On-demand manufacturing software provider Glovia Services today announced a new stand-alone software module meant to help manufacturers boost their kanban efforts and enhance related business processes, including inventory, production, engineering, shipping, and receiving.
The GSInnovate Electronic Kanban (eKanban) Edition, which Glovia calls a service because it is delivered on demand, is a component of the GSInnovate ERP suite. It is also offered as a stand-alone module for customers that don't need or aren't interested in the full GSInnovate suite, said Glovia Services director of sales support Jim Errington, in an interview with Managing Automation.
The eKanban service addresses traditional kanban limitations by moving beyond basic low-inventory alerts to actually tracking and managing material flow and manufacturing processes in real time, Errington said. The system recognizes consumption of materials and parts and automatically generates resupply pull triggers when necessary.
"EKanban keeps material flowing when it's required, so personnel don't have to walk around the floor to make sure things are in the right place at the right time. The system keeps material flowing automatically," Errington said.
Kanban is an integral part of a lean manufacturing system and creates a pull-based system for the components and materials used to assemble end products. Instead of storing vast part stockpiles along an assembly line, manufacturers using kanban rely on just-in-time delivery of parts to the line, which, in most cases, contributes to a more efficient production process.
A typical customer of Glovia's new eKanban service is an engine assembler that supplies the automotive industry, Errington said. Rather than waiting for a batch MRP process, manufacturing personnel can use the eKanban module to manage components on an item-by-item basis, creating purchase orders or work orders automatically, based on individual part type.
"We're seeing interest in this type of service from smaller divisions of large corporations who already have an ERP system that processes data in batches — but they're not understanding data and material flow in real time," Errington said.
In addition, the eKanban module can send alerts to partner companies via a Web portal. For example, the system can trigger a purchase order and automatically e-mail it to a supplier, which can use a Web browser to access the information. On the manufacturer's side, users can download advanced shipping notices for delivery and receiving processes via the portal.
The stand-alone modules are quicker and easier to implement than the entire suite, Errington said, because each targets a specific area. The modules will interface both with other Glovia systems and other brands of incumbent systems in a manufacturing plant. The company did not specify the cost of the eKanban service.
Prior to the eKanban Edition, Glovia Services, a subsidiary of Fujitsu, released as stand-alone portals other modules in the GSInnovate suite, including an inventory management product. More are planned for release later this year, Errington said.
"We realized we don't need to solve every problem in the factory at once, but can pick and choose which problems to solve," he said.