Andy Jacobs, President of Integrated Barcoding Systems.

Harper's team selected APC's Boone, Iowa, facility as the site for the initial installation because of its proximity to corporate headquarters, and the enthusiasm of both plant manager Ralph Olson and plant superintendent Ryan Olson for the bar coding system.

"We decided to go with that plant because we knew for this project we had to have manufacturing personnel who were solidly behind it, and they were really pushing for it," Harper says. "In turn, they got the other manufacturing sites excited about it."

Once the Boone site was up and running for a few months, APC rolled the system out to its other facilities at one- or two-month intervals. The programmer analyst and manufacturing superintendent from the project team organized the training at each site. APC has deployed QuikTrac at all six of its facilities, and hopes to expand the system to its Canadian joint-venture locations in the future. APC's sister company, Proliant, Inc., has installed the solution at two of its plants as well.

Manual Data Entry Eliminated

APC ships its protein supplements in bags, stacked 20 to 40 per pallet. As product is bagged and palletized, workers apply pre-printed bar code labels on the outside of the shrink wrap. The labels are produced using Zebra Technologies Corp. printers and label software from T.L. Ashford. Workers scan the labels with an Intermec Technologies 2435 wireless computer before the pallets are moved to a storage location in the warehouse.

The pallets are later moved to a staging area for shipping as orders are filled, and the labels are scanned again as the shipment is loaded onto the truck.

"We had to work quite a bit with Integrated Barcoding Systems to continually tweak the system," Harper says. "As I stated earlier, each user, company, and warehouse in MAPICS can have different defaults set up. We had to make sure everybody was doing things the exact same way, and we also had to program for any possible variation that could come up with an error message. If we didn’t do that, then the data collection system would not be synched up with MAPICS anymore."

With the addition of bar coding, APC has been able to cut cost and time out of its shipping operations. The faster, more accurate process has reduced keystroke errors by 80% and shipping transaction time by 66%, helping the company achieve a return on investment for five manufacturing facilities in less than one year.

"We've accomplished what we were striving for: The reduction in errors and the improvement in processing time," Harper says. "That's been very significant for us."

According to Harper, the company will save more than $10,000 per year in data entry labor alone. And APC won't have to worry any longer that product was shipped without being invoiced, either. Avoiding even a single error of that type could save the company almost $60,000.

In addition, MAPICS COM shipping transaction training time has been reduced by 50% thanks to the user navigation paths in QuikTrac. More timely and accurate processes have also saved the company thousands of dollars in missed shipments and logistics fees.

"Before bar coding, it was really time consuming to process a shipment, create a bill of lading, and create a manifest for the trucker," says APC Senior Programmer Analyst Hari Mosali. "We used to have to hand write that information for the drivers, and that was never the proper way to do it. Now, as we are loading the truck we are scanning the pallet. By the time the scanning is done, the data is sent into our custom bill of lading programs, and everything is there on the printer."

APC also had to integrate QuikTrac with its Interpec laboratory information management system (LIMS), which APC uses to track and manage the test samples it takes from each batch of product. The QuikTrac system feeds information into both MAPICS and LIMS so that the samples can be associated with the correct batch.

"The minute you scan a pallet, it goes into MAPICS, the system writes that information into an Access database," says Mosali. "We had to come up with a way for a supervisor at the end of a shift to push a function key on the bar code scanner so the interface would read this Access database file and write all the production into the LIMS system."

Based on the improvements in its shipping operations, APC hopes to expand its use of the system. "We don't use the MAPICS staging procedure right now," Harper says. "It's just one more transaction that we'd have to have our personnel enter into MAPICS. Now that we do have the data collection system, though, it's something that we'll probably look at in 2006. We're also looking at using true inventory locations in our warehouses."

The QuikTrac screen integration solution has made manual data entry a thing of the past, leaving APC better prepared than ever to meet the needs of its customers.

At a Glance

APC, Inc., Ankeny, Iowa

Application: Automated shipment management and tracking

System:

• QuikTrac® screen integration and data management software from Integrated Barcoding Systems, Adrian Michigan
• Intermec Technologies wireless LAN
• Intermec 2435 wireless, hand-held computers with integrated scanners
• Zebra Technologies bar code label printers
• T.L. Ashford bar code label software

Benefits:

• Data collection system is integrated into MAPICS with no custom coding.
  
• Manual data entry for shipping transactions has been eliminated, reducing keystroke errors by 80% and shipping transaction time by 66%, and saving more than $10,000 in labor.
  
• All shipments are automatically entered into MAPICS in real time, so it will not longer be possible to ship product without properly billing for it. Avoiding a single error of that type saves the company almost $60,000.
  
• Automatic generation of manifests and bills of lading.
  
• MAPICS Customer Order Management (COM) training time has been reduced by 50%.

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Meridian Automotive Systems
"In the Driver's Seat," by Jim Utsler, eServer Magazine, Jan 2005, pgs 20-23.

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The pieces fit beautifully at Stevens Industries
"How to Win the Game of "Where's the Part?"," by Christy Paxton, Supply Chain Systems Magazine, May 2004.

Making and assembling cabinets for institutional use has been the bread and butter of Stevens Industries, Inc. for nearly 50 years. Based in the small town of Teutopolis, Illinois, the 50-year-old company boasts more than 500 employees and $70 million annual revenue from its four divisions: flat-panel, components, casework cabinet and children's furniture.

In the casework cabinet (institutional) area, Stevens makes 500 to 600 units each day. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle, the cabinets cannot be assembled correctly unless all the required parts are available.

Unfortunately, the cabinetmaker had gotten all that it could out of a paper-based tracking system. Following cabinets from staging through shipping was difficult enough, but keeping track of all the parts that make up the cabinets was a particular challenge.

The paper-based data gathering system and two different computer systems into which the data had to be key entered caused company workers to play a never-ending game of "Where's the Part?", which they never seemed to win. If a single part was missing, the cabinets could not be assembled, resulting in product sitting in Stevens' facility rather than being sent out to the customer, a disaster in today's fast-paced business environment.

Stevens Industries needed two solutions in one, one that would track the parts and one that would track the cabinets through the manufacturing process. The combined solution had to be available to workers on the move throughout its 350,000-square-foot facility. And it needed to be easy to use, easy to program, and easy to maintain.

Fortunately, the company found the critical piece that solved the puzzle. Stevens implemented a real-time wireless system using QuikTrac® data collection/management and screen mapping software from Integrated Barcoding Systems (IBS) and wireless hand-held terminals from Intermec. The new, consolidated system enables Stevens employees to keep track of every component and piece of furniture produced by its two divisions.

FACED WITH A PUZZLE

"We had no up-to-date data in our system. We had multiple associates tracking product on paper, then they would take that to a keypunch area for input. It was dual work, manual counting and then batching the data into the system," says Stevens Industries IS Manager Cottie Dial. "If they had to verify data -- say if there was a problem with quantity on a skid -- the associate often couldn't remember anything about it."

Not only did Stevens want the up-to-date, accurate data a new system would provide, but it also wanted reporting features it didn't have.

Then there was the problem of where data was needed. Stevens had two different systems handling these tasks: an AS/400 running MOVEX ERP software from Intentia to track the parts, and a homegrown SQL-based program that followed the cabinets from staging through shipping. Workers needed those programs out on the floor, so they could record transactions on the spot, updating the databases in real time.

A three-person project team charged with solving this puzzle was comprised of Dial, the CFO and the plant manager, with Dial taking the lead. In July 2002, she was given a scant two weeks to come up with a solution.

Dial read many articles and surfed the Web. She had a site survey done, came up with a budget, and then presented her findings to her teammates. The conclusion was that "we needed a true backbone, not a cheap investment," says Dial. In fact, they wanted to examine the possibility of combining voice and data on one system; Stevens had installed a wired IP wireless phone system eight months earlier and was investigating taking that solution to the Avaya wireless phones. Dial thought perhaps a data communications system and the wireless IP phones could share one system.

She located some vendors and brought two in for evaluation. Unfortunately, she says, "No one offered a full solution, or they didn't know AS/400, too. They couldn't meet the programming needs we had. It needed to be ready to use, with no custom programming, since we had no programmer on staff to allocate to this." Also, if any tweaking needed to be done, it would be handled by Dial, meaning it had to be easy to do and fit within her skill range.

"We are out in the cornfields," says Dial. "We have to be self-supporting."

Dial continued to dig. Then she located Integrated Barcoding Systems in Adrian, Michigan, and its QuikTrac 5.0 screen integration and data management tool. She invited the company in for an evaluation and was encouraged by what she heard. "They were familiar with AS/400 programming and terminology," says Dial. "That was big. We didn't want to reprogram our AS/400 screens. We wanted to run 'vanilla code.' " She also liked the fact that IBS used Intermec hand-helds, since Stevens Industries wanted to update its existing hand-held devices and Intermec was "a trusted name." It turned out the QuikTrac and Avaya wireless technologies were, in fact, compatible. Two radio cards were installed at the access point, one for the phones and one for the hand-helds, to handle the communications.

QuikTrac 5.0 was a fairly new product, so in effect, Stevens would be a beta site for it, but the evaluation team felt IBS personnel "really knew what we were talking about," says Dial. As a result, the company decided to go ahead with the implementation and purchased the system in December 2002.

Two people from IBS came out for a four-day training session. Prior to the event, Dial had documented all Stevens' system needs. That allowed IBS personnel to "flow the programming right into my documents," says Dial. She and her Stevens co-workers then fine-tuned the screens themselves with IBS support just a phone call or e-mail away.

One month after the training, the AS/400 side of the application was up and running. The SQL side followed in March. Since its implementation, says Dial, "the system has not faltered."

MAGIC MERGE

The most pressing need and the most exciting achievement of this system is the merging of the AS/400-based parts tracking system and the SQL-based work-in-process tracking system onto a few simple screens. Ten Intermec model 2435 wireless hand-helds with integrated bar code scanners display only the options each worker needs to see in order to perform the intended transaction.

To avoid confusion, particularly for new workers, Stevens wanted its associates to use a single entry screen to collect all information. Once workers signed on, all data entry fields needed to complete the transaction, from scanning to quantity, were on one screen, making it appear to be one seamless program. The screen integration capabilities of QuikTrac 5.0 allowed them to do just that, with no custom coding.

Training workers to use the new hand-helds was a snap, says Dial. "They already knew the programs, they just had to learn the procedure, when to scan and so on. We showed them two or three times and they got it."

The procedure is a simple one. For the parts tracking, once signed on, workers collect their receipts, note what load is in front of them, scan the Code 39 bar-coded part number contained on the document traveling with the parts, then record the number of completes and the number needing reworking. The database is immediately updated and a report is run to generate the reworks. The report is then sent to the production coordinator, who creates the rework orders and allocates the materials to them when available.

When the parts orders are complete, a master list is run to determine how many cabinets can be produced. For each cabinet that can be assembled, a label is generated and sent to the finished cabinet area. As the cabinet is made, the SQL database is updated continuously along the way. When the cabinet order is finished, the cabinet labels are affixed to each completed unit.

BENEFITS READILY APPARENT

While Stevens workers had maximized their efficiency with their old system, they were amazed at the immediate results the new system provided.

On the first day of use, one worker did a job that would normally take eight hours with the old system in only one hour. When one worker left the company, Stevens Industries found that, because of the increased efficiency, it didn't need to replace her.

Order status reports that were run and then double-checked are no longer produced because of the up-to-the-minute accuracy of the data in the system. Similarly, ongoing status meetings Stevens had conducted to keep everyone apprised of the last known position of product were cancelled altogether. They simply were no longer necessary. "No more calling to ask 'Is this done? '," says Dial. "Anyone can just generate a report."

Everyone is obviously pleased with the system. Perhaps a little too pleased. "The workers are asking for additional programs already," says Dial. "And they're wanting additional lookups almost daily." She is tweaking the system to accommodate requests as time allows. They've already added a calculator and good/scrap option. Future plans are manifold: extending the tracking functions to more areas of the company including countertops and storage racks, the addition of a bar-coded picking system utilizing remote printing, and requesting vendors bar code incoming materials so Stevens can automate receiving. The company also intends to use the system for year-end validation of inventory. And it will continue to replace old portable units with the Intermec hand-helds, with a goal of more than 30 units in place by the end of 2003. This will coordinate with new cabinet software due to be put in place that will also be able to take advantage of the new system.

Being a beta test site for the QuikTrac system was not the easiest challenge to take on, but it was very rewarding, says Dial. "The reception by the associates in the plant was good. They want to do their jobs in the easiest way possible."

With this system, they are well on their way to doing just that. The pieces continue to fall into place for Stevens Industries.

AT A GLANCE

Stevens, Industries, Inc., Teutopolis, Illinois

Application: Components (parts) tracking, work-in-process tracking for manufacture of casework (institutional) cabinets

System:

• QuikTrac 5.0 screen integration and data management software from Integrated Barcoding Systems, Adrian, Michigan
• Intermec 2345 wireless hand held computers with integrated scanners
• Avaya wireless IP network

Benefits:

• Two different systems are available to workers on one hand-held in a blended, easy-to-use format.
• Data is updated in real time on both systems, substantially increasing accuracy and efficiency.
• On the first day of use, one worker did a job that took eight hours with the old system in only one hour.
• Staffing reduced by one.
• Time-consuming double-checking of order status reports and ongoing status meetings no longer necessary.

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Meridian Frontline Case History
"Auto Parts Maker Standardizes Data Collection on the Shop Floor," by Brian Albright, Frontline Solutions, June 1, 2004. | click here for MAPICS solution

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Autoparts Maker Gets Plants Speaking the Same Language
Meridian Automotive bringing MAPICS to handhelds in 22 plants through screen mapping

Meridian Automotive Systems, Inc. of Dearborn, Mich., had a communications problem. Actually, it was a good news/bad news situation for this leading supplier of technologically advanced front- and rear-end modules, lighting, exterior composites, console modules, instrument panels and other interior systems to automobile and truck manufacturers. The good news was, the company was growing through acquisition. The bad news was the systems it acquired were not entirely compatible. With 22 plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico supplying original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and major Tier One parts suppliers, it was essential for Meridian to get everyone speaking the same language.

Meridian needed a software solution that would "sit over top" of the MAPICS ERP system the company planned to implement to manage its plants, according to Bruce Knoll, Director of Information Systems for Meridian Automotive Systems – in other words, one that needed no custom code to deliver the benefits of MAPICS to its users on the shop floor. The only product Meridian could find to do the job was QuikTrac® screen mapping and data collection/management software from Integrated Barcoding Systems (IBS) of Adrian, Mich. Meridian combined the QuikTrac solution with wireless hand-held scanners and printers to produce a responsive, real-time plant-wide tracking system used for everything from receiving through shipping.

"We had four different barcode scanning systems, and they were not doing a good job," says Knoll. Besides being incompatible and with much of the reporting "very paper-based," the systems were typically being used only in shipping and receiving departments. A more comprehensive solution was needed, not only to increase operational efficiency as well as support and compliment the Meridian management systems that were being initiated on the shop floor, but to meet the established Materials Management Operations Guidelines (MMOG), a best practices methodology for the shop floor introduced by Ford, and presently being adopted by other major car makers.

CAREFUL RESEARCH UNCOVERS PERFECT SOLUTION

An eight-person steering committee, of which Knoll was a member, came together in December 2001 with its sights set on meeting MMOG compliance and comprehensive traceability goals and requirements. Three of the eight members were dedicated to selecting a new barcode scanning system that would work with MAPICS and the electronic data interchange (EDI) package to be chosen.

After a six-month review and planning process that included visiting company sites to determine specific needs, the scanning group knew what it required. "Our goal with the scanning was to not have software 'off to the side' of MAPICS," says Knoll. "MAPICS does the transactions we needed, and we wanted those screens on the handhelds. We didn't want to have to rewrite what we were already doing."

Unfortunately, Knoll and his fellow committee members found addressing that need to be a bit of a tall order. "When we went looking for scanning packages, we knew the main players," says Knoll. "We took a look, but none of them did what we needed."

Looking for more options, Meridian turned to the MAPICS Company itself, which in turn sent a request for help out to its own representatives. The answer that came back was there was only one product that could give them the seamless communication and screen migration that they needed: QuikTrac® from IBS.

Knoll contacted IBS. The company provided a demo and the name of a local company which was already using QuikTrac®. Finally, IBS provided Meridian with a trial version to make sure it was in fact the right product for the parts supplier.

Knoll and his team members were sold. "QuikTrac navigates through MAPICS to the screens the user would normally access and presents them to the user. There's no custom code. You can't find that in the other scanning packages," says Knoll.

ROLLOUT BEGINS, YIELDS UNEXPECTED RESULTS, EXPECTED SUCCESS

With that important piece of the system in place, the steering committee began the serious and complex work of planning a 22-plant rollout. Committed to doing it right, Meridian followed a modeling process for each plant, setting up a small-scale working model of each plant floor using Symbol Technologies PDT6846 two-dimensional (2D) bar code scanners. "We used Lego's® and Play-Doh®" to make the models," says Knoll. "We simulated receipt, storage, shipping, everything. The workers could really see how it worked."

After using that for three months, they moved to the real shop floor, setting up a pilot in one department and doing live transactions for one week, then expanding to another department.

A surprising thing happened in the first plant. When the pilot began, system planners had only 10 MAPICS transactions screens, in both English and Spanish, selected for presentation on the scanners. Workers, however, had other ideas. "We started scanning out on the floor, and it was a huge success," says Knoll. "The plant people came to us asking if they could have more." Planners responded by adding screens, and currently workers have access to more than 50 screens in MAPICS, the EDI system and some custom programs. Most of the screens are transaction-based, but some are used for inquiries such as quantity on hand. Because of the volume of additional screens requested, IBS stepped in to help, also aiding in the initial start-up and further training for Meridian support personnel.

The first plant-wide conversion was completed April 2003.

START-TO-FINISH TRACKING

When parts arrive at Meridian, workers use the hand-held scanners, 15 to 20 in each plant, to read carton labels and receive inventory into the system. If an order arrives without a barcode or with one that is unreadable, workers create on-demand, just the right amount of Code 39 bar-coded labels necessary to apply to it, using wireless Zebra Technologies Zebra 105 printers. Previously, labels were printed in batch, on printers located in supervisors' offices and then had to be distributed later, a time and consumables waste.

All labels used at Meridian comply with Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) format guidelines and are designed with TL Ashford's labeling software. Real-time wireless communications are achieved throughout the plants using Symbol Technologies' Spectrum One network.

Once received, the parts are assigned a location through the MAPICS system. Forklift workers use that information to put away the inventory, scanning Code 39 bar-coded bin labels to confirm the location. Whenever parts are relocated, whether to be used for product assembly or order fulfillment, scanning records that movement into the system. When a new product is assembled from stored parts, a new barcode label identifies the finished goods. Finally, a shipping label is generated when an order is filled, and EDI transactions (using Agilysys' AC Manager) are facilitated through information scanned into the handhelds as workers are prompted through the mapped screens.

MOVING ON, PLANT BY PLANT

Through Meridian's meticulous planning and execution, six of its 22 plants have been brought on line with the new system. The company plans to bring the remainder of plants on over the next two years, with eight, the goal for 2004.

Data gathering from the plants that have gone live is ongoing. So far, all indications are that processes are flowing smoothly, and the benefits are many. They include:

• Real-time transactions – especially important with receiving and production reporting
• Real-time label generation
• Labels are generated in standard pack quantities for more accurate transactions
• All phases of part production are labeled and tracked
• Improved shelf-life control and tracking (via scanner transactions and inquiries)
• Better control of inventory movement
• Easier storage location identification through bar-coded signs
• Ability to use Kanban systems (a production methodology) in some locations in support of Just-in-Time (JIT) applications
• Now have pick list capability and scanning of the pick lists
• Shipments are verified against orders through the scanners
• Schedule attainment can be quickly obtained because of the real-time transactions
• Can cycle count and perform inventory procedures using the scanners

And, while final return-on-investment analysis will have to wait until all plants are connected to the new system in about two years, Knoll notes that average transactions per month range from 3,000 to 5,000 for the smaller facilities, and 8,000 to 10,000 for the larger ones – an impressive volume of work conducted via the hand helds in real time. The implications for increased productivity and efficiency become even clearer when one realizes that every transactions previously was paper-based and had to be hand-entered into the system at a later date, with all the potential for error.

"This has definitely been more successful than we anticipated," says Knoll. "It's gone beyond our expectations. Our workers are excited to be doing something new. They are able to see the benefits of the system, how it cuts down on their paperwork, how the transactions happen in real time, how easy it is to access data."

QuikTrac® contributed substantially to that success, he notes. "The screen mapping was very simple to set up and get going. We did that ourselves initially, IBS helped us with the volume when we were adding all those screens.

"IBS was very helpful. We worked closely with Andy Jacobs, IBS president Also Ray Toren, Sales & Service Consultant, for the first testing and training – I can't say enough about Ray. He knows their product inside and out," Knoll adds.

And so, the rollout continues at Meridian Automotive Systems, one model at a time, one department, one plant at a time – and as many mapped screens as workers need in their hand helds.

"We will meet our goal of having standardized practices on our shop floor, as outlined in MMOG," declares Knoll. "That means our divisional managers can go from plant to plant and deal with the same processes each time. That is very important to us."

The messages are clear: Finding the right product is helping Meridian achieve best practices, which ultimately will lead the company to the best bottom line.

AT A GLANCE

User: Meridian Automotive Systems, Inc Dearborn, Mich.

Application: Plant-wide parts tracking, from receiving through assembly to shipping, in real-time

Components:

• QuikTrac® data collection/management and screen mapping software from Integrated Barcoding Systems (IBS) of Adrian, Mich.
• Long- and short-range PDT6846 two-dimensional (2D) bar code scanners from Symbol Technologies
• Spectrum One wireless network from Symbol Technologies
• Wireless Zebra 105 printers label printers from Zebra Technologies
• TL Ashford's labeling software
• Agilysys' AC Manager EDI software

Benefits:

• Real-time transactions – especially important with receiving and production reporting
• Real-time label generation
• Labels are generated in standard pack quantities for more accurate transactions
• All phases of part production are labeled and tracked
• Improved shelf-life control and tracking (via scanner transactions and inquiries)
• Better control of inventory movement
• Easier storage location identification through bar-coded signs
• Ability to use Kanban systems (a production methodology) in some locations in support of Just-in-Time (JIT) applications
• Now have pick list capability and scanning of the pick lists
• Shipments are verified against orders through the scanners
• Schedule attainment can be quickly obtained because of the real-time transactions
• Can cycle count and perform inventory procedures using the scanners

QUOTES:

"QuikTrac navigates through MAPICS to the screens the user would normally access and presents them to the user. There's no custom code. You can't find that in the other scanning packages."

Bruce Knoll, Director of Information Systems
Meridian Automotive Systems

"This has definitely been more successful than we anticipated. It's gone beyond our expectations. Our workers are excited to be doing something new. They are able to see the benefits of the system, how it cuts down on their paperwork, how the transactions happen in real time, how easy it is to access data."

Bruce Knoll, Director of Information Systems
Meridian Automotive Systems

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"Wireless Takes the Driver's Seat," by Jim Utsler; eServer Magazine, iSeries Edition, pgs 50-53.
click here for BPCS ERP Solution

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Marietta Corporation - Painless change in data collection system increases productivity
New software makes present and future changes simple while simultaneously speeding up wireless transmissions

Typically, the installation of a new software system is a long, drawn-out affair with lots of bumps and detours along the way. Not so for Marietta Corporation, one of the leading independent companies specializing in the design, manufacture, packaging, marketing and distribution of quest amenity programs to the travel and lodging industry in the United States and abroad.

The company's guest amenity programs feature a wide variety of nationally branded toiletries, personal care products and accessories that travel and lodging establishments provide for the comfort and convenience of their guests. Marietta is also a leader in providing customized "sample size" and "unit-of-use" packaging products and services to companies in the toiletries, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and household products industries for such purposes as marketing promotions and retail sales.

When the company decided to install a new radio frequency (RF) data collection system to ensure quicker transaction time and higher inventory accuracy, Marietta's IS department expected to take a three-day training course and allotted five months to the implementation for its three facilities in Cortland, NY, Olive Branch, MS, and Toronto, Canada. To its surprise and pleasure, it was able to complete the changeover to an Intermec Technologies-based RF system in less than two months.

Key to the smooth transition was a screen-integration tool, QuikTrac® from Integrated Barcoding Systems (IBS). The Ann Arbor, MI-based Company is a leading solutions provider of data collection technology and services across all major platforms. With its QuikTrac® software, users can extend their ERP/MRP systems out to the warehouse or shop floor without any modifications to existing host code or interfacing into their system's database.

THE TRANSITION

"It was very easy for us to implement. Once we received the specs and Intermec completed the site survey to determine the proper placement of the RF access points, our people were able to install the system in just a matter of days even without the benefit of the training class," says Bob Gauthier, MIS director. By doing the installation and programming ourselves with only phone support from IBS, we had a substantial savings."

Marietta's IS department was able to get its corporate headquarters in Cortland, NY, up and running in a couple of weeks. While Marietta's PC Specialist, John Honeywell, oversaw the wiring and hardware installation of the RF base stations, Vince Rowe, network administrator, setup the server and configured the terminals and access points, and Brooke Ducey, senior programmer/analyst, developed the transactions.

Marietta used the Development Module in QuikTrac® to map its existing ERP system (BPCS by SSA Global Technologies) screens to the smaller 16-line x 20-character screens on the Intermec Trakker Antares 2425 terminals. "We could transfer anything the warehouse personnel were using on their PCs to the hand-held terminals. Yes, we had to map to a much smaller screen and use abbreviations, but basically, we only put on the screen what they needed," says Gauthier.

IN USE

Now it is easy for Marietta workers to perform inventory transactions as they move items from one warehouse location to another, issue raw materials to shop orders, or receive finished goods from the shop orders into the warehouse. In each case, workers scan a bar-coded location label and product label and key in the quantity.

With error notification now on the mobile hand-held scanners, workers can correct mistakes "on the fly" instead of having to walk to a stationary PC for verifications and error correction. "Under the old system, if there was an error we didn't know it until someone checked on a PC even though we used RF hand-helds. The end result was incorrect inventory. A supervisor would track an error screen throughout the day, but it was very time consuming and maintenance-intensive. No longer must errors or missing items be recorded on paper to be later keyed into a PC. The tedious, error-prone, and time-consuming manual entry process is eliminated," says Gauthier.

Warehouse personnel now have the tools they need to research discrepancies right on their hand-held terminals. This includes "look-up" programs to find out where a part number is located, or what is in a certain warehouse location.

FASTER TRANSACTIONS AND FUTURE PORTABILITY

Using state-of-the-art RF technology and TCP/IP, the Intermec equipment has greatly improved the speed of transaction processing and validation response time. "It has improved our productivity tremendously," says Gauthier.

The QuikTrac® RunTime Module acts like a traffic cop, managing the flow of accurate, update data to and from the host system and remote data collection devices. IBS also offers an Off-Line Data Collection Module, which allows the continuation of data collection and validation in the event the host system is unavailable.

Marietta is also pleased that future upgrades to BPCS will be somewhat transparent to QuikTrac®. Since there is no "middleware" to be modified when BPCS is updated, it does not need to depend on a vendor to upgrade its data collection system prior to installing the new version of BPCS. At the most, it would have to make minor mapping adjustments if there was a change made to any screen layouts.

THE FUTURE

"Eventually," says Gauthier, "the wireless data collection system will also be used for cycle counting and possibly shipping." This will give Marietta physical inventory control, enabling it to easily inventory it's warehouses instead of the time-consuming annual counts.

Thanks to the easy-to-use screen mapping tools from IBS, Marietta's upgrade to a total real-time data collection system went smoothly and quickly. Workers can check and correct discrepancies immediately and the wireless transmissions are much faster. Marietta is ready for the future, be it in the form of software changes or growth.

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Amarr Garage Door - Garage door maker lifts profit margin with RF material handling tracking system
Quick install gets wireless system up in three weeks

A national garage-door manufacturer raised its profit margin by bringing down pallet intake time from three hours to eight minutes while simultaneously lowering excess inventory.

Amarr Garage Door accomplished all of this with a wireless bar code tracking system interfaced to its J.D. Edwards World software.

But before Amarr could reap the advantages of the real-time material handling tracking system, it had to find a way to take their existing JD Edwards AS/400 screens out to the shop floor on hand-held terminals.

Material handlers use these integrated terminals to scan raw material into inventory and onto the production line. Integrating such data with an existing major software package is often a time-consuming challenge. Often it means special software must be loaded into the terminal and interfaced with the existing system's database. That then may require modifications to existing host code--usually a risky operation.

Amarr, however, found a fast and simple way to do it. The Lawrence, KS, manufacturer used a screen integration tool from Integrated Barcoding Systems (IBS) called QuikTrac^TM4.5 based in Ann Arbor, MI. IBS is a leading full-service solutions provider of data collection technology and services. With its screen integration tool, Amarr transitioned from a basically manual shop-floor operation to a real-time one in less than three weeks, compared to the typical 6-month changeover period.

Amarr's IT Programmer/Analyst Bruce Howard used the integration tools in QuikTrac's Developer module to map existing AS/400 screens in the J.D. Edwards World system to the smaller Intermec Antares 2425 hand-held terminals. "I felt the user (on the production floor) could have done it if needed," said Howard.

The hand-held or fork-lift mounted integrated scanners now do item transfers, item issues, item scrapping, ship confirmation, purchase order receiving and two inquiries: one to view work that was done and a second to determine item availability.

WIRELESS SYSTEM IN REAL LIFE

Steel, boxes of hinges, rollers, track, windows and insulation foam are all housed in the warehouse area of Amarr's 250,000 square-foot production facility. When each item is received, it is recorded through the J.D. Edwards software. A Code 39 bar code label referencing the item number and sales order number is created on a Datamax printer and applied to the raw material. It is scanned with an Intermec 2425 integrated terminal with either an internal or tethered scanner. If the supply is needed at the manufacturing line, it's immediately taken there. Otherwise it is moved to a shelf in the warehouse area. There, the location is key entered into the terminal (soon locations will be bar-coded to eliminate the key entry process). This ties together the item and its location in the inventory tracking software residing on the AS/400.

When the manufacturing line needs more raw materials, material handlers responsible for monitoring supply levels query their mobile terminals to locate replacement stock. That's done either through key entry or scanning the bar code on a remaining item into a look-up screen. The terminal tells them exactly where to retrieve the raw material in the warehouse. When an item is removed, the material handler scans its bar code--unless it is damaged, then the number can be key entered. The worker also key enters the location number. These actions automatically deduct the raw material from the inventory-tracking program, preventing another worker from going to an empty spot to retrieve supplies. In the final part of the supply process, the worker indicates which production line gets the supply. When the production line uses the raw material, it is scanned again to show its supply is reduced by that amount.

At the end of the production line, a label with two bar codes is applied to the finished product, one for the sales order number; the other representing the item number. Once scanned, the order type automatically shows up in the J.D. Edwards Ship Confirmation module. If necessary, it is easily changed. If everything is approved, a tap on the enter key confirms it and authorizes it to be loaded onto semi trailers. Once shipped, the finished product is relieved from the system.

In the future, Amarr expects to replace the double bar codes with a single "split" bar code that combines two values into one bar code. The act of scanning would split the values out, transferring them to the appropriate data fields. This eliminates one scanning operation, thus speeding up the process.

Employee support of the program has been essential. "We realize the system is only as accurate as people will make it. We've instilled in our people that scanning is their job; it's their inventory," says Howard. It's paid off.

THE REAL GAINS

Amarr's biggest gains come from watching the real-time movement of inventory, because it leads to lower inventory requirements and improved productivity.

When the garage door maker tracked stock with paper and pencil, followed by delayed key entry into a PC, the system didn't know the real stock status for several hours after stock was moved. "If someone were to do a lookup to see if stock was available for a production line, the system would reflect it was there, but it wasn't. Now, any lookup is more reflective of what is truly there," says Howard. "The real-time information has taken the guesswork out of the process. Each scan immediately updates the J.D. Edwards system through radio frequency communication from the terminals to the host."

"Accuracy greatly improved too. That allows us to minimize inventory," says Howard, because safety stock was no longer needed. Amarr knows exactly what it has and needs.

"We now have the opportunity to say, 'Maybe we don't need this in stock.' We still have a lot of room to grow in this area, but I confidently feel the scanning system will get us there," says Howard. "The real-time bar code tracking truly enabled us to become more in tune with just-in-time operations."

It's also increased productivity by eliminating trips to empty warehouse locations and hunting for the needed raw material. In addition, it lowered the time spent on look-ups. Material handlers check the supply status right on the integrated terminal on their forklift, instead of having to walk over to a PC.

EXCEPTIONAL FEATURES

New software functionality, enabled by the QuikTrac® program delivers time savings too.

"Some of the things we've done with the software are pretty extraordinary," says Howard. "We created internal looping procedures within the maps." Many of the screens in the J.D. Edwards program were presented in a format that requires a fold to see additional information. "The location field is on a fold part, so we enabled the software to automatically do the fold, look at the location blank and put in a location number. We're having it roll through 20 items and load that warehouse location. Some other systems would have required a custom change to pull that off. It is a big advantage to be able to do it simply ourselves."

FUTURE CHANGES

Another benefit of the QuikTrac® integration tools are ease of change. Adjustments are easily made to the wireless terminals from a central server. Scanners, instead of all having to be brought to a download center, are briefly turned off (either by the operator or from the central server), the new file pulled up, and the terminals turned back on with new screens in place.

"In the worst case with a J.D. Edwards upgrade, we might have to adjust a screen a little bit, that's a very simple process, but we don't have to rewrite software," says Howard.

As soon as Amarr is done adjusting its smaller screens, it will start using an offline module from IBS. "The offline module is a nice feature. If we loose the host we can continue capturing data. When the host comes back, it automatically loads it back in a timed order."

Also in the future is the rollout of the program to Amarr's 60 garage door centers nationwide.

With current events going up and down as often as a garage door, Amarr's ready to face the future. It knows exactly what is behind its doors today, thanks to the wireless, raw material tracking system installed in record time with the IBS QuikTrac® screen integration tool.

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