Automotive
Lumotech goes live with DATASCOPE WMS Lumotech (Pty) Ltd, a major supplier of automotive lighting to the South African OEM and aftermarket industries selected and implemented the DATASCOPE WMS software in a two-phased approach.
Over the past 10 years, Lumotech has invested in advanced injection molding and assembly techniques to further streamline manufacturing operations. One of the systems implemented during this time is a full Kanban system for all components, both in stores and in WIP.
DATASCOPE worked with Lumotech to develop a new module for our standard WMS product to RFID tag each Kanban card. In phase 1 we implemented our solution into all warehouses using typical RF barcode scanning and implemented the RFID Kanban solution for all finished goods assembly products.
Each of the ten assembly lines now has an RFID reader mounted at the pack off point. As Kanban bins are filled with product, the operator scans an RFID Kanban card which automatically processes a backflush for the Kanban quantity in SYSPRO. The Kanban card now becomes the pallet ID (TrackID) and is moved and picked via RF scanners as is the typical case in the DATASCOPE’s WMS product.
Phase 1 of the solution was implemented in a total of 10 weeks. During the month of January, we hit an issue where SYSPRO’s journal numbers run out due to the huge volume of inventory transactions, particularly bin transfers. We have since made a change to WMS to automatically open a daily inventory journal for bin transfers. This has alleviated the problem.
Phase 2 (implementation through WIP) was completed in June 2012. This phase implemented RFID Kanban boards and systems through our complex three-stage production process. Much focus was given to the movement of product through the WIP operations. Also, a full quality scrap tracking module was implemented. This solution allows for a high level of detail to be tracked on scrap reasons by area and product.
Alan Le Roux, Logistics Manager had this to say:
“Since implementing DATASCOPE WMS into Lumotech we have identified a number of problematic areas in our logistics flows. The new software has helped us to identify these and to correct them. Probably the best aspect of WMS is the detailed history of every transaction. We can now see exactly who did transactions and when, from a point of traceability this is excellent. We are very pleased with our selection of the software and look forward to implementing the system into our WIP areas.”
Lumotech has not been running DATASCOPE WMS for over 6 years. The site has achieved a > 99.97% stock accuracy including the WIP stock holding. Lumotech is an excellent reference site and an extensive user of DATASCOPE WMS.
