CIMx Supports

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Interax increases the value of ERP systems by providing detailed production information from the shop floor to the main decision makers within your organization.

An ERP system is considered a requirement for doing business today.  ERP systems grew out of the evolution of MRP (Material Resource Planning) and MRP II.  An ERP system enables resource management; people, machines, and dollars.

As a management tool, ERP systems perform a valuable function, but they are only as good as the information that is supplied to them.  If labor data, resource availability data, order status information and the like are collected manually as a by product to the manufacturing process, the ERP system will only be as good as yesterday.

A true paperless manufacturing environment becomes the eyes and ears of the ERP system on the manufacturing shop floor.  Data collected at the point of use can be made available as needed to allow the ERP system and company management to make confident, informed decisions in real time.

Manufacturing Execution (MES): CIMx Interax is the most economical out-of-the-box MES system available. Execution of work on the shop floor requires the ability to track work orders and “see” what is being done where.  The key elements for a successful MES solution are:

• Flexibility:  Growing and changing with your business
• Accessibility:  Providing end users with information electronically at any time
• Accountability:  Tracking labor, collecting data, and using electronic sign-offs to ensure a quality product

Finally, the ability to communicate shop information to ERP and PLM systems closes the loop and keeps your facility running smoothly.

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM): Interax adds value to PLM systems by carrying design intent to the shop floor and providing feedback to engineering to improve the communication betweet engineering and manufacturing.

The term PLM grew out of the Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) market.  In the 1980’s, CAD/CAM suppliers began to struggle with the management of engineering models and related documents.  They created management systems called Product Data Management (PDM) systems to maintain and control this related documentation.

PDM systems provided configuration management, workflow (assignment of tasks and approvals) and revision control.  As PDM systems grew to add the ability to manage manufacturing documentation, a new term, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) was coined.  Theoretically, a PLM system would control all product related information from concept through retirement.  In reality, PLM systems see very little use outside of design engineering and, in some cases, manufacturing engineering.  Designed and developed by engineering-centric organizations, they provide less value outside of the engineering domain.

A paperless manufacturing system, in some ways, can be considered part of the PLM environment.  Working together with a PLM system, the paperless manufacturing system is the vehicle for delivering design information to the shop floor, as well as the feedback loop to ensure that design intent is met in the manufactured product.  Critical design characteristic information can flow seamlessly from the engineering model to the manufacturer’s workbench and data collected at the shop work center can be made available to the designer, closing the PLM loop.

Lean Manufacturing: Interax accelerates Lean Manufacturing by providing continous availablity of shop floor quality and operatons data; allowing everyone in the value chain to achieve the highest productivity.

The goal of Lean Manufacturing is cost reduction by the elimination of waste.  How does that relate to paperless manufacturing?  While the cultural and process dimensions of Lean Manufacturing are critical, an electronic system in support of lean can be very beneficial.  Here are some of the key tenets of Lean Manufacturing that can be impacted by going paperless:

• Zero defects (solving problems at the source) - In a paperless environment, data is captured as part of the manufacturing process, as opposed to being recorded at the end of the shift or, worse, when the order is completed.  Problems can then be identified and addressed quickly.
• Waste minimization (eliminating non-value added activities) - What can be more wasteful than producing, collating, copying and managing paper?  Assuming steady flow through a process, this can be a time waster.  When the inevitable engineering changes and process non-conformances arise, the paper process can become nearly unmanageable.
• Building and maintaining a long term relationship with suppliers - A web-based information system that can be accessed by the supplier via a secure portal can go a long way in building strong supplier relationships.
• Visual control - An electronic call-board / status-board can be populated in real time if shop status data is collected electronically.