Feedback
Duncha
- MES
- Automobiles
- Traceability
- Industry
-
Interview with Catherine Onfroy,
IT and Logistics Manager at Duncha
"Automation of the transportation of information to Silverprod ERP from the MES as well as controlling production with more precision"
Reduce production problems
Anticipate resource needs
Improve traceability
OBJECTIVES
- Improve production planning
- Have data for analysis
- Have a real-time visual in addition to our ERP
Duncha
For over 100 years, Duncha has met the needs of its industrial customers with the development of innovative products that are dedicated to the automotive, medical, and energy industries. In order to make their production more reliable and to improve shutdown analysis, the French factory, located in Blois, which manufactures fuel injection tubes for cars, has decided to equip themselves with an MES (Manufacturing Execution System) tool.
Catherine Onfroy, IT and Logistics manager at Duncha, gives her feedback on this project through an interview.
The Starting Point:
Improve Production Monitoring
“For several years, we have managed our production with our ERP system. However, this is no longer enough for us: we cannot accurately monitor the time spent on production orders. We base ourselves solely on the manual statements of the operators, which does not allow for enough information for us to analyze everything we would like (stop causes, traceability improvements, resource optimization, etc.). We therefore required a more precise MES type tool dedicated to production scheduling.“
Duncha has therefore drawn up specifications with different criteria: ERP connectivity, budgeting, references, etc. They then pre-selected five suppliers to meet their requirements.
Adaptation and Reactivity:
The Benefits of Alpha-3i and IMCO Software
“To make our choice, we studied the different functionalities of each software company. Our ERP provider told us about Alpha-3i and IMCO Software, so we knew the two solutions could be integrated, which is very important to us. We then met with some of their clients, which reassured us.”
Duncha then deployed CIMAG Production, the MES tool, in their Blois plant.
“We are happy with our collaboration. Alpha-3i and IMCO Software are people-oriented companies that adapted very well to our specific needs. The teams at Alpha-3i and IMCO Software are also responsive, which allows us to quickly get answers to our questions.”
The Reduction of Production Problems, Bottlenecks, and More Flexibility.
“Thanks to the MES tool, we are seeing a real reduction in production problems. There are far fewer bottlenecks today, so there is less of a delay, and we have regained real flexibility in our production management. We can track our results against our target results, see when we have had problems, resolve them and anticipate/ compensate
“for them by allocating additional resources if necessary. All production monitoring, which was previously done by hand, is now automated: quantity of parts produced, number of rejects, time spent on production orders, cause of shutdown, etc. The data is therefore more reliable and updated in real time. All this information also facilitates maintenance operations, which is important because we do not have a CMMS software.
“We also deployed a tracking system in the workshop, which gives each operator a view of all activity in real time. This impresses our visitors (customers, suppliers), so we have a more modern image, which is important in today’s age.”
Good Ownership on the Team’s Part
“We have implemented change management so that our employees can perceive the tool as an aid rather than a means of monitoring/sanctioning them with more traceability. We also provided training to users to make it easier for them to get started.
“Overall, the solution was well received by all. From here, we wish to continue the deployment of MES on all our equipment before moving on to the next phase, which consists of improving the traceability of materials, and then going completely paperless for our production management via Excel.”
BENEFITS
- Reduction of production problems
- Good ownership on the employees' part
- Modernization of production workshops