Plant Inventory QuickStart

This QuickStart provides pre-configured Wonderware® software components using proven practices to implement an effective operator-centric inventory visibility solution.

Plant Inventory – A Definition
The ‘plant inventory’ manufacturing scenario is about improving operational activities on the plant floor through increased visibility of movements of parts, sub-assemblies, ingredients and material. It provides visibility into the actual capacity of available inventory handling units, fixed and mobile. Plant Inventory is a key enabler to an operational excellence manufacturing strategy and is critical to building and enforcing manufacturing rules at the component level.

The Plant Inventory QuickStart provides users with the ability to:

• Create and view materials, locations and containers
• Create/receive inventory lots of materials into locations
• Add, move and remove inventory from fixed and mobile locations
• Move mobile containers between fixed locations
• Evaluate characteristics and status of locations
• Monitor and alarm inventory lots in locations
• Provide portal-based inventory summary reports

The Plant Inventory QuickStart provides a practical example of how the Manufacturing Execution Module and Equipment Operations Module can both be used to improve plant inventory activities, leveraging the Wonderware System Platform as proven practices for system configuration. The Plant Inventory QuickStart includes the following:

• New ArchestrA ®objects to speed up system configuration and significantly reduce engineering effort required to deliver plant inventory management applications
• InTouch® SmartSymbols and a highly modular InTouch application focused on providing operators an intuitive plant inventory management tool
• An easy-to-use data entry interface
• Compatibility with other QuickStarts
• Enhanced system extensibility
• Added value to your supervisory system

Adopting Proven Practices through Wonderware QuickStarts
Wonderware® components can be implemented in many ways to accomplish a wide variety of tasks, especially in the area of Production and Performance Management.

Wonderware has developed application examples associated with the software modules that are called QuickStarts. Their purpose is to share proven practices and ideas regarding how to deploy the capabilities of multiple Wonderware components to address typical user requirements in the industry.

In essence, these QuickStarts are design tools for engineers and system integrators (SIs) looking to adopt proven practices and kick-start their design processes.

QuickStarts are working application examples that demonstrate the flexibility of Wonderware software. They indicate how to assemble specific Wonderware components to deliver some of the most commonly requested functionalities.

Improve Inventory Operations and Understand True Capacity:

Using the Plant Inventory QuickStart customers can lower inventory and reduce “stockouts” in manufacturing by gaining accurate knowledge of plant Inventory at all locations at a plant. It enables management of inventory handling units (fixed and mobile) with intelligent rules on inventory handling and providing alarms on inventory expiration. Reduce the risk of contamination and create an understanding of the TRUE capacity to handle inventory.

• Support operational excellence
• Support lean improvement initiatives
• Form the basis for increased inventory turns and reduced scrap
• Reduce lead time

Benefits:

The Plant Inventory QuickStart addresses the manufacturing challenge of having an accurate understanding of inventory levels and operations on the plant floor.

Plant Inventory manages equipment and locations used to receive, move and store individual materials, components and sub-assemblies at a very detailed and accurate level – yielding the necessary insight into actual capacity and constraints in plant floor activities related to inventory management.

Plant Inventory visibility will:

1. Facilitate inventory identification, qualification and movement
2. Contribute to improved material handling and increased operator productivity
3. Increase container capacity and utilization of available resources on the plant floor

Plant Inventory visibility supports the creation of best practices in the following fields:

• Operations and Management
  • Support more accurate Material Requirement Planning/MRP for dependant demand
  • Increase customer service level for independent demand
• Quality
  • Accelerate Product Release and Approval
  • Increase yield
• Maintenance and Engineering
  • Provide with inventory advanced alarming based on manufacturing rules
• Supply Chain Management
  • Reduce supply chain costs
  • Reduce Working Capital
  • Support make-to-order manufacturing strategy
  • Increase manufacturing responsiveness
  • Reduce manufacturing cycle time

General Information

• Overview
• Success Stories
• Plant Inventory QuickStart
• Value Proposition
• Production & Performance Management