The PdMAIN manufacturing execution suite of modules provides detailed information about your shop floor resources including employees, work centres, operations and Work Order management.

PdMAIN provides real time shop floor load visibility, matching requirements and resources. This results in reliable order promising and manpower scheduling.

The PdMAIN shop floor module gives you powerful tools for flexible scheduling and resource management. With it, the system monitors and controls work in process. It enables material back flushing, real time dispatching, and the reporting of applied labor and material moved through work centers. It helps avoid bottlenecks to get quality products produced according to specifications and out to customers on time.

Manufacturing Execution refers to efficient shop floor manufacturing processes. Many elements in PdMAIN come together in manufacturing execution processes:

• Human Resources
• Employee attendance information for payroll and manpower scheduling
• Wireless shop floor applications (touch screens & hand-held mobile modules)
• Shop Floor Data Collection modules for job tracking, performance measurement, actual costing and dynamic scheduling.
• Resource Planning
• Matching resources with capacity demand
• Dynamic Work Centre Scheduling
• On-going closed-loop monitoring and adjusting Work Centre loads and costing standards
• Item Definitions
• Defines Item Bill of Materials, Planning Parameters and Routings
• Work Orders Used to instruct shop floor employees about Items to be manufactured

With the PdMAIN manufacturing execution suite of modules you can: increase productivity; improve customer satisfaction; respond better to changes; eliminate bottlenecks; prevent shortages; better manage your bottom line with more accurate work order costing; maximize throughput; reduce overhead; improve scheduling and capacity planning and have an on-line, real-time view of all production information.

Materials

Managing materials is the largest challenge to any business. PdMAIN understands this challenge and has developed an entire system around managing materials. The PdMAIN Materials modules manage all aspects of Inventory (Items, quantities, locations and transactions). All items are tracked and controlled within the materials application typically using Radio Frequency scanning and bar code technology. Multiple warehouses, division, companies and serial/lot control are also supported.

Raw Materials, Work in Process, Sub-assemblies, Components, Finished Goods, Customer Stock, Supplies, Machine Parts etc. are tracked and controlled within the Materials application using Radio Frequency scanning and Bar Code technology. Multiple warehouses and multiple locations are supported.

The Item Master table specifies most of the information about the various products, materials and items to be controlled.

The Material Modules are used to track all aspects of inventory management, including shipping, receiving, issuing and adjustments. The Bill of Material is used to calculate cost roll ups and display Item "explosions". Key features of the Materials module include support for:

Feature Highlights:

• Lot and Serial Number Control
• Quality Control and Inspection
• Cycle-Counting
• Re-order point, Minimum/Maximum, Lot Size Control
• Unlimited Bin Locations
• Standard, Actual and Average costs
• Tracks On Hand, Allocated, Committed, On Order, In Transit & In Process
• Up to 99 Bill of Material levels
• Unlimited number of components
• Unlimited number of Routing records for each Bill of Material
• Engineering Change Control
• Rapid creation of Bills using copy "same as except" feature
• Delivery route optimization system and container volume maximization
   

PdMAIN's materials management system affords complete visibility of where inventory has been used, is currently being used and where it is committed for future use. It provides the tools to minimize inventory while running an efficient, customer-service focused operation.

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Shop Floor Data Collection

Shop floor execution excellence returns higher profit and improves job satisfaction. Managing the shop floor is perhaps one of the largest unrealized costs in the manufacturing and logistics industries. Efficient management of the processes that occur on the shop floor can yield high rewards to any company.

The PdMAIN Resources module provides detailed information about your shop floor resources including employees, work centres, operations and Work Order management. PdMAIN provides real time shop floor load visibility, matching requirements and resources. This results in reliable order promising and manpower scheduling. The PdMAIN shop floor module gives you powerful tools for flexible scheduling and resource management. With it, the system monitors and controls work in process. It enables material back flushing, real time dispatching and the reporting of applied labor and material moved through work centers. It helps avoid bottlenecks to get quality products produced according to specifications and out to customers on time.

Feature Highlights:

EXECUTION MANAGEMENT

• PdMAIN's Shop Floor and Materials Management modules provide inventory tracking in a production/warehouse environment including Issue, Receiving, Transfer, Picking, Packing, Shipping, Adjustments, Replenishment and Cycle Counting. Other Shop Floor functions include Time and Attendance, Job Tracking and Work Centre Utilization.
• Integration with data collection, Touch Screens, RF, scanners and wireless networks
• Unlimited Routings, Operations and Work Centres can be established for Items
• On-line Work in Progress and Job Status information
• Extensive use of bar code technology
• Define specific operations that are enforced in sequential steps
• Define specific skill levels for defined operations
• Assign costs to each skill in the operation to maximize profits.
• Schedule resources efficiently

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

• Set expected durations for each activity in the operation
• Measure against the duration and adjust accordingly
• Assign skill codes to employees
• Define tasks by skill code and protect against unqualified individuals performing these tasks
• Minimize re-work and improve quality
• Track worked hours automatically
   

EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT

• With the use of RF all information is at the end users finger tips at all times
• Strategic placement of computers and other devices ensures efficiency
• Proper protection, firewalls and infrastructure, ensure security
• Most Shop Floor and Material Management modules use barcode scanning as the primary source of data input. The Virtual Keyboard, standard in all touch screen modules, allows manual data entry if a barcode is unavailable or damaged
   

With the PdMAIN shop floor module you can: increase productivity; improve customer satisfaction; respond better to changes; eliminate bottlenecks; prevent shortages; better manage your bottom line with more accurate work order costing; maximize throughput; reduce overhead; improve scheduling and capacity planning.

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Planning

The MRP aspect of the PdMAIN Resource Planning module provides information for Purchasing to ensure the time-phased acquisition of materials to meet the Master Schedule. The Capacity Planning aspect of this module provides shop load visibility matching requirements and resources resulting in reliable order promising and manpower scheduling.

The Distribution Requirements Planning module assists with the scheduling of customer deliveries and provides truck loading and route planning information.

PdMAIN Forecasting modules provide the tools to assist with the planning process. Simulation of Business and “What If” models allow management to experiment with various scenarios and to select the most favorable outcome.

The PdMAIN Planning module is used to control all aspects of Financial and Sales Budgeting as well as Resources.

PdMAIN Resource Planning will calculate the supply and demand on all your resources (Materials, Production Capacity, Distribution Capacity etc.) based on current and forecast Orders to determine a time-phased schedule that levels the load on the shop floor and maximizes customer service.

Feature Highlights:

• PdMAIN offers both finite and infinite Capacity Planning
• Resource Planning can run anytime, even during the day without affecting other transactions on the system.
• Extensive manpower scheduling functions
• Comprehensive "What If" scenario modeling capability
• Resource Planning will suggest Work Orders and Purchase Orders with auto-release capability.

Modules that incorporate PdMAIN Planning include:

• Business Plan
• Cumulative Balances
• Future Purchase
• Future Supplier Split
• Material Schedule
• Planned Orders
• Plant Loading
• Purchasing Requirements
• Resource Planning
• Seasonal Requirements
• Suggested Purchase Orders
• Suggested Resource Schedule
• Suggested Work Orders
• Time Fence Query
• Work Centre Loading
• Work Centre Re-Scheduling
• Work Orders Re-Scheduling
• Sales Planning
• Financial Budgets
• Forecasting
• Sales Trends

With PdMAIN’s planning, you can: increase production; improve inventory turns; retain customers through accurate order promising and on-time deliveries; reduce inventory; improve market and global positioning.

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Quality

PdMAIN Quality modules provide the tools to monitor and track vendor incoming quality, your process quality and your outgoing quality. Quality Control can be introduced at any point in the production or distribution process. In the manufacturing and logistics process the quality area has the most direct impact on customer satisfaction. Producing products of lesser quality not only drives away customers quickly, the resultant waste and rework increase product cost and lengthen lead times.

Recording information is not a burden to your processes or staff because most of it is done using Touch Screen/Scanner modules allowing rapid capture of key data - like Item Codes and Locations.

Support for ISO certified operations is available in PdMAIN where facilities for measurement recording and analysis exist.

The PdMAIN Quality modules are extremely versatile and comprehensive and handle the following:

Feature Highlights:

• Create quality bins and designated areas in the warehouse
  Reports on what exists in the quality bins and export to suppliers via EDI or reports
• Re-work modules for damages goods.
• Quality modules allow for spot checks of existing inventory and gather statistics about inventory quality
• Quality Control/Reject Process Overview

The PdMAIN benefits of quality control are in: improve product quality; increase customer retention; make more efficient use of resources; lower production costs; increase employee satisfaction; reduce waste; increase profits.

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Purchasing

The MRP aspect of the PdMAIN Resource Planning module provides information for Purchasing to ensure the time-phased acquisition of materials to meet the Master Schedule. The Capacity Planning aspect of this module provides shop load visibility matching requirements and resources resulting in reliable order promising and manpower scheduling.

The PdMAIN application can deal with both purchase orders from the customer or purchasing inventory to satisfy sales orders. Purchase orders received from the customer can arrive electronically into the PdMAIN system using EDI modules and during the Receiving process, inventory is received towards the purchase order. Additional EDI output files can be resent to the customer for validation. Purchase Orders and Work Orders are automatically generated by the Planning/Scheduling applications. Multiple vendors and prices, blanket contracts and integration with Financials and AP are features within the Purchase Order module

Internal purchasing of stock for existing sales order or for future planning is directly related to the MRP (Materials Requirments Planning) process in the PdMAIN system. The MRP system draws from existing sales orders and calculates what needs to be purchased and produces the records automatically. The system incorporates delivery wait times and client preparation and lag times. The end result is materials that arrive in a JIT manner.

Feature Highlights:

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

• Multiple vendors and prices
• Blanket contracts
• Integration with Financials and AP
• Draws information from Sales Orders and automatically updates the Purchase order list when MRP is run
• Can create an order automatically or suggest when to place your order to ensure JIT deliver of the inventory
• Purchase orders are used to receive inventory towards to have a one to one relationship with receiving
• Complete integration to general ledger
• Various methods to apply overhead
• Complete integration with inventory management system and relies on predefined conditions to work efficiently
• If used correctly can be a tool to manage warehouse floor space, ensuring only required inventory is in the warehouse when needed.

WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT

• Allows for complete control as to which orders are to be purchased and when
• Monitors which orders and has warnings if inventory has not arrived in time
• Can be used in different warehouses or division individually or company wide
• System forces the receiving process to match the purchase order to ensure complete closure of the order
• Old orders can be copied quickly and easily and converted to new orders with a couple of key strokes
• Helps keep cost of storage to a minimum
• Used for future planning and forecasting - orders can be manually entered to ensure seasonal demands are met

PdMAIN's benefits of purchasing include: reduce unit costs and inventory levels through accurate purchase planning and execution; improve cash management; improve purchasing information; reduce freight and expediting costs; reduce purchase order administration costs; improve quality of purchased materials.

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Work Orders

PdMAIN provides a comprehensive work order management system with powerful tools for flexible scheduling and resource management. With it, you monitor and control your work in process. It enables material back flushing, real time dispatching, and the reporting of applied labor and material moved through your work centers. It helps you avoid bottlenecks to get quality products produced according to specifications and out to your customers on time.

The work order specifies an item to be processed or fabricated (the "finished good’), the quantity to produce, the Items (raw materials and components) and their quantities that go into the processing of the finished good (often referred to as "child" Items or the Bill of Material) and the steps through the production or distribution facility that the order will take (the Routing).

The PdMAIN work order modules are extremely versatile and comprehensive and handle the following:

Feature Highlights:

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

• Work Orders are automatically generated by the Planning/Scheduling applications
• Provides the capability of assigning specific work centres per operation in a work order
• Allows for entry of estimated duration of the operation and tracks the time logged against the operation
• Allows for setting skill codes against operations and only individuals with that skill code can perform the operation
• Controls flow and forces resources to work on assigned tasks in the operation
• Multiple Time card entry methods
• Special and rework work orders
• Actual costing capabilities
• Integration with mobile wireless applications
• Integrates with the accounting system for time tracking and pay schedules

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

The benefits of materials management are in: improved on-time shipments; reduced inventory levels; reduced clerical cost to maintain accurate inventory and GL; fewer rejected items through analysis of inspection history; improved inventory accuracy through cycle counting; increased productivity and accuracy with data collection devices and automation systems; reduced obsolete inventory with analysis of item usage history and use-up effectivity.

• Produces a new item ‘Finished Good’ from raw materials
• Can create complex conditions in the work order that match the requirement for the development of the new item
• Can assign many operations with many work centres in a specific sequence
• The system can enforce that the sequence is followed and will not permit deviations
• Incorporates dynamic or static bills of materials into the creation of the finished goods
• Can associate costs to operations and work centres
• Complete integration to general ledger
• Various methods to apply overhead
• Full cost rollup for all or selected items
• Weighted average costing option
• Consumes raw materials either automatically or by enforcing validation
• Complete integration with inventory management system and relies on predefined conditions to work efficiently
• Can create work orders on the fly or have a standard set
• Can be used for simple operations or extremely complex operations.

WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT

• PdMAIN touch screens have been designed to maximize workflow and ease of use
• Allows for complete control as to which orders are to be released to shop floor
• Monitors which orders are being worked on at any given point in time
• Touches all components of the PdMAIN system including financials, sales orders, purchase orders and inventory management
• Deals with routings, work cells and specific areas of the warehouse and defines the movement of materials
• Introduces and enforces bar code scanning and can produce labels as required.
  Enforces validation of materials used and automatically consumes inventory
• Feeds the Resource Planning system
• Management has a complete overview work order system and can generate numerous reports or run queries in the PdMAIN system

With the work order system customers can increase productivity, improve customer satisfaction with better response to changes and elimination of bottlenecks, manage the bottom line efficiently, maximize throughput, and improve shop scheduling and capacity.

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Time & Attendance

PdMAIN provides Human Resources with integrated systems that encompass Time and Attendance, Payroll and Employee information and scheduling. Employee information is kept securely in restricted access files and information from many PdMAIN modules is brought together in the PdCUBE Data Warehouse to provide amazing efficiency, utilization and productivity analysis of the Human Resources in your organization.

Capacity planning and Work Order tracking systems are integrated with the Time and Attendance system to develop employee schedules that match anticipated production activity. PdMAIN is uniquely integrated direct to the shop floor with native transactions in real-time for efficiency and cost savings not requiring third party software, services or middleware to access the Time and Attendance information.

The PdMAIN Time and Attendance modules are used to track and classify the time an employee spends at work and their absences from work. This information is forwarded to the Payroll system for creation of pay cheques and financial reporting.

Feature Highlights:

• Enables employees to simply log in and out by swiping or scanning their ID badges at a workstation
• Captures details about hours worked by employee or department including;
  
  • Regular time
  • Overtime
  • Absence (paid and non-paid)
  • Shift premiums
  • Provides a facility to manage "flex" time
    
• Enables management and supervisors to more effectively manage the shop floor by facilitating immediate decisions to reallocate resources and by measuring productivity by employee, order, item, operation, work centre, department etc. Actual costs are a direct by-product of the Time & Attendance and Job Tracking systems.

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