| MRPII/ERP and lean manufacturing objectives cannot | | | | input files that drive such systems with data accuracy |
| be achieved when day-to-day production and | | | | indexes varying between 90% and 100%. Statistically, |
| manufacturing control systems are driven by | | | | their cumulative effect (the product of their values) |
| inaccurate, untimely and uncontrolled data and/or | | | | could yield a devastating, order release accuracy of |
| documentation. | | | | 68.2%. That translates into a cumulative 31.8% error |
| If your company is typical, you'll find that converting the | | | | rate in the order release and scheduling process, (see |
| monthly financial forecast into reality still requires | | | | relevant slide on the reverse side of bulletin). In spite of |
| overtime, costly expediting, expensive "on-the-run" | | | | this huge constraint, American ingenuity and energy still |
| product changes and even a little "smoke and mirrors". | | | | gets the job done - but at what costs? |
| With all the available sophisticated computerized | | | | Although many business gurus have identified data |
| systems, why is it so? | | | | accuracy as important in the implementation of |
| The answer lies in what's missing and has nothing to | | | | computerized systems, their message has been lost in |
| do with the quality of the system designs. Like Vince | | | | the mania of systems sophistication. To remain |
| Lombardi, who focused his team on the mastering of | | | | competitive in the future, manufacturers must improve |
| football basics - we need to focus our teams on the | | | | the results gained from their business systems |
| mastering of business basics. There are 8-Basics of | | | | investments - to do this, the fine-tuning of Infotegrity is |
| Kaizen Based Lean Manufacturing, but when it comes | | | | a "must do". How does a company accomplish this |
| to improving systems performance, "Information | | | | task? Here are a few challenges: |
| Integrity" is the most important. I call it KBLM Basic | | | | * Simplify data bases - making it easy and routine to |
| #001, "Infotegrity" - the ability to communicate data and | | | | keep data correct and up to date |
| documentation completely, accurately and in a timely | | | | * "Bulletproof" system parameter maintenance - |
| manner. Like blocking and tackling in football, it's not | | | | helping to eliminate mistakes |
| glamorous and few want to do it - but without | | | | * Streamline and discipline the product documentation |
| tenacious and flawless continuous improvement and | | | | process - doing it right the first time |
| execution, manufacturing performance can never be | | | | * Real time auditing and corrective actions - keeping |
| optimized. | | | | information current and correct |
| Infotegrity is crucial to computerized master scheduling | | | | * Employ the right tools - bar coding, back-flushing, EDI |
| and MRP computations. Excessive MRP rescheduling | | | | and the internet |
| of released orders is costly and disruptive and is | | | | * Establish the right mindset - the quality of |
| usually driven by poor input data. To improve the | | | | decision-making is dependent on Infotegrity. |
| quality of MRP "rescheduling" messages, one materials | | | | Competition is getting tougher and tougher as each |
| manager focused on improving the integrity of MRP | | | | year passes. If we don't want our competitors to close |
| inputs. She reduced the frequency of their MRP | | | | in on our markets, we need to continuously improve |
| "re-generation" and implemented a mandatory weekly | | | | product/service quality, increase productivity, lower |
| review/purge/reset of all purchase and production | | | | costs and increase speed of new product |
| "open" order status. The results were amazing; | | | | introductions. To maintain ones competitive edge into |
| reschedule messages were reduced by 85% and her | | | | the future, management's focus must be shifted from |
| planner/buyers gained time to do additional proactive | | | | systems sophistication to systems Infotegrity. In short, |
| parameter maintenance. Because of increased | | | | its time to put the "horse before the cart". Information |
| scheduling stability, there was a significant improvement | | | | Integrity is no panacea, however, I'm convinced that a |
| in both supplier and shop on-time deliveries. | | | | company with simple, unsophisticated systems and a |
| A good example of the importance of Infotegrity is the | | | | high level of Infotegrity will outperform a company that |
| "eye-opening" result of the cumulative effect of data | | | | has sophisticated systems and low Infotegrity. What |
| inputs in a computerized order release and scheduling | | | | about those company that have both? I buy their |
| system such as MRP. There are at least ten data | | | | stock! |