EASTECH 2017 — Jaffrey, NH — May 16, 2017 — Graphicast, Inc., innovative casting producer for medical equipment and other industrial users is dealing with a “problem” many companies would love to have – a sudden, unexpected influx of new orders!
According to Val Zanchuk, Graphicast President, “We have been a Visual ERP user for shop floor operations since 1999. The most recent step in our continuing investment in shop floor operations software is Protected Flow Manufacturing™ production execution software from LillyWorks. Fortunately, we put it to work at exactly the right time.
“As we went into January 2017, orders not only suddenly increased, it was the best month in a long time, and the best first quarter in our 38-year history. Customers are ordering parts we haven’t made in three or four years, and earlier orders for 1,000 parts a year are now coming in for 1,000 parts a month!
“For many companies, this sudden surge of new business would be a bigger problem than dealing with fewer orders. When the future hit us, though, we were fully prepared to meet new customer deliveries. Rather than being overwhelmed, we are utilizing systematic priorities enabling us to make better decisions in a truly dynamic environment,” he said.
Protected Flow Manufacturing™ at-a-glance Protected Flow Manufacturing (PFM) is a toolset for make-to-order manufacturers to increase throughput and profit. Following is a brief explanation of PFM’s distinct processes.
Systematic Priority When a manufacturing resource wants to know what to work on next, PFM displays the highest priority available production order for that resource. This priority is calculated at the exact moment we ask the system to display the priority list. PFM is very different than a traditional scheduling system which would play back a static schedule that had been calculated at an earlier date and time. PFM is Shop Floor Execution Software that examines each available production order at that moment, determining which one can least afford to wait longer. To deliver all orders on time, it is imperative that the resource work on that production order next. This mechanism provides the very best opportunity to deliver all orders on time. It also reduces the amount of time any order spends waiting to be worked on, which decreases delivery lead times and increases the velocity of cash into the company.
Simulation Looking forward at each future date and time at which a resource will complete work, PFM determines which available order will have the highest priority at that future moment and simulates the effect of the resource working on that one next.
Seeing the future “Having PFM just when orders began to pour in is proving to be very valuable,” Mr. Zanchuk said. “We can now see the load against all resources going forward into the future and most importantly see which ones are likely to be bottlenecks and which orders are unlikely to be delivered on time. “Graphicast is now experiencing a very dynamic environment and we are determined not to be swamped by sudden success. We now know when each production order is likely to finish and let our customers know accordingly. If we must add additional capacity, we’re confident that doing so will improve on time delivery and throughput. Now we understand and see clearly what will happen to all deliveries by accepting that extra order,” he commented.
“Graphicast has been a pioneer in the use of detailed analysis of manufacturing and operations data to improve revenue and reduce costs. We have combined data analysis with business optimization software including Infor Visual ERP and now LillyWorks’ Protected Flow Manufacturing, allowing us to determine the most profitable path to growing the company and improving performance. As new orders continue to increase, we’re ready — and committed — to delivering on time, in less time, every time,” Mr. Zanchuk concluded.
About LillyWorks. The Lilly family has been innovating software for manufacturing companies since 1960. LillyWorks serves only manufacturing companies. Fully aware that the needs of manufacturers have changed since last century and that MRP II functionality is no longer good enough, LillyWorks puts Manufacturing Back in ERP™. Lilly Works is headquartered at One Liberty Lane, Suite 210, Hampton, NH 03842. Telephone 603-926-9696 or visit www.www.lillyworks.com. #####
For further information, contact: Mark Lilly MLilly@lwperformance.com Office: 972-926-3580 Or Steven Swartz stevensizzlepr@gmail.com Mobile 978-265-4934