Work Manager



	Work Manager

Objectives of this Manufacturing Software System

1. To provide and install a turnkey computerized industrial engineering and production planning software system that can readily create and maintain your company's productivity engineering requirements.

2. Supply the ability to replace and/or create engineered work methods and time standards that are precise ( +/- 5% of the national normal work pace) and consistent.

3. Standardize the industrial engineering procedures for your company such that work place layouts, work methods, time standards, operation costs, master routings, shop routings, BOM's and indirect standards are consistent throughout the plant and would mesh with all your other company operations.

4. Improve productivity and reduce costs of manufacturing by a minimum of 15%.

5. Implement a system of productivity assurance which is fair, consistent, acceptable to all levels of management and labor and easily understood by all employees.

6. Increase coverage of engineered time standards, including work methods, work station layout and flow of work for both direct and indirect labor.

7. Quickly supply to operators, supervisors and others, work kits and detailed documentation of manufacturing methods to establish proper procedures and to aid in employee training.

8. Establish computerized and integrated methods for product cost estimating for product and production planning, strategic planning, facility planning and proposal preparation.

9. Create and maintain data integrity in your company's productivity assurance database, that is necessary to improve the reliability of higher level systems such as MRP, scheduling, inventory control, costing, manpower planning, capacity requirements planning and resource management.

10. Provide your company productivity management with the information necessary to make intelligent business decisions, based on accurate and timely data. Accurate, current data for UnivEl allows for sound judgments on a day-to-day basis. Accurate simulation of data (what-if) created from UnivEl provides the necessary information to make important decisions concerning new methods implementation, plant layout, new equipment purchases, competitive price bidding, new market ventures and even new product lines within existing and planned facilities.

11. Provide a manufacturing software system which is extensive enough to satisfy future expansion needs and flexible enough to adjust as new techniques and manufacturing systems are developed.

How To Apply Our Software

1. The purchase of limited-use license for MCIE Series Systems software.

This family of MCIE programs is designed to produce computer generated work methods and engineered time standards and the ability to plan and control your manufacturing work. Included is the ability to generate detailed operational methods instructions, routings, develop accurate measurement for direct and indirect labor and sustain the viability of the system and ensure productivity through the manufacturing work documentation and manufacturing database.

2. Review Methods-the key to savings potential

Methods improvements are always possible as a result of a productivity audit.
The majority of our users use this as an excellent opportunity to do methods improvement, which yield tremendous savings and ultimately justify the implementation and cost of this engineering and production planning system.

3. Using the MCIE Engineering Work Stations

Our experience with implementation of this software has also shown several key points:

The Industrial Engineering staff must, at a minimum, have access to a dedicated applications terminal that can edit, format input and receive data without going on-line to the host system. MI Systems' software is built with this requirement in mind. By using the MI Systems Engineering Work Station, the engineer can test his concept or engineering modifications at his individual work station before processing large amounts of data. For data processing, the engineer sends his information to the host for batch processing in the most cost effective mode.

4. The use of Process Planning

This MCIE software module allows automated and detailed variant process planning at the individual part level through the use of the MCIE III PLUS and DATAMANAGER, the Production Engineering Database and generative Process Planning. The system allows integrated searches through a special part model file which allows assembly of all information related to a particular part. The process planner can do same as, except types of searches for similar processes, machine operations, materials and any other aspect of manufacture of the part. Once similar operational information is obtained, the engineer can quickly modify on an exception basis, all information necessary to derive a detailed process plan and shop floor methods and work kits. The process planner has access to:

Similar Part shaping, welding, treating, and Assembly methods at the part operation level
Similar Process formulae, including user input
Flow of Work, flow of materials
Material transport
Floor-to-floor times
Queuing time simulation for a prototype process plan
Setup times, by machine and material preparation and treatment process times by the non-machine process.
Tools, where used, and tool kiting by the BOM level.
Multi-machine use and machine cell simulation can also be derived on a same as, except basis.

Planning can be done on a similar part basis using same as, except techniques and groupings of machines, variable lot sizes, queuing, work path analysis, setup and run-time with 30 alternatives generated per part operation. Machine and facility capacity, part cost, labor cost and process times are all included as consideration for alternate operations, machines and processes.

5. Using Automated Machines, FMS simulation, Planning and Control

Using the sophisticated process simulation capabilities of the MCIE Workstation, the engineer can simulate the use of automated machines or automated transfer systems, robots and other automation facilities. The software will accept algorithms, data in tabular form or graphic form as well as individual formulas which describe the automated process When this capability is combined with the multi-machine processors, one has a powerful means of engineering the manufacturing automated process for planning and control.

6. Using Cell Design and Work Layout CAD Systems

With MI Systems UniCAD graphics system, your company can design multi-machine, multi-man cells, including functional work elements which are automatically included in the generation of work methods, standards and costing which the MCIE III PLUS calculates. The engineer can use graphics to drive the engineering and production planning with our integrated CAD capabilities.

7. The Use of the MCIE III Plus Group Technology System

MI Systems has a significant part numbering system which will yield an excellent opportunity for group technology planning and associated savings. For example, group technology data can be entered into the MCIE Series Systems to help you retrieve parts by families and therefore do simulation, (what-if) to review costs, methods and other manufacturing data.

UnivEl is unique in that a "model" can be recalled to accept only those variables that describe a particular part. Consequently, standards can be generated quickly with accuracy and consistency.

8. Using the MCIE III Plus for Allowances

MI Systems software will compute allowances for personal delay, fatigue and any other allowances through formulas supplied as part of the UniComp library or through formulations input by your engineers. This will eliminate any clerical calculations, chart lookups, errors and will also allow for mass maintenance of all your standards. The allowance can be included as part of the work methods engineering using our Variable Code instructions and optimal procedures engineered.

9. Using the MCIE IIIC Cost Estimating System

The MI Systems Advanced Product Costing system provides the capability of generating both standard and current costs using material, labor, fixed and variable burden, and setup rates. Costs can be input on a day-to-day basis or when the user desires to generate new information. The system generates Standard cost of direct labor operations, Indirect labor costs at various operating volumes, computes redistribution of duties at various operating volumes, establishes a basis for distributing the fixed and variable overhead expenses, determines the effect of production lot sizes (that is, setup vs. storage costs) upon the cost of the product, provides cost-effective, timely and accurate updating for all changes to parts or operations through MultiComp.

10. Using the MCIE III Plus DATAMANAGER for Information Management

Manufacturing information is generated as part of the extensive information generation and management system. Manufacturing files are automatically updated as part of the automated maintenance capabilities of the software working database.

11. Engineering Change Order Planning, Control & Documentation

Engineering Change Orders can be automated and quickly integrated into the maintenance of the manufacturing process. New process sheets, work kits, routings, material changes, where-used, changes in tools, where-used and machines, people and process plans can all be quickly changed as part of the built in capability of the software to handle ECO's.

12. Department of Defense, Mil-Std 1567A

Although your company may not presently have government contracts requiring compliance with Mil-Std 1567A, the MI Systems MCIE Series system was reviewed for the three services by Arthur Young and our software passed with flying colors. This military standard requires methodization, documentation, accuracy, traceability and labor standard coverage.

13. Implementation Services

MI Systems believes strongly in the application of our MCIE Series systems by properly trained engineers and software applicators. Using our Productivity Assurance Program, your company personnel will be able to develop a complete engineered standards system with the MCIE III Plus.

Use of the MCIE for CIM/JIT Applications

Several important elements are necessary to have a competitive manufacturing environment. Typically, it is thought that MRP II gives the user the capability to respond to sales requirements in a timely manner while maintaining a minimum of inventory and work in process. Unfortunately, MRP II by its nature, does not include the problems of varying capacity. Shop floor problems which may result in temporary loss of capacity or improper simulation of flow of work or process changes can result in MRP II planning which is inaccurate and not responsive to the fluctuations in sales.

Basically, MRP II assumes infinite capacity in that capacity fluctuations are not a part of the back scheduling portion of resource planning. In addition, MRP II does not address changes in quality during production due to degradation of machines or the effect of using variable lot sizes to address sales fluctuations as they affect production levels.

Therefore, in order to meet the needs of production which will fluctuate because of response of sales it is necessary to bring several planning and control tools into the this dynamic environment. These tools include modifications to the production process which are practical only in a CIM environment. The MCIE software, in combination with MRP II, supplies the necessary computerized environment for these production methods. The following are essential to competitive manufacturing:

Process Planning which is computerized and rapidly responds to changes in the manufacture of the product or the flow of work required to produce the product.

Statistical Process Control (SPC) which prevents large waste through production of unacceptable parts.

Just-In-Time which, through Simplified Synchronous Production (SSP), uses process planning, statistical Process control and Automated Maintenance together with small lot size to maintain responsive planning for variations in sales order levels and diversity.

Computerized or Automated Maintenance is an essential part of this upgrade program. It is necessary to use both SPC in combination with a solid maintenance program to maintain both the tools and machines in the best condition.

Simplified Synchronous Production, when used as part of the control over the manufacture of parts at the individual workstation requires that manufacture of the product through the work line be accomplished in equal increments of time. The objective of SSP is to match production rates as closely as possible to the actual rate of sales. SSP can only be accomplished as lot sizes are reduced to minimal levels with frequent changeovers to meet final production schedules. The existing "batch" production approach used by many manufacturers today precludes SSP by its very nature. It takes longer to produce larger batches before the next operation and when mistakes are made in production or machine or tool degradation is not caught in time, big batches mean big mistakes. Also, if work-in-process follows a batch scheme, versus the process plan, management of WIP, by palletizing systems and AGV hardware builds into the product price unneeded costs of inventory management.

Setup time reduction is essential to good production management. When used in combination with small lot sizes for maximum responsiveness to sales requirements, efficient setup is crucial.

Flow of work must be in such a way as to allow minimal materials or WIP handling. Work cells or work centers must reflect the need for congruency with the process plan and therefore continuous facility layout analysis must be integrated into the production picture.

Uniform Work Loading is an integral part of good production practice in a CIM/JIT environment. Uniform work loading means matching the cycle times for individual operations within the production routing, so that production occurs as though to a drum beat. In each time unit, material moves simultaneously between work centers. In this manner WIP inventory levels are minimized and throughput is improved. To accomplish uniform work loading, one must be able to accurately simulate production at the individual elemental processing level and be able to simulate accurately, changes in flow of work, use of multiple machines, work cells, synthetic work lines and changes in the facility layout to accommodate the need for uniform loading. This means an integration of potential routings, schedule effects, proper use of bottleneck machines and availability of purchased materials and WIP in the production plan.

Assembly Line Uniform Work Loading where applicable and integration of inspection and test stations into the lot size strategy and maintenance programs is another essential part of this program.

This approach is made possible by an integration of our CIM/JIT, graphics driven software, which integrates shop floor management with scheduling in combination with MRP II software and real time shop floor reporting. Our approach is accomplished a small piece at a time. We recommend a phased program, starting with a dedicated line for some part of the manufacturing floor which contains either fabrication or assembly and which could be dedicated to an initiation of the process in the plant without jeopardizing any major portion of the activities and within which operational problems can be removed in preparation for application to the full manufacturing enterprise.

Our software is unique in its CIM/JIT capabilities. Our software integrates engineering function with scheduling, production, shop floor planning and control and MRP II. All information is generated in one consistent database. Information is generated from the bottom-up, through the engineering system, generating detailed manufacturing information that is realistic and accurate, down to the individual shop floor work element.

Because our software integrates engineering with the MRP II Planning and Control software, the difficulties of manual inputs requiring manufacturing information that must be manually synthesized in other software systems, is not required by our CIM software. The input to the MRP II software is automatically generated by our engineering and manufacturing planning and control software and resides in the integrated CIM database.

Accurate simulation of What-If plans is included as part of the software system capability. Plans for a new product can easily include modifications to processes, machines and facilities, as well as inventory modifications, financial changes, indirect activities and materials and labor requirements.

Our CIM software allows the engineer to bring to the screen the new parts, new facilities and modifications and the software will automatically generate all the manufacturing requirements, down to the individual work element and compute new product manufacturing cost, facility costs, new tooling, materials and machine process costs and more. This type of integrated engineering, planning and control is unexcelled in its ability to reduce planning, costs and lead times, response to sales orders, reduction of non-value adding operations and increase the manufacturers ability to compete.

The software does not require the conventional separate engineering bill-of-material, which must be converted to manufacturing configurations and manufacturing routings in multiple forms. Once the product and process plan are complete, the software automatically generates all manufacturing information required to build the product.

MCIE III PLUS, MCIE III-C and MCIE III-L Manufacturing Engineering Applications

The MCIE Series software is used to produce work measurement/work management-building blocks, Costs, labor and other resources, Assembly Line engineering and Workplace analysis as part of a complete manufacturing engineering planning and control system. Our MCIE Workstation is used for:

Product Definition
Cost Estimating
Process Planning
Production Engineering Planning
Part Master maintenance
Production Planning and Control
Manufacturing Engineering
Assembly Engineering
Quality Assurance
Cell Design
Work Measurement
Jig and Fixture Engineering
Tool Management
Selection of Equipment
Facility Management/Facility Design
Work Center Layout
Work Station Layout
WIP management
Job Tracking and Job Control
Simulation, What-If
ECO process control
Manufacturing Database Maintenance

Work Management/Work Measurement provides the production engineering foundation for all manufacturing planning and control systems. Only if an accurate and comprehensive data file of the manufacturer's production methods and processes, bills of material, operation sequence routings, and physical resources is built and maintained, will real CIM or JIT ever be implemented. The uses of Work Measurement/Work Management is not confined to just the manufacturing function. Marketing/Sales, Engineering, Accounting and Industrial Relations also obtain major functional benefits through the more accurate and timely production engineering information supplied through the use of MI Systems MCIE Series.

MI Systems's Work Sciences and Engineering systems bring to the manufacturer a range of product planning and production control not previously possible. Our software programs are integrated and will allow you improved access to vital information, better resource control, more accurate cost estimating, more complete review of plans and alternatives, improved facility and work station layout and more, as described below:

Design of Product

The effect of alternate methods of manufacture on the cost of the product.
The effect of alternate material on the cost of manufacturing the product.
The effect of different designs on the method of manufacturing and consequently on the time and cost of manufacturing the product.
Better engineering personnel and resource utilization through the use of variant computer-aided-process planning through MCIE and DATAMANAGER.

Process Planning

The selection of machines for completing selected part operations.
The selection of optimum processing feeds and speeds, cuts, etc. for proper manufacture of the part.
Variant building of manufacturing work methods and selection of alternate methods.
Cost planning and selection of make vs. buy decisions.
Selection of tools and proper tool kits and maintenance programs.
Development of Process sheets.

Cost Estimation and Price Determination

Standard cost of direct labor operations.
Indirect labor costs at various operating volumes.
Redistribution of duties at various operating volumes.
A basis for distributing the fixed and variable overhead expenses.
The effect of production lot sizes (that is, setup vs. storage costs) upon the cost of the product.
Cost-effective, timely and accurate updating for all changes to parts or operations databases.

Selection of Equipment

Determination of the cost of operation.
Determination of the cost of setup.
Establishing the machine capacity to determine the amount of equipment required to meet anticipated volumes.

Design of Tools, Jigs and Fixtures

Determination of which operations will benefit from the use of specialized tools, jigs and/or fixtures.
The cost-benefits of the tools, jigs or fixtures.
The effect of alternate designs upon operating costs.
The effect of alternate materials or designs on the cost of fabricating the tool, jig or fixture.
The economic utility of the tool, jig or fixture.

Plant Layout and Material Handling

Evaluation of the time to transport material and operators considering the following alternatives:

Location of the equipment
Number of machines operated by an individual.
Number of floors.
Choice of intradepartmental material handling methods.
Choice of interdepartmental material handling methods.
Process vs. functional layouts - Flexible or Cellular Manufacturing.
Generation of indirect procedures and analysis of alternate methods.

Shop Floor Control

Generation of Master and Shop Routings
Generation of Part Masters for easy reference.
Use of Work Kits, including Process Sheets, ECO's, Workplace layouts, WIP drawings, work methods documentation, process instructions, feeds and speeds, setup documentation.
Evaluation of alternate workplace layouts.
Evaluation of alternate machines, work cells or automated transfer systems.

Budgeting and Cost Control

Provides the basis for variable budgeting enabling the measurement of direct labor and overhead variances for both volume and performance parameters.

Manufacturing Resource Planning MRP II

Enables computation of both manpower and machinery capacity planning at various production levels. Computational parameters include: Man-machine assignment, manual work accomplished internal the machine cycles, line balancing and alternate operation routings determination.
Determination of the exact time in production process an item is necessary and in what quantity - JIT.
Queue, move and setup time determination.
Alternate part-operation method and process planning.

Production Scheduling

The work load for a man or a machine.
The machine and man load a department must carry.
The effect of alternatives on two above items.
Possible shipping date of an order to a customer.
Evaluation of the excess cost of alternate methods which may be necessary during periods of maximum capacity requirements.

Quality Assurance

Standardization of setup, manufacturing and assembly methods and practices.
Incorporation of quality assurance and inspection instructions into each part operation with determination of the associated time and cost.

Purchasing

Establishing "Should Cost" guidelines to facilitate negotiations with vendors on setup, volume, inventory and delivery quantity considerations - Zero Inventory, JIT.

Industrial Relations

Determination of hiring and layoff needs.
Determination of skills for new hires.
Development and scheduling of training.
Determination of the cost of turnover and training of new hires.
Developing equitable job assignments.
Identification of unsafe and/or nonstandard practices.
Evaluation of employee suggestions.
Utilization of wage incentives.
Productivity issues in collective bargaining.
Performing objective job evaluation.

The uses of MCIE Series software thus extend throughout management and the planning and control of manufacturing. MCIE Series software provides a key building block for the implementation of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM). Our software will enable you to become the lowest cost producer with the best product quality and customer delivery in your marketplace.