A case study on how VTech adopted ETMX to improve mold traceability and visibility that enable efficient cost management.
Better Visibility Enables Efficient Cost Management
ETMX tracks and records all physical events such as production, inventory status changes, receiving, subcontracting, shipping, and other data on the shop floor. This ability to generate in-depth information in real time has made tracking activities and costs easy.
VTech has seen major benefits in the manufacturing process due to ETMX’s traceability function. Mold components now move from process to process with a serialized job number on a barcode label. These unique numbers are tracked by ETMX with its dashboard. VTech can review the date, time and duration that a specific part has been through. This allows quality managers to easily detect if there are any issues or deviations in the process. When problems occur, they can investigate quickly and easily because each part leaves a detailed history, allowing solutions to be swiftly introduced.
The advantages of traceability with ETMX are not limited to mold component tracking status but also with division of workforce. Different level of processing item can view in corresponding production categories in dashboard. Supervisors can arrange task according to their availability through centralized database, and thus increase productivity and control. Also, real time collaboration enables supervisor to set quotas for the processing tasks and further increase the utilization of resources.
Drilled-Down Reports Boost OEE Standards
With reports generated from ETMX, plant managers are able to track the overall equipment effectiveness. These reports provide in-depth details of:
- Downtime of each machine
- Number of pieces produced per machine
- Time taken by each machine to produce the mold
- Statistical analysis of labor hours,
- Information statistics of mold situation and other business functions
The reports allow the team to calculate overall equipment efficiencies based on the mold availability. It gives the uptime numbers, which is the number of actually produced parts minus the downtime. Such drilled-down data enables the plant managers to quickly make strategic calculations and informed decisions.
Company Saves Time with Better Tracking and Real-Time Information
Tracking the mold availability and knowing real time information from shop floor enable supervisor to control the manufacturing processes in a timely fashion. It was challenging to know the status of the rework without a great deal of effort.
Result: “I can rely on handheld devices to visualize the real-time status of mold production.”
The Result
By using ETMX, VTech is able to effectively control production process. Real-time information across the shop-floor to improve visibility, performance and operational excellence.
Reduced Man-Hours Increase Productivity & Control
VTech managers can preview full scope of shop-floor production status. Through real time information analysis using Elite PLM , they can quickly make strategic evaluations and best decisions.
Department of Production Management:
“Clear, intuitive. I can use iPad to view the current status of the production”
– Mr. LM Pan, Department Manager of the Production Management
“I can simply focus on my own task as it saves me a great deal of time”
– Mr. Zun Yu Fan, Frontline Production
“The statistical function of work hours is good, and reports can be generated effortlessly”
– Mr. Chun Fai Cheng, Head of Production Management
About VTech
VTech is the world’s largest manufacturer of cordless phones. It is also one of the top 50 electronic manufacturing services providers globally.
More information regarding the company can be found a
https://www.vtech.com/index.html
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