Tonight, manufacturing leaders from around the nation will gather for the 2014 Manufacturing Leadership Summit Awards Gala at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida to recognize and celebrate the brightest, most innovative manufacturers in the nation. IQMS will be in attendance to support four of our customers who are being recognized with Manufacturing Leadership Awards in categories that range from Engineering & Production Technology to Operational Leadership to Sustainability. These awards are bestowed by the Manufacturing Leadership Council, a unit of Frost & Sullivan.
When selecting the 2014 winners, Frost & Sullivan noticed a common thread underlying a few of the outstanding performances: Four of the manufacturers are users of the EnterpriseIQ ERP and MES software solution. Whether it is a new product or service innovation, a business process improvement or a demonstration of leadership skills, taken together, these manufacturers’ stories provide a useful roadmap to the achievement of manufacturing excellence.
Innovation can come in many forms and be found in projects large or small. To inspire you to start implementing a new project or initiative, here is a quick recap of IQMS’ four manufacturers and their winning nominations:
Micro Mold Co., Inc. Reduces Lead Times with “Lights-Out” Capabilities
Micro Mold’s electrical discharge machining (EDM) room had historically been a bottleneck in its mold manufacturing process as a result of multiple manual steps required to make a finished piece of steel. The bottleneck was jeopardizing on-time deliveries, causing overtime and putting pressure on Micro Mold’s profit margins. By implementing a fully automated EDM center, Micro Mold can now run continuously in a lights-out environment while improving efficiency, reducing waste and lowering overtime costs.
Plastic Molding Technology’s Company-Wide Operational and Sustainability Improvements
The industry-wide downturn of 2008 prompted Plastic Molding Technology (PMT) to launch scores of sustainability and operational initiatives aimed at achieving greater efficiency, reducing costs and enhancing customer service. Kicked off by the implementation of the ERP and MES solution, EnterpriseIQ, PMT’s improvements included employee training programs, the addition of a new mold storage system, inventory accuracy improvements, cost-of-quality initiatives, a new grinder control system, production scrap reduction and much more.
Protoplast Inc. Combines Processes to Create a Breakthrough Manufacturing Technology
In response to customer product design challenges, Protoplast created a new manufacturing technology called Injection Transfer Blow. A combination of two common manufacturing processes (injection molding and blow molding), Protoplast’s new process offers the accuracy of injection molding with the flexible variability of blow molding to OEM and Tier 1 automotive suppliers. Protoplast’s countless research and development hours have resulted in a number of business process improvements, including faster cycle times, greater part control, improved customer comfort and lighter weight parts while delivering clear financial benefits and increased business.
Poly-Cast Utilizes EnterpriseIQ’s Financial Management Modules to Maintain Rigorous PRC Tax Standards
When Poly-Cast Plastics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. first established its facility in China, it outsourced its financials to a Chinese CPA. But the sub-contracted CPA was only managing the PRC tax law side and not providing any data to Poly-Cast to help it make better business decisions. Through the use of its ERP and MES software solution, EnterpriseIQ, Poly-Cast brought its financials in-house and now receives business intelligence data in real time, while saving the costs associated with outsourcing its financials and still remaining up to code with China’s strict tax regulations.
To learn more detailed information about each of these manufacturers and their projects, please read this special edition of Frost & Sullivan’s Profiles in Manufacturing Excellence: http://www.iqms.com/company/2014-manufacturing-excellence-profiles.pdf
