A more methodical approach to manufacturing

Marl International of Ulverston supplies LED displays, panel light indicators and signs to a worldwide client base including the entertainments industry and underground transport systems. The company, which has a turnover in the £2 to £4 million bracket, employs 100 people at its plant in Ulverston, Cumbria. Marl had used an outdated manufacturing resource planning (MRP) system before installing Sovman and Sageline 100 in 1997.

Now, for the first time, the factory floor has its own works order system, rather than relying on procedures set up by the sales department. It has made for a more methodical approach to manufacturing. Final adjustments are being made to the materials planning system, but it is "the best we have had to date", reports Hamilton Thurgood, and has enabled the company to see what it needs to order and when. Now Marl is determined to keep up the progress and is looking at capacity planning.

Cost benefits of stock control

Tynetec is the second largest manufacturer of 'warden call' alarm systems in the UK, with its Advent brand selling to local authorities and residential homes throughout the country. Based in Blyth, Northumberland, where it employs 50 people, Tynetec has been enthusiastic in its attempts to improve efficiency through more effective control of manufacturing.

The Sovman system, implemented early in 1997, has the facility for capacity planning and means Richard Evans and his team have all the facts at their fingertips on the whole operation. Savings are already being made through better organisation, such as control of stock levels, and Richard is now looking at ways to make more efficient use of labour. Indeed, the team are constantly finding new ways to use the feedback Sovman provides to introduce further cost efficiencies.

More profitable production

From its base in Leek, Staffordshire, Marling makes webbing for use in such products as lifting and safety equipment and cargo restraints, as well as lashing systems. The lashings side in particular needs careful control since differing lengths of materials need to be combined with different pieces of hardware to make up the finished product. The company, which has a turnover approaching £10 million, implemented Sovman over a period of time starting in 1990. The Bill of Materials module, which is linked to the Works Orders, has proved particularly useful in keeping track of components. The facility for capacity planning also enables Marling to assess whether it is possible, in terms of labour and machine time, to fulfil orders within the required time. From an accountant's point of view, Steve Frost appreciates the way he is able to work out how much any particular item has cost to produce. "After all, there is no point in manufacturing if it's not cost-effective to do so."