IQMS, a vendor of manufacturing-specific enterprise software, today announced a new division dedicated to creating technology that can unite factory floor machines with ERP through an integrated database, thereby driving lean business operations from the top down.
The Automation Group, led by IQMS Programmer Jason Slater, began as a custom development project for a customer that needed to tie its IQMS ERP system to Rockwell Automation programmable logic controllers (PLCs). In that instance, IQMS configured a PLC handling a pallet wrapper program to communicate directly with the ERP system. The project quickly expanded to allow interfacing to a variety of conveyors, vertical lifts, scanners, palletizers, and other pieces of equipment — all with the goal of gaining better visibility into work in process and inventory on the shop floor.
That project, in turn, drove the ERP provider to create its own division staffed by experts who can visit a manufacturing facility and integrate ERP systems and PLCs. The Automation Group provides this integration on a case-by-case basis, building out its expertise as it goes.
IQMS’ ERP modules, built on an Oracle database, cover a variety of applications, including warehouse management systems (WMS), product lifecycle management (PLM), quality, manufacturing execution system (MES), and preventive maintenance. These modules have all been built from the ground-up with the same tools and the same look and feel, creating what IQMS said is one version of the truth across all applications. The integration efforts of the Automation Group aim to extend that single version of the truth on the factory floor, and also minimize integration efforts among multiple databases, providing IT with a more cost-effective, manageable system, said Randy Flamm, president and founder of IQMS, in an interview with Managing Automation.