SOFTWARE TOOLS

MEET – Materials effectiveness evaluation tool facilitates in studying every function of a materials department, and rank the as-is condition.

MEET has a series of carefully organized questions to simplify the assessor’s (external auditor, materials manager etc) auditing process, on the multi-faceted materials function. The questions are close ended, focused to apply weightage for different functions and staff levels (in top management, purchasing, storing, controlling, computerizing) of the materials department. The information derived through these questions is mathematically assessed to provide a recommended functional ranking.

Features

• Function-wise questionnaire covers all tasks of materials management
• As-is-where ranking is generated to highlight the prevailing scenario
• Spider diagram graphically represents the functional rating
• Ranking helps the organization to prioritize the focus on
• Classifying the materials
• Standardizing the master data
• Enhancing purchase function
• Optimizing the inventory policy
• Improving the storage and preservation policy
• Rating the vendors
• Monitoring the lead-time

Line-text materials catalogue management software (LCMS) facilitates in developing materials master data, with the conventional line- and text-based buying description. This also generates a logical materials numbering system to stimulate standardization.

Hofincon’s LCMS module is driven through a 10 digit series of intelligent figures, to identify and classify materials and equipment briefly and accurately. LCMS develops a structured buying description, in the order of the component’s equipment assemblies and importance of the specification.

LCMS is an oracle and visual basic based software facilitating multi-user cataloguing. This also has a web-based search engine (add-on feature), which can be used by users at remote locations of the company as search engine. LCMS is designed to export master data for leading ERP products

Features

• Provides a logical and positive identification of materials
• Accommodates wide item combinations by a 10-digit code
• Prevents duplication of items right at the entry level
• Optimizes transmittal of information
• Reduces purchasing/clarification time between the user, buyer and the supplier
• Plays as standardization tool, preventing swelling of inventory
• Reflects the relationship of interchangeable parts
• Generates equipment and assembly-specific bill of materials
• Acts as a valuable, often-referenced information source-search engine

∞ ACMS - Attribute based catalogue management software

ACMS spare parts catalogue management system develops material description in a structured hierarchy, enchasing ease of search and standardising data using templates. ACMS concept uses the classification philosophy, phenomenally known as Noun-Modifier system.

ACMS facilitates in creating materials master data, with hierarchy, characteristics and value based buying description along with a logical or non-intelligence materials number.

ACMS is an Oracle and Visual basic based software facilitating multi user cataloguing. ACMS is also available in MS-Access based version to cover companies with a few thousands of items. ACMS is designed to export master data for leading ERP products.

Features

• Classifies equipment and component with multi-level hierarchy (classes or noun/modifiers)
• Acts as a valuable, often-referenced information source – search engine
• Prevents duplication of items right at the entry level
• Optimizes transmittal of information
• Reduces purchasing/clarification time between the user, buyer and the supplier
• Plays as standardization tool, preventing swelling of inventory
• Correlates similar and interchangeable items
• Generates equipment and assembly specific bill of materials
• Enforces mandatory attribute entry streamlining optimal buying description

∞ RSA - Risk Spares Analyzer

Risk is characterized as the product of probability of a given failure event and the consequences of that event. Spare part failure is an event and consequences can be measured in terms of lost production time, physical damages or causalities. Based on equipment failure scenario and probability, spare parts of extreme and high critical equipment will be subjected to the analysis in Risk Spares Analyzer (RSA) to determine the parts availability. Here ‘parts availability’ shall mean the quantity of spare part that should be made available on demand, to the maintenance end-user over a specified period, in order to achieve the risk coverage level (service level).

Objective

• To determine the part availability of critical equipment spares
• To cover the stock-out risk for parts of unpredictable demand
• To improve service levels

Features

• Risk, i.e., probability of failure based on equipment / component failure rate
• Time period - lead-time or annualized
• Equipment or item criticality scores
• Parts per change-out

The tool provides lead-time and annualized part availability. The lead-time part availability of the stock items along with safety levels shall be considered as minimum stocking level. The annualized part availability shall be considered for forecasted yearly value analysis.

RSA is a user-friendly analysis tool, developed in MS-Access.

Inventory control being a significant function, regular analyzing at planned intervals is in turn a tedious job without computerization. Deciding the right forecasting methods and identifying of service, stocking and buying levels to avoid stock-out may be done using SPOT – Spare parts Optimization Tool. Objective of SPOT is to compute performance measures and costs, resulting in answers for the two fundamental question of inventory function…

   » When to replenish stock?
   » How much to obtain?

SPOT is a Visual basic and MS-office based efficient analytical tool for optimizing inventory and defining norms for spares.

Features

• A set of selective inventory control policies is available in SPOT for categorizing different materials. The policies are derived by a 3D illustration; driven by criticality, demand rate and cost. The range of value and movement, are organized by Pareto’s concepts.
• The Quantity and replenishment time are calculated using different scientific equations like Standard deviation, Economic order quantity and Poisson distribution with respect to the policies. Safety or buffer stock and lead-time requirement are built-in as per service level needs.
• The gap between existing and derived order points & quantities are analyzed and reports are generated. Purchasing and level monitoring policies are recommended.
• In addition to these policy suggestions, the excess cost is interpreted using analytical concepts and calculations. The moving & non-moving surplus stock and Write-off items are identified and listed.
  
• SPOT is a user-friendly analysis tool, developed in Visual basic and MS-Access.

Benefits

The benefits of analyzing inventory system through SPOT are listed below

• Improves inventory accuracy substantially
• Enhances service level
• Optimize the Inventory
• Reduces ordering- and carrying-cost
• Improves turnover ratio
• Reduces Inventory cost by 5 – 20%

SPOT analysis tool generates reports on the following

• Service level comparison
• ABC / HML / XYZ analysis
• Movement analysis
• Re-order points and quantity illustration
• Cost benefit analysis
• Turnover ratio
• Insurance spare with base stock
  

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