Production Planning News
Desperate to learn about the latest happenings in the world of production planning? Look no further: this page contains the most recent planning and scheduling news from around the globe.
New Release of LogiX Routing and Scheduling Software
July 24th, 2009
DPS International of Halesowen, United Kingdom, has launched the most comprehensive update ever to the LogiX routing and scheduling software. LogiX5 is the culmination of several decades of software development and successful deployment by hundreds of companies worldwide.
Gary Sharpe, General Manager Logistics Systems with DPS, says that this latest release has been built based on several criteria, including: feedback from many LogiX users; the latest developments in software development technology; requirements of companies who want to improve their environmental performance and reduce emissions; availability of new hardware tools for the logistics operations, including handhelds and mobiles; the recent partnership agreement between DPS and TomTom; availability of more detailed and relevant map data.
DPS Managing Director Paul Palmer, who founded DPS more than 25 year ago, said that one of the most significant improvements is in the automatic scheduling algorithm. "The algorithm has been improved with every new release and this time there is a significant advance combined with improved parameter management and features.
"Our customers have recognised the importance of the environment and the role they have to play in order to reduce emissions, in particular CO2 - you can now set up CO2 measures against your vehicle types and report CO2 figures, including savings. To make it easier for transport managers to control these emissions we have improved the optimisation progress bars - and these now show CO2 savings".
To improve the user friendly interface, DPS has made further improvements to icons throughout LogiX, including more information on the status of routes and orders plus better selectable icons for routes, products and zones.
Other improvements in LogiX5 include: new parameters for the start, turn around and end times at depots; improvements to the loading bays facility; new status levels designed for real time re-scheduling; better visibility of order and route warnings; Quick Address 6 integration - giving improved display and search capability.
There is improved matrix building for street level maps, with the ability to manage road bans or speed restrictions and improved itinerary with better statistics and the ability to display individual maps for each call at street level.
Sourced from: Manufacturing & Logistics IT
Preactor gets Green Light from Wonderware
April 3rd, 2009
Leading Advanced Planning and Scheduling system enhances existing strengths of leading Manufacturing Execution System and provides winning APS + MES combination.
Preactor International, the world’s leading specialist planning and scheduling Software Company, has announced that it has received certification by leading MES provider Wonderware. This recognises the fundamental need for manufacturers to be able to link their complex shop floor activities with the detailed, agile production planning and scheduling requirements necessary for success in today’s business environment.
Preactor will provide the Finite Capacity Scheduling module for the Wonderware Operations system, formerly known as Factelligence, adding to Wonderware users’ ability to power intelligent plant decisions in real time. Specialists from Preactor and Wonderware worked closely together to ensure a seamless integration between Wonderware Operations and the Preactor 400 APS system using Wonderware’s supply chain connector technology. Both Preactor and Wonderware specialise in the provision of incremental, low-risk approaches that allow their respective systems to be implemented, where required, in steps and to be scaled up when required.
The cumulative benefits of integrating MES and APS were long been highlighted by the Aberdeen Group, the leading provider of fact-based research focused on the global technology-driven value chain. Research based on a survey covering companies in North America, Europe and Asia/Pacific in the Automotive, Aerospace, Industrial Equipment, Metals, Food, Beverages, Hi-Tech and Pharmaceutical sectors to measure real world achievable benefits from lean manufacturing found that the 20% best implementers of lean used lean scheduling tightly integrated with MES and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology.
Mike Novels, CEO of Preactor International commented on the news. "Wonderware is used in over one third of the world’s plants and facilities and many of these sites can make further efficiency gains by integrating their plant floor and production planning capabilities. Preactor has a long history of its systems being used in an enabling capacity with Wonderware solutions in many different industries. This is a logical extension of providing the proven benefits of 2 leaders in their fields to manufacturers the world over."
Sourced from: Manufacturing & Logistics IT
Infor Keeps Amey on Right Track with Asset Management Solution
March 23rd, 2009
Infor have announced that leading support services provider Amey has deployed Infor EAM Enterprise Edition. The solution will help deliver cost-effective, planned and preventative maintenance services, reduce asset downtime, and improve both the productivity of Amey’s 9,000 staff and the quality of services it delivers.
Infor EAM will help Amey deliver operational and service excellence to infrastructure providers (both road and rail), schools, government offices and private sector buildings. By the end of 2009, Amey plans to manage 15 contracts using the solution. Amey’s enhanced service offering will include the monitoring of employee productivity, assessment of the physical condition and energy consumption of assets, and optimising work schedules and performance to align with tight service level agreements.
After conducting an extensive review of potential solutions, Amey chose Infor EAM because of its configurability, ability to manage both property and linear assets, and integration capabilities. Based on Infor’s service-oriented architecture (SOA), Infor EAM easily integrates with a host of Infor and non-Infor applications including finance, mobile communications and GIS functions. In addition, because Infor EAM is web-based it can be accessed anywhere. This is vital for Amey, as it has a presence in over 200 UK locations.
"Infor EAM has enabled us to innovate in many ways," commented Martyn Capes, head of ICT improvement at Amey. "We are now using information gathered by our mobile workforce, entered via handheld computers, to gain real time insights into the condition of assets. Because Infor EAM can cross-reference the GIS data from engineers’ locations with their skill sets we can dynamically deploy our workforce to meet service level agreements. This is having a huge, positive impact on our productivity."
"The analytics within Infor EAM have also made a big improvement to our operations. By spotting trends by location, time periods, or even asset class, we can deliver real insight into the state of both linear and fixed assets for our customers. When you realise that these assets include schools, rail stations in major UK cities, military construction vehicles and over 20,000 kilometres of the UK’s road network, you begin to see just how critical that insight can be."
Amey is now looking to deploy Infor EAM Asset Sustainability Edition to assess the energy consumption of assets. This will help Amey offer advice and services to customers to derive maximum energy efficiency. This can be of huge value to asset-intensive institutions.
"Effective asset management can be the most important tool for preventing operational surprises as well as uncovering hidden profits and productivity," said Phil Ballance, enterprise asset management solutions specialist, Infor. "Infor EAM enables services organisations like Amey to deliver a superior offering to its customers while at the same time saving time and money by optimising maintenance resources, improving productivity as well as increasing inventory efficiency. These all add up to helping support services organisations become stronger, more responsive and ultimately more cost effective."
Sourced from: Manufacturing & Logistics IT
