Software Tracks Assembly on Shop Floor
nMetric recently announced that mid-sized manufacturers can now affordably track final assemblies, subassemblies and components by lot and serial number while achieving real-time scheduling, monitoring and tracking of manufacturing status. The 4C@Site shop floor software suite lets users identify assemblies individually or as part of a set. The system also validates the uniqueness of serial numbers for final assemblies and components.
"Bringing product lifecycle management [PLM] down to the factory floor in an affordable manner is a key attribute for mid-sized manufacturers," explains Tom Carpenter, nMetric CEO. "Both they and their customers can have instant feedback on who built an item at what workstation at what time with what components and parts, when it was ready for shipment and for whom it was built. In addition, 4C even provides resource consumption and tracking."
Users can record information on which resources, such as a part, tool, material or labor, have been consumed and used when manufacturing a specific product. Control types are configurable by the user and include serial number, lot number, expiration date and spool numbers, among others. Resource tracking information is then available for genealogy and product tracing.
With nMetric 4C, orders are continuously monitored at every moment throughout the production process in real time to assure status and provide notification to all members in the supply chain if delivery expectations are not going to be met. When and if resources or demands change or might change, 4C attempts to resolve any problems that could affect delivery dates and/or proactively notifies all specified parties so they are aware and can plan accordingly. If there are prospective large shifts in plans or resources, users proactively use 4C to manually determine the impact of various "what-ifs" on present order dates in the queue. Management can then anticipate what the effects of each change will be before making them.
For more information, visit www.nmetric.com.