| Ultimate Technology
Corporation is a leading provider of open system
point-of-service (POS) hardware solutions and services. Based in
Rochester, NY, UTC goes beyond offering retail-hardened products by
delivering a range of POS services that ensure customer success. UTC
implemented the IFS application suite to help manage their rapidly
growing buisness. Business Problem Ultimate Technology operates two distinct
businesses; one in Victor, NY that engineers and manufactures new
POS equipment and systems, and the other in Cleveland, OH which
maintains existing POS systems. Both units use IFS to run their
business, but in very different ways. Victor uses shop orders to
manufacture new systems and Cleveland uses work orders to repair and
maintain used equipment. Each business unit has significant serial
number recording and tracking requirements. Equally important is the
need to track labor and material with each order. The business
driver for the project was the need to provide customers with a web
portal so they could track their order status. The only practical
way to meet the demands of the customer-driven tracking system that
UTC wanted was by using real-time data entry and validation as
material moved within the plant. UTC, working with eNSYNC solutions,
used ScanWorks™ software with standard and custom-developed
transactions to deliver a system that fully meets the needs of UTC.
Solution Delivered After an initial site visit and consultation,
eNSYNC consultants, working with UTC, recommended significant
changes to the existing business processes using new capabilities in
the upgraded version of IFS they were using. Once the new business
flows had been established, a data collection system to support it
could be developed. Starting with their “out-of-the-box” bar code
solution for IFS ScanWorks?, eNSYNC blended several standard
transactions with a few new custom transactions that supported the
Work Order process required by the repair business. One unique but
critical transaction “Create Work Order” incorporated a “warranty
check logic” that would perform a look up of each customer order
line to determine if the item had been in for repair within the past
90 days. In addition to creating the work order, a custom list of
values for priority ID was created to meet the needs of the users
performing the repair operations. To provide the customer with
better visibility of the status of their order, a move/change work
order status transaction now records the location and current status
of the order. Critical to the data capture and the streamlined
data entry was the use of smart bar code labels that combined
several fields in one scan. ScanWorks™ has significantly improved
the data entry process and created a real-time reporting environment
that both UTC and the customer can now rely on. The following ScanWorks™ transactions were
delivered for IFS Applications version 2004 Flex:
1. Change Inventory Part Location 2. Work Order
Material Issue 3. Work Order Report Work
Done 4. Create Work Order 5. Change Work Order
Status 6. Capture Serial Numbers 7. Capture In/Out
Tracking numbers 8. Bulk Move eNSYNC Solutions worked
with UTC to specify the Intermec hand held RF equipment and to take
advantage of some existing printers. ScanWorks? is hardware
independent. Benefits Received Employees now automatically scan part numbers,
serial numbers, and movements into the system real-time, with
validation and error checking taking place at the time of the
movement, not after the fact. Warranty work is recognized at the
point the work order is created and better customer service is
provided by prioritizing the work and the real-time update of the
system. Today inventory and WIP are maintained at their highest
degrees of accuracy, while clerical work has been dramatically
reduced. Efficiencies gained from ScanWorks? have enabled greater
growth and higher levels of customer service. Customer Feedback “eNSYNC Solutions provided the best
solution for us because of their in-depth knowledge of IFS and their
ability to meet our specific requirements. Throughout the project,
eNSYNC was easy to work with and supported us through several
revisions as we refined our processes. We are looking forward to
Phase 2 of the project to incorporate the Victor Plant.” –
Chuck Kester, Director of Quality and Program Management.
For more information contact: eNSYNC Solutions, Inc. Brian Coleman 9300
W. 110th Street, Suite 620 Overland Park, Kansas
66210 Phone: 913-647-8640 x
114 Fax: 913-647-8650 www.ensyncsolutions.com |