Simple process improvement for enhanced Inventory Accuracy, Workforce Productivity & Visibility into Shopfloor activity
The Challenge
The customer uses Oracle E-Business Suite as their ERP, including Manufacturing and Warehouse Management (WMS) applications. The seeded Oracle Manufacturing picking process does not offer the ability to pick a specific work order. Users must pick the first task available, which often means they are picking for jobs that aren’t necessarily theirs. In addition, planning and engineering teams must manually track down shopfloor paperwork anytime there’s a substitution or deviation of the work order. Inventory accuracy, workforce productivity, and visibility into shopfloor activity have become serious challenges that needed to be addressed.
The Solution
Working closely with the customer’s Operations & IT teams, Inyxa designed specific process improvements for the business’ manufacturing picking process that would address their key pain points.
In 6 short weeks, Inyxa designed, built, and tested a new mobile picking process with an extended WMS mobile form that allowed for a much more efficient process with real-time updates as production is happening. The new form can release individual discrete jobs, allows each picker to pick jobs only they are assigned for, provides job substitutions and deviations in real-time, and directs the picker to the most efficient location possible. One simple mobile form became a game changer for the customer’s manufacturing picking process.
Results
As a result of the new process, the customer experienced the following benefits:
- Physical inventory improved to 99.8%
- Promise dates to customers improved with accurate inventory
- Less expediting occurs
- Improved visibility for Customer Service, Purchasing, and Planning departments
- Less errors in picking for jobs
- No need for paper, all transactions are automated on the scanning gun
- Easier to train new employees
