Production Control
Imprint's Production Control actually looks and feels like a wallboard and is very easy to use. Moreover it is truly multi-user, so move an item on one screen it moves on the others. It can work standalone or live to the rest of the system, e.g. Shop Floor Data Capture and Direct Machine Monitoring. A shadow moves across the T-cards as the job progresses. The display moves with time, so can realistically drive a 42" wall mounted plasma screen. Imprint has a clever way of handling short run jobs, usually a short-coming with Gantt chart style systems. It can handle multiple sites, a wide variety of plant, shift and overtime patterns, and can schedule multiple component and sections.
Single or multiple masters may be set that can schedule jobs, as well as 'view only' users who can either just view, or be allowed by user, to alter a limited number of events, e.g. proofs in/out, OK press in, etc. Looking and working like a wallboard it is easy to use and 'familiar' to production controllers in operation.
Scope
Events may be configured as:
- Advisory: OK press, outwork, delivery, etc.
- Infinite: e.g. plate making, folding, etc. where you plan against the whole department available time rather than by each person or machine
- Finite: e.g. printing machines, gang-stitchers etc. where each job is planned against an individual machine
- Shift Patterns: These may be set individually per day per machine to almost any configuration
- Overtime: Able to be set per day per machine front or back of shift including closing down part or all of a day
- Horizon: Total horizon in excess of a rolling year
- Display: Zoom facility allows one or many days to be viewed without scrolling
- Routing: Any number of routes or displays may be set to cut the view of which events can be seen on screen e.g. machine room only, bindery only, particular work routes for type of work, etc.
- Work to Lists: These are another view of the board, but vertical instead of horizontal and, like the board, can be printed between any two dates. Data columns are user configurable according to event, e.g. on machines you may wish to see ink colours, sheet size, etc.
- Reports: A wide range of standard reports are available: forward load, work-to-lists, events due and overdue. It also features an easy-to-use report generator that can produce pretty well anything a Production Controller could want.
Integration
Able to work 'stand alone' it is at its best when integrated to other modules, both giving and receiving information. Particularly useful for 'trapping' events that have happened: an obvious one here is Shop Floor Data Capture where events, started or completed, are signalled to the board. Because the board works in real time, changes occur without any need to reload the Production Board.
Feedback from direct machine monitoring devices such as JDF, or Imprint's own 'Sentinel' which can attach to any machine of any age, display information of copy count, machine operation, e.g. make-ready, run, etc. and projected finish time, actually on the board, with a shadow creeping across the T-card as it progresses. If a machine stops or encounters problems a warning is flagged on the board to the controller. A moving time-line plus the shadow give an easy view of jobs progress: late, early, etc. and indicate as soon as a problem begins to occur and whilst there is still time to do something about it.
Schedules are opened automatically by Sales Order Processing and flagged as unscheduled - load times integrate from the estimate if there is one, or from production targets. Scheduling may be loaded forwards to or backwards from the target delivery system. The Production Control module is a 'smart' system. If dragging and dropping it will warn if the schedule is being compromised or not.
Multiple Components/Sections
The system can handle multiple sections and components, viewing them either singly or collectively.
Multiple Sites
The system can handle multiple sites, tracing a job across them if required, checking resources or capacity. Remote sites can be accessed as masters or view only according to set up.
Other Features
- Provisional schedules may be created to reserve capacity.
- Job may be locked against date and time.
- An 'overload' facility allows undated or held jobs to remain visible.
- Jobs and sections may be split into parts and scheduled separately.
- Notes can be attached to any scheduled job event