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See also: Engineer, BOM, &
Product Configuration
See also: Bar Coding / Data Collection
Mfg Planning and
Inventory
Advanced Planning & Scheduling
By the early '90s, customers like Timken Steel and Black
& Decker were paying millions for i2's software package, called Rhythm, which lets
manufacturers plan optimum production schedules. Industry observers like Esther Dyson were
hailing Rhythm as the "spreadsheet for manufacturing." ...
i2 is the leader in its enterprise software niche, but the lucrative segment is attracting
stiff competition. Supply-chain management specialists like Manugistics and new arrivals
such as SAP and PeopleSoft will make continued growth a challenge. Still, analysts think
i2 CEO Sanjiv Sidhu is up to the task. - Forbes, Feb. 1998
This section introduces the players whose products are covered in more
detail in the following sections.
Forecasting
MANMAN MRP / Inventory / Part
Utilities
- Component Availability Tools from Summit Systems. Multilevel component availability
report that ‘Blows through’ an MANMAN assembly and verifies component
availability. Summit pricing.
- Component Obsolescence Utility from Summit Systems - A ‘use up and replace’
utility that automatically changes the BOM when the quantity of a component falls below a
target level. Uses amount on hand or quantity available. Summit
pricing.
- Work Load Coverage from Advacate.
Checks the effective on-hand quantity of parts over time for part availability. Includes
coverage and demand retrieval, netting process, product availability report, and work
order review.
- Striped Lighting Client/Server for MANMAN from Peripheral Software Concepts. Combines
all of the major ways of looking at and maintaining information relating to parts in
MANMAN into a integrated set of GUI screens. MANMAN part data access the way I wish MANMAN
could be designed. Combines the functionality of a number of MANMAN commands in an
intelligent fashion that takes advantage of the power of a GUI interface. Data and screen
navigation has been significantly redesigned in a common sense manner. Relevant
information about a part or group of parts are often shown on a single screen.. Users can
also quickly jump from one type of screen to another for the same part number.
Functions include:
- Part (IM) Maintenance and list commands
- Purchase Order Maintenance and list commands
- Purchase Order Requisitions
- Supports searching by part number, assembly number, work order number, and purchase
order numbers.
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3rd Party MRP/Supply Chain Management Tools & the
Leading ERP Vendors.
- "i2 provides integration solutions to many world-class
ERP systems, such as SAP, Oracle, SSA, Baan, and Datalogix. In addition, i2’s
Datalink module allows quick integration of the i2 decision support products with almost
all transaction systems now found in industry. " - White paper from i2 Technologies
Some of the larger vendors in this market advertise partnerships with
the leading, hot ERP vendors. This raises some interesting questions about the
completeness of the leading ERP products as stand-alone solutions. For instance:
Estimated Revenues Estimated Sites
Company (1995) Installed (1995) Partnerships
i2 Technologies $27M 300+ SAP, Baan, Oracle
Manugistics $50M 300 + SAP, Oracle
Numetrix $30M 285 SAP
Red Pepper ? 50 + PeopleSoft, SAP, Oracle, CA
‘What if’/Finite Scheduling MRP/DRP & Replacements
"By connecting i2’s decision support products to
legacy systems, some customers have found that they do not have to spend the time and
money upgrading these older systems"
- White paper from i2 Technologies
There is a booming market for MRP II, and advanced MRP, and DRP
replacement systems. There also seems to be a booming market for names to describe the
various flavors and advances on the classic MRP II model. The MANMAN MRP engine assumes an
infinite manufacturing capability therefor Finite Capacity MRP is one obvious area of
interest to MANMAN users.
Finite Capacity Planning Finite Capacity MRP
Finite Capacity Scheduling Supply Chain Management
Distribution Resource Planning (DRP) Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP)
Production Planning / Factory Planning Concurrent Planning
Available to Promise Planning Inventory Replenishment System
Collaborative Planning
- WebPlan from Enterprise Planning Systems. Runs on NT
and Windows 95.
Designed to enhance MRP II systems. The basic module provides full-function material
requirements planning (MRP) simulation for what-is and what-if processing. A free, fully
functional single user version is available.
Additional modules support collaborated planning with scheduling, finance, manufacturing,
and engineering, inventory analysis applications, ability to compare plans, and multiple
planners.
Most MANMAN users use a download only interface for which a set of QUIZ extraction
programs are provided. WebPlan is targeted to the mid-sized manufacturing market with
modules typically running in the $15 to 20k range.
- Requirements Planning - DRP; Feedback; Sales
& Operations Planning; Store-Level Replenishment from Demand Management, Inc. Targeted more to
forecasting, distribution (DRP), and vendor-based management requirements. Includes a user
defined import/export utility. 18+ MANMAN users - 1800 users worldwide. PC based. Prices
start at $12,500.
- Supply Chain series from American Software. American Software is a publicly
traded company that seems to have traditionally been focused on the IBM mainframe market
but is now rewriting it’s products for mid-sized customers with UNIX or AS/400
servers (projected completion fall 1987). Products include Supply Chain Logistics (including
customer order management, inventory and procurement), Supply Chain Manufacturing
(MRP II and flow/demand-pull/KANBAN) and Supply Chain Financials business
functions.
- PSA from Logility (a division of American Software). PC based finite production
scheduling.
- Rhythm series from i2
Technologies. (see also JAS?) Modules include advanced scheduling, data integration,
demand planning, distribution planning, manufacturing planning, order promising, and
transportation planning.
- Resonance from Thru
Put Technologies. The MK Group is acting as a full
service integrator for Resonance with MANMAN.
For complex manufacturing. Implements the theory of constraints (Drum-Buffer-Rope)
codified by Dr. Eli Goldratt (author of "The Haystack Syndrome", "The
Goal", "The Race", "It's Not Luck"). $125k includes software and
implementation consulting.
PURCHASING
General
- Striped Lighting Client/Server for MANMAN from Peripheral Software Concepts. Combines
all of the major ways of looking at and maintaining information relating to parts in
MANMAN into a integrated set of GUI screens. MANMAN part data access the way I wish MANMAN
could be designed. Combines the functionality of a number of MANMAN commands in an
intelligent fashion that takes advantage of the power of a GUI interface. Data and screen
navigation has been significantly redesigned in a common sense manner. Relevant
information about a part or group of parts are often shown on a single screen.. Users can
also quickly jump from one type of screen to another for the same part number.
Functions include:
- Part (IM) Maintenance and list commands
- Purchase Order Maintenance and list commands
- Purchase Order Requisitions
- Supports searching by part number, assembly number, work order number, and purchase
order numbers.
Purchase Order Change Audits
- Purchase Order Change Audit Trail - part of the Accounts
Payable Enhancement Collection from Summit Systems.
See AP.
Automatic POs / MRP Driven Purchasing
- Purchase Order MRP
Update Utility (new) from Summit Systems.
A package of commands that automatically updates your PO’s with information from the
last MRP run. When desired delivery dates change creates vendor action reports &
updates the latest delivery date in the MANMAN PO. Adds new POs & releases blanket POs
based upon MRP planned orders. Summit pricing.
- Vendor Action Reports. The detailed version is designed to be sent to
your vendors informing them of changes to purchase orders.
- Update Simulation Option. Shows you what changes the utility would make
using a given set of options.
- Reschedule Buy Report.
- PO MRP Update Utility. Changes the schedules dates on line items
according to your specifications. You can specify the type of PO to change,
‘leeway’ days, maximum number of days, earliest date.
- Automatic Blanket PO Release Utility. Creates a new release on a blanket
PO.
- Automatic Creation of New PO Utility. If a blanket PO is not found for a
part looks for part’s last PO. Can create a new PO for each part so the vendor change
be easily changed.
- MRP Express from Advacate.
Based upon a selection criteria automatically add purchase orders from MRP. $2,000.
- REQ3000 from Advocate.
Moves requisitions through an approval ladder then enters them as purchase orders.
Requisitions
- CS/PRS (announced) from Quantum Software. Purchase Requisition System.
Features multi-level approval and automatic vendor notification.
- REQ3000 from Advocate.
Moves requisitions through an approval ladder then enters them as purchase orders.
- Striped Lightning Client/Server for MANMAN. See above.
Vendor Management
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INTERPLANT
- IDT/3000 from Quantum
Software. InterDatabase Transfer. Corrects many of the shortcomings of the MANMAN
solution.
SHOP FLOOR
see also: Bar Coding / Data Collection
Transaction Tracking
- Usage and Transaction Tracking System from Summit Systems. Reduced size transaction log of
intelligently selected, key fields. The smaller size of the log file allows you to keep
logs on file for months and years for historical comparison. Includes a reporting
capability that allows you to report and compare activity by date buckets. Allow you to
define your own transaction categories. Priced around $2,000 - discounts for purchase of
other Summit products. Summit pricing
- TRLOG Database from Advacate.
Supports fast transaction log lookups on 10 key fields.
Labor Transactions
- LSR/3000 from The
Support Group. Labor Summary Report by Work Center. Reports information about MANMAN
assemblies and routing operations and summarizes labor by Work Center.
- LMS/3000 from The
Support Group. Data collection interface product that replaces the Mfg TR,302 and
TR,309 commands. Designed to interface with any shop floor data collection system.
- Labor Transaction Screen from Advacate. Complements Mfg TR,309 command.
Routings (Manufacturing Instructions)
A challenge with maintaining text files of manufacturing instructions is
keeping them in synch with changes in the routing file. Look for validation features
that compare routing information such as part numbers, operation sequences, and primary
codes in the text file against the MANMAN routings; also effectivity dates.
- RMS/3000 from Quantum
Software, distributed by The Support Group .
A MANMAN extension that integrates routings with detailed instruction text readable online
or as part of shop paper. Text may be maintained using the included full screen editor or
via a interface to PC based word processors. Said to validate part numbers,
operation sequences, and primary codes
- Extended Routing Remarks from Advacate. A MANMAN extension that makes instruction text a
part of each operation sequence. Prints up to 10k 60 character lines on the work order.
I believe SE Technologies has a solution.
- Champs plant and equipment maintenance management.
The MK Group is acting as full service integrator for
this well known system.
- PEM3000 Plant and Equipment Maintenance from Advacate.
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