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iTTG > Industry Solutions > High Technology & Electronic Industry
Manufacturers in the machinery and factory automation industry grapple with varies challenges such as rapid technological advancements demand continuous investment in new machinery and automation technologies, along with upskilling employees. In additional, global supply chains introduce complexities, including delays and quality control issues. Managing these complexities is vital for efficiency and profitability.
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Key Industry Challenges for the Industry
Engineering Change
Modifications to product designs or production processes often leading to communication challenges. Implementing changes can disrupt existing production schedules, leading to delays and increased costs. Additionally, ensuring that all relevant documentation is updated and compliant with regulatory standards requires meticulous attention to detail. The need to retrain staff on new processes or technologies further complicates engineering chage, as does managing inventory to account for changes in parts or materials.
Alternate Part Management
Alternate part substitution presents challenges such as ensuring compatibility with existing designs, assessing performance and quality impacts, and managing supply chain adjustments. It also involves updating BOM and reevaluating regulatory compliance. Effective substitution requires thorough evaluation and testing to avoid affecting product functionality or causing production delays.
Sales forecasting
It involves numerous challenges, primarily due to the highly volatile market, swift pace of technological changes, and evolving consumer preferences. Inaccurate demand prediction can result in either overproduction, leading to excess inventory and increased holding costs, or underproduction, causing stockouts and lost sales opportunities. Furthermore, inaccuracies in sales forecasts significantly impact production planning, resource allocation, and supply chain management, necessitating a flexible and responsive approach to mitigate these challenges and align production with market needs.
Material Requirements Planning
Material Planning in electronics manufacturing faces challenges from intricate Bills of Materials (BOMs) with numerous parts, unpredictable supply chain disruptions, and the fast pace of technological change causing component obsolescence. High demand variability, influenced by consumer trends and short product life cycles, complicates accurate demand forecasting. Ensuring component quality and managing long, variable lead times from global suppliers add further complexity. Additionally, compliance with environmental and regulatory standards is crucial.
Approved Vendor List (AVL)
Managing Approved Vendor List (AVL) in an electronics factory introduces supply chain complexity and inventory management challenges. Coordinating with multiple suppliers for the same component complicates logistics, as each may have different lead times, pricing, and minimum order quantities, affecting production schedules and cost efficiency. Balancing inventory levels becomes difficult, with risks of overstocking or stockouts. Sophisticated systems are required to track and optimize inventory, ensuring smooth production flow while managing costs.
Material Tracking
Material management, including serial number tracking, in electronics factories faces challenges such as ensuring the accurate recording and monitoring of components throughout the supply chain and production processes. This involves managing vast amounts of data, preventing duplication or errors in serial numbers, and integrating information across various systems and departments. Additionally, tracking materials in real-time to support quality control, warranty claims, and recalls requires sophisticated tracking systems and meticulous data management practices.
Warehouse Management
Warehouse in electronics factories faces challenges like maintaining accurate inventory records for diverse components, ensuring proper storage conditions to prevent damage, and managing sensitive handling procedures for ESD-prone items. Optimizing space while accommodating various storage needs, coordinating with the supply chain to prevent bottlenecks, and achieving efficient order fulfillment are critical. Additionally, navigating regulatory compliance, optimizing inventory turnover, and integrating advanced technologies pose significant hurdles.
Rapid Response to Production Changes
The electronic factory demand for short production lead times necessitates a system capable of quickly communicating changes and issues between the shop floor and production planning. The transition from traditional paper-based operations to more agile digital solutions is hindered by resistance to change and the challenges of implementing new technologies.
Lack of Real-Time Product Cost Monitoring
Without real-time monitoring and control of product costs, companies may face reduced profit margins, inability to make informed pricing decisions, and challenges in responding to market price pressures
Epicor Features for the Industry
Epicor ECN
Epicor ECN can significantly aid in managing Engineering Changes by streamlining communication across departments, ensuring that all stakeholders have access to up-to-date information. This function facilitates the integration of new changes into production schedules and inventory management, minimizing disruptions. Epicor ECN automates BOM & BOO updates, maintaining compliance with regulations and standards. By providing a centralized database for all change-related data, Epicor enables better decision-making, improves efficiency, and reduces the costs associated with implementing engineering changes.
Epicor Alternate Part Management
Epicor streamline the process of alternate part substitution by providing comprehensive tools for compatibility analysis, supplier management, and inventory tracking. Epicor ERP facilitates quick access to part specifications, performance data, and supplier records, ensuring seamless substitution without compromising product quality or compliance. Epicor also automates BOM updates and integrates changes across production planning, procurement, and compliance management, reducing the risk of errors and delays.
Epicor Sales Forecast
Epicor Sales Forecast can significantly enhance sales forecasting accuracy in electronics factories by integrating real-time data from various business functions such as sales, production, and supply chain management. Epicor utilizes historical sales data and provide EDA, a B.I. tool, to do market trends and predictive analytics to provide more reliable demand forecasts. By offering a unified view of inventory levels, customer orders, and production schedules, ERP systems enable better alignment of production with forecasted demand, reducing the risk of overproduction or stock shortages.
Epicor MRP
Epicor ERP significantly streamline Material Requirement Planning (MRP) in electronics factories by offering a cohesive platform that integrates and analyzes real-time data from various business functions. This integration facilitates accurate tracking of inventory levels, efficient management of complex Bills of Materials (BOMs), and improved demand forecasting through sophisticated analytics. Epicor ERP also enhances supply chain agility, allowing manufacturers to swiftly adapt to disruptions or changes in demand. Additionally, they support rigorous quality control measures and ensure compliance with industry regulations. By automating and optimizing these processes, Epicor MRP helps minimize waste, reduce costs, and boost the adaptability and efficiency of electronics manufacturing operations.
Epicor Approved Vendor List (AVL) Management
Epicor ERP can significantly alleviate the complexities associated with managing an Approved Vendor List (AVL) in an electronics factory, particularly in terms of supply chain complexity and inventory management. Epicor centralizes and streamlines supplier data, offering real-time visibility into supplier performance, lead times, pricing, and availability. This facilitates more informed decision-making when selecting suppliers for specific components, allowing for optimization of cost and supply chain reliability. Furthermore, Epicor can track supplier compliance and performance, helping to maintain quality standards across the supply chain. They also support dynamic sourcing strategies, allowing manufacturers to quickly adjust to supply chain disruptions or changes in demand.
Epicor Serial Tracking
Epicor ERP provides a unified platform that records and monitors every component's journey through the supply chain and production process. Epicor automates the tracking of serial numbers, reducing the risk of errors or duplications. Epicor allows real-time visibility into the status and location of materials, enhancing quality control, and enabling efficient handling of warranty claims and recalls. By integrating data across departments, Epicor can ensure consistent and accurate material tracking, improving operational efficiency and compliance with regulatory standards.
Epicor Mobile Warehouse
Epicor Mobile Warehouse brings notable advantages to electronic factories by modernizing and refining warehouse management. This solution grants real-time access to inventory data, enabling seamless material tracking and warehouse operations via mobile devices. Barcode scanning ensures accuracy and efficiency, minimizing errors in material handling and order processing. Swift inventory updates, order picking, and shipping enhance productivity and order fulfillment speed. Enhanced visibility into inventory levels aids in better demand forecasting and inventory control. Overall, Epicor Mobile Warehouse empowers electronic factories to operate with heightened efficiency, reduced costs, and improved customer satisfaction, ensuring seamless warehouse management in a dynamic environment.
Epicor MES
Epicor Manufacturing Execution System (MES) function offers substantial benefits to electronic factories by providing real-time monitoring and control over production processes. Integration with MES enables tracking of manufacturing orders, monitoring machine performance, and ensuring quality standards throughout production cycles. This enhances operational efficiency by minimizing downtime, reducing waste, and optimizing resource utilization. Additionally, MES supports data-driven decision-making, allowing managers to identify bottlenecks, improve production schedules, and adjust workflows promptly. Moreover, it facilitates compliance with industry standards and enhances traceability, ensuring all products meet required specifications. Ultimately, Epicor MES empowers electronic factories to achieve higher productivity, improved quality, and increased competitiveness in the market.
Epicor Real Time Costing
Epicor Real-Time Costing offers substantial advantages to electronic factories by providing immediate visibility into manufacturing expenses. This system allows real-time tracking and analysis of costs associated with raw materials, labor, and overheads, enabling accurate financial reporting and informed decision-making. With precise insights, managers can optimize production efficiency, reduce waste, and adjust pricing strategies accordingly. By proactively managing costs, electronic factories can identify profitability challenges early and make swift adjustments to enhance competitiveness and overall profitability. Ultimately, Epicor Real-Time Costing empowers these factories to operate with heightened efficiency and financial transparency, ensuring long-term success in a dynamic market.