2020 Predictions: What Manufacturers Need to Know
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Wilsonville, Ore. —Mentor Graphics Corp. has launched two supply chain tools, targeting enterprise resource planning (ERP) and materials costs reduction in electronics manufacturing. Materials accuracy is a critical factor in PCB assembly operation because materials make up the bulk of manufacturing costs, said the company.
This poses a challenge to traditional ERP where inventory discrepancies compromise materials ordering and planning operations, according to Mentor. As a result, the company has developed two supply chain solutions to complement the ERP/MRP operation systems.
Together, the Valor Information Highway and the Valor Warehouse Management products, provide real-time material consumption and spoilage data, which facilitates total materials management and traceability in the warehouse infrastructure, logistics, shop floor storage areas and direct points of use. This enables manufacturing teams to access data from all aspects of the shop floor, supply chain, quality, planning and product engineering through a single software suite.
"Valor Information Highway gives me complete visibility and control of our shop floor operation through a single source of information linked to ERP and MES reporting,” said Stefan Schnake, manufacturing process support, Phoenix Contact, in a statement. "Access to real-time detailed data allows me to effectively manage my operation and report accurately to my customers, which is critical for our success."
The Valor Information Highway product provides accurate, real-time access to detailed warehouse and shop floor information. Mentor said the tool does not require complex integration, which means there is no associated cost of customization with various engineering services. It also does not create complex dependencies between systems.
The tool gives users a single consistent source of data, both live and on-demand, that represents the entire integrated shop floor environment—from engineering and planning to performance, materials, tracking and quality information. The generated information and reports provide essential performance and traceability data to drive continuous improvement, said Mentor Graphics.
The Valor Warehouse Management tool provides a comprehensive materials management solution, providing a single environment spanning multiple local and remote warehouses and shop floor storage, from initial material receipt, logistics and storage management. The tool is said to be easy to use with automated PDA-based material task assignment and advanced configurable logistics rules, including both Kanban and "just-in-time" material delivery protocols. The automated direct gathering of consumption and spoilage data ensures complete and accurate inventory, which prevents unexpected materials shortage and material overstocking, said Mentor Graphics.
The products will be available in the first quarter of 2014.
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