Much faster quotations and instant transfer of engineering specifications into production are among top benefits reported by German tool and mould maker Kon-Form Werkzeuge from its new project-based ERP system.
Kon-Form co-founder Matthias Richard says the company chose Sescoi’s MyWorkPlan engineering-centric job management software, because it closely matched the way it needs to work.
He explains that the company generates around 600 quotations per year and produces between 40 and 50 tools. To complete a quotation, MyWorkPlan now refers to historic data and analyses customers’ drawings.
“We can create very precise quotations based on the cost of components and predefined machining processes. We can now prepare a quotation in less than 15 minutes.”
And after that, he says, Kon-Form can verify delivery dates by running a planning simulation to check available capacity before the tool is even ordered. “We customised the software and transferred our master data within four weeks, achieving a faultless transition to MyWorkPlan. Anyone reasonably experienced with a computer can accomplish the same,” says Richard.
Most impressive is the fact that once an order is received, Kon-Form can transfer the detailed information in the quotation into production with one mouse click. Job tracking and recording on the shop floor is then achieved using touch screens.
Says Richard: “A short training session was all that was required to get our operators familiar with the system. It is faster, saves money and is more accurate, eliminating our previous manual data recording methods. Additionally, the availability of real-time data enables managers to see shop floor progress as it happens.
“It is common for operators to start a job on a machine and then move to another task, leaving the machine running unattended. MyWorkPlan can separate operator and machine hours very simply, which is an important tool for us.”