Automated Packaging Systems (APS)
Packaging Systems / Manufacturing
Shop Floor Automation & Data Collection
Story
Since their humble beginnings in a one-car garage in Queens, New York, during the early 1960s, Automated Packaging Systems (APS) has grown exponentially into a $250 million middle market manufacturer and world leader in designing and making flexible bag packaging systems.
Though headquartered in Ohio, the company has an extensive global reach, through their service, sales and distribution offices located throughout North America, Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America.
Despite this positive growth, the company had been utilizing a 15 year old legacy system that did not lend well to interfacing, was not open enough and ultimately did not meet the business’s growing operational needs.
Looking for a more advanced ERP system, Chief Financial Officer Dave Goessler says that the company discovered IFS through an extensive ERP selection project, where they found that it possessed a more robust, yet still easy to use user interface.
While seeking out the right IFS partner for the project who had a deep understanding of the solution and experience with IFS Applications from both a functional and technical standpoint, they discovered Nayo Technologies through customer references and by word of mouth.
As APS is a company dedicated to improving profitability and efficiency, they chose to enter into a partnership with Nayo to increase these two areas of their company. They also wanted to provide their shop floor employees with a new ERP system that provided touch screen interfaces to keep these employees growing in productivity.
Solution
Nayo Technologies was founded in 2006 and offers a wide variety of consulting services with IFS Applications. Specializing in implementation, upgrades, IFS support and training and much more, Nayo is set apart by its dedication to providing exceptional customer service for their customers.
It was Nayo’s assignment to create a Data Collection system that would allow 400 users to perform their daily tasks in the most efficient way possible while utilizing IFS’ robust functionality.
Nayo’s Data Collection System (NDCS) was to provide APS with the ability to ‘easily’ perform duties such as receiving material, creating product and shipping that product, while not being tied down to a PC.
Though some of the transactions were complex and involved several IFS transactions to complete in the background, none of the DC transactions required a need to modify IFS in any way; which in itself is testimony towards Nayo’s technical proficiency.
Some transactions were designed to be performed with a handheld device anywhere in the plant, while others were designed to offer a vast array of production transactions for machines located in 4 separate US locations.
As an example, there are several handheld transactions that move reserved material (each one a little different) that allow the user the ability to transfer reserved material. This can’t normally be done in IFS without unreserving material, moving it and then re-reserve or peg it back to the order. But the Transfer Reserved Material transaction performs these steps in one transaction utilizing a handheld device.
To facilitate the Shipping process, APS is able to use a handheld device for the transactions that reserve and pick product, as well as creating Package Structures for Shipments by either adding a new Handling Unit or adding to an existing HU.
There is also a transaction that will transfer Inventory from one Warehouse to another, while changing the part number for the receiving Warehouse.
Only a few of the many handheld transactions are mentioned here, but there are other handheld transactions that will receive PO’s or perform Cycle Count remotely.
On the Touchscreen side, Nayo developed a custom Touchscreen interface that allows the operator of machines to view the work prioritized according to the Shop Floor Workbench’s Op Priority, or provide a color code based on material availability. It allows a machine operator to perform a variety of Direct and Indirect work.
Customized for APS’ process, the Report Production Converting transaction allows APS to report up to a total of 9 Lanes (of plastic) for any amount whether it is good, scrapped or put on hold.
In order to technically manage the Handheld and Touchscreen application, an Admin Console was created, allowing System Admin personnel to perform a variety of tasks, from setting permissions to, defining default printers.
Benefits
“From a project management perspective, the IFS ERP system is much more ingrained into everyone’s workflow than the older system,” says Goessler. “A lot more people are using the system, [as] it offers more functionality and flexibility [to] a lot more users.”
Before implementing the new ERP system, there were only around 160 active users on the old system each day, while this number has drastically increased to 400 users on an average day with IFS.
Throughout the process, APS says that Nayo’s team talked the users through the process and documented everything so that IFS would know what specific technical requirements they had and needed addressed.
Systems Development Manager & IFS Project Manager Bill Mickey says that the company is looking forward to further efficiency improvements with time. Since they went live with the new ERP system, the company still is learning to utilize its robust system to the fullest extent and will make progress on CRM after their project in Europe goes live.
“The touch screen and data collecting builds were very stable,” says Mickey. “Every time we’ve had to upgrade the code or utilities, it’s been very smooth. From an IT aspect, I’ve been very happy [because] it’s worked seamlessly.”
Nayo Difference
Goessler says that he would certainly recommend Nayo Technologies to other businesses because of the dedication and time the company spent on understanding the needs his business had, not just trying to force certain solutions on them.
“Nayo was great about listening to problems and adapting to solutions,” says Goessler. “For a company that needs support, Nayo is a very valuable partner.”
For APS, discovering a valuable partner like Nayo to guide them through the implementation process made the project seamless and a worthwhile investment for their company.
“Nayo was great about listening to problems and adapting to solutions. For a company that needs support, Nayo is a very valuable partner.” – Dave Goessler