Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is becoming a fundamental element in the successful execution of all the business processes. Along with major process manufacturing sectors like food & beverage, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and personal care, ERP has put a foot forward for the foundry industry too. Reason is simple- it is one industry that has unique and complicated processes requiring greater precision and absolute control. And, that’s why the need for ERP in foundries and mould manufacturing is all the more essential.
This blog takes you on a walk through the needs and challenges of the foundry industry and how ERP system helps to overcome them.
How is Foundry different from others?
- Blame it on the nature of the raw material required as well as the unique processing done to convert it into a usable form that makes the foundry industry different from its other counterparts in the process manufacturing domain. The Foundry is mostly about manufacturing to attend the customer’s specification and therefore it has become all the more necessary to better procure, organize and manage the raw materials to stand up to the nature of the products and customer orders.
- The production process is entirely in contrast to the traditional processes like mixing, blending and changing filling. Foundry processes involve melting, ladling, pouring, knockout, fettling and finishing. These processes require precision control and expert handling along with efficient costing of material as well as labour.
- By product and Co-product management is the key to cost cutting in the foundry industry. As reusing the sand for various purposes plays a sensitive and crucial role in the cost of manufacturing.
- Determining the knock out time and designing the successive production batches based on it, need immense accuracy, possible only by an automatic system. Manual operations lead to improper moulds and even compromised quality.
How ERP Helps?
Such a rigid and cumbersome process can get even more chaotic if handled manually. It’s the technological advances through an ERP that can automate and simplify the entire process from moulding, melting, metal treating, pouring, knock-out, cleaning and inventorying while bringing about complete visibility and required accuracy.
ERP is a comprehensive business management solution, designed especially to streamline inventory, production, logistic, finances and other business operations of the foundry sector that manufacture custom products involving complex processes. Moreover, ERPs are enabled to integrate live and dynamic production and shop floor actives to reduce human intervention. One common database helps to get single data for better analysis. ERP facilitates production dashboards and various reports for real time information update that is crucial for market analysis and to stay a step ahead of competitors.
An ERP efficiently keeps track of all the raw materials, their nature and stock levels entering the gates of your warehouse. Due to dynamic need of raw materials, selection of the best vendor at best price becomes all the more critical. All this is well managed by an ERP solution.
Similarly, the production process comes along with a number of steps and instructions. To withstand the competition and save job work margin, it is vital to synchronize and streamline the different stages involved in the production of typical foundry business so as to cut on the delays and wastage. An ERP gives complete visibility along all the production process. It generates the Daily production log, line with planning while also providing Rejection Analysis-Heat/ Product / Defect wise
Temperature regulation and clock matching for processes like melting and knockout is not feasible by human hands. It needs to have the assistance of an automated ERP system. ERP is responsible for on time production by accurately determining the knock out time and wisely using it to schedule subsequent batches, which results in efficient and cost-effective production.
It’s not that only inventory or production process of the foundry is exceptional, the supply chain is also exclusive. There is never a plan ready for production; in fact, it is extremely dynamic. The company is expected to meet domain specific requirements of Industries from medium-sized to medium large scale companies with design-to-order, make-to-order, make-to-stock, assemble-to-order, or mixed-mode discrete manufacturing operations. To meet the customer’s ever changing demands, ERP deployment cannot be overlooked.
Apart from traditional ERP functionality, ERP performs following functions exclusively for foundry industry.
- Handles customer schedules & just-in-time orders
- Reduces scrap and WIP inventory levels
- Monitors shop floor equipment
- Manages production scheduling
- Tracks raw materials
- Supports bar code/RFID
- Performs QC, QA & CAPA
- Manages inventory & its procurement
- Manages formulation
- Maintains stock grade/ASTM/Heat Number wise
- Performs Process cell planning
- By-product & Co-product management
- Casting Weight Variance Analysis
Conclusion
The manufacturing environment in a foundry is simply too complex, especially for foundry and involves too many components and critical processes to materialize a finished product. For an organization to excel in the product quality and quantity, it is essential to embrace the ERP methodology at the earliest. One such ERP is BatchMaster ERP for Foundry. It is custom-made for Foundry Industry to give manufacturers an edge over their direct and indirect competitors. 30 years of experience in the process industry and numerous implementations in typical Foundry businesses, makes it an ideal choice. For more details on BatchMaster ERP, contact us.
