The Wonderware System Platform is a unique technology that provides users with a single development environment for deploying anything from plant floor HMI, through SCADA, MES and finally ERP integration.  For the first time, users can start small and incrementally add functionality to a single system simply by extending their data model with objects that expose the functionality that is required at the time.  Objects simply snap into the single development environment to add functionality to the overall system.

The new Wonderware Plant Inventory Quickstart is a set of preconfigured objects, graphics and web reports that enable System Platform users to gain operator centric visibility into plant inventory details and movements.  Leveraging the development environment, historian, web portal and plant floor clients common to the System Platform, the Plant Inventory Quickstart expands the value of any platform installation.

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 delivers 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

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.

The Plant Inventory QuickStart addresses the manufacturing challenge of having an accurate understanding of inventory levels and operations on the plant floor by allowing the management of equipment and locations used to receive, move and store individual materials, components and sub-assemblies at a very detailed and accurate level.  This information yields the necessary insight into actual capacity and constraints in plant floor activities related to inventory management.

Plant Inventory delivers value to the following functions:

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

If you are interested in learning about how you can provide a single plant floor HMI/MES/Historian infrastructure in your facility that allows you to implement functionality a piece at a time in increments as small as makes sense for your plant and budget, please consider the Wonderware System Platform.  There is nothing like it available today.  Just let us prove it to you.

To learn more follow this link or call us at 215-675-5800.

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