Increasing volume, reducing lead times

Mark Hannon, Works Manager for Midtherm Laser, says, “We moved to our Dudley site in 2004 and since then we have grown to four Bystronic CO² flatbed lasers, one Bystronic fibre laser and two press brakes. Before we installed the Lantek software we used around four software packages which did not connect to one another to manage the business.”

CADCAM and ERP system

Lantek’s CADCAM and ERP system has enabled Midtherm Laser to smooth its quotation, customer relationship and production processes, nest parts and program all five of its lasers in one system, control non CNC processes such as folding, powder coating or tapping and automatically generate delivery notes and invoices.

The company has around 350 live customers. Because of its reputation and service some of these simply order parts without asking for a quotation. However, Midtherm still needs to create in the region of 800 quotations every month which is a simple and fast process with Lantek.

Mark Hannon explains, “We get CAD models, DXF files, drawings or even just a description of the part or kit to be quoted for. We manufacture a huge variety of parts from different industries including pharmaceutical, aerospace, automotive, petro chemical and construction, so we need to be very flexible. We import the CAD data or redraw it where necessary to get it into the Lantek software. All the customer and job data is only entered once, while within the system we have the price per kilogram of the material which we update monthly. We can then choose how we want to define the material usage, for example, laser with common line cutting or whether tomnest parts in a large cutout on a particular job. The system already knows the cut length and we have a generic machine defined for cycle time generation. With this information, we can create a new and accurate quotation extremely quickly.”

Simple operation

During the configuration of the Lantek system Midtherm Laser worked through the large number of parameters available within the system with one of Lantek’s engineers. Once the defaults have been set to suit the machines and way of working, operation is very simple as the layout of the different screens within the Lantek system is consistent so editing parameters where necessary is intuitive. The user can even simulate the nest of parts, if required, to get an even more accurate cost. Using the generic machine configuration gives Midtherm the flexibility to choose which of its five machines to cut the parts on. Once the quotation is finished it is recorded with a unique number and it is emailed to the customer, set out in a format tailored to Midtherm’s requirements.

Once the order is placed, the quotation becomes a sales order with the click of a button. Parts are amalgamated with all the other ordered parts according to material and thickness and delivery date. A dynamic nest is created which may feature parts from several different customers, as well as stock parts, and which may use up tracked and identified sheet remnants from previous operations, maximising material utilisation.

The system also creates a job list for a number of sheets of material together with a diagram of the individual part and the different nests to allow easy identification. A separate job card is issued for the laser cut part when there are extra operations such as folding or external operations such as tapping. These cards have extra information about how the part is to be folded or special production instructions for repeat jobs.

Reduced lead times

As each process is completed, including non CNC and external operations, the information is fed back into the Lantek Manager software, instantly updating the status of each part.

Mark Hannon says, “Previously, it was very difficult to find out where a part was in the production cycle, we would probably have had to look for it. Now we can get an answer instantly searching the data by many different parameters enabling us to track an order and ensure on time delivery. Once the parts or kits have been completed, a delivery note and invoice is automatically generated and the data passed to our accounting system.”

He adds, “Our order input has increased vastly and delivery times have gone from 5-7 days to 4-5 days and, despite the recent huge drop in material prices, our turnover has gone up which means we are producing more parts with the same machinery. More importantly, profits are up by 10-15%. Administration is much quicker and because it is all in one system our employees are collaborating much better as they all understand the complete process and can switch between roles. We are now considering a 3^rd shift which will provide us with even more efficiency through reduced energy costs at night.”