SupplyWorks MAX 5.0 is a direct materials supply management software solution for discrete manufacturers. A new feature bundled into version 5.0 is a wireless connectivity solution integrated with handheld data input devices on the plant floor. Based on the Microsoft .NET framework, the wireless architecture supports a complete range of devices running Microsoft Pocket PC O/S and Mobile 2003 O/S. It also includes a pre-configured Microsoft Windows applet called SupplyWorks MobileMAX (v1.0), which enables users to download kanban parameters to a handheld device, scan bar codes to capture replenishment requirements, and submit orders from the plant floor directly to suppliers.
The new wireless functionality in SupplyWorks MAX 5.0 complements the solution's replenishment features, including the newly enhanced kanban support. In a traditional kanban environment, replenishment depends on the movement of physical cards, manual order creation, and human supervision of orders submitted to suppliers. Wireless kanban triggers supplier shipments from the plant floor with a minimum of human intervention and overhead. This facilitates implementation of a lean manufacturing environment, with low inventories, frequent replenishment and fast cycle times.
Advanced globalization features introduced in SupplyWorks MAX 5.0 are designed to facilitate worldwide multi-plant deployments.
SupplyWorks MAX 5.0 incorporates numerous additional enhancements in the areas of configurability and usability, based on SupplyWorks' customer experience in field use. Examples include configurable tolerances for alerts and notifications, configurable system preferences, new labor-saving automation features such as mass-submittal of orders, and improved data export from SupplyWorks views into Microsoft Excel.
