Foundries are investing in ERP & MES solutions to manage day-to-day business activities such as accounting, procurement, project management, risk management and compliance, and supply chain operations. However, achieving a true connection between an ERP & MES product and the foundry is extremely difficult. Many of the issues when trying to create that connection are based in the standard ERP providers’ lack of foundry knowledge. Because of the unique qualities of metal casting operations, critical processes go unaddressed by a generic ERP & MES software, and you often see an unwillingness to learn and adapt by the software providers even after the contract is signed.
This deception can often be initiated by a sales representative that will sell to you directly off a script that says the latest version of their software can meet the needs of any company, no matter what the industry. Ultimately, you will find yourself trying to alter your processes to fit the parameters of the generic ERP & MES software, or worse, going back to tracking them offline in data silos. When you decide to go with a foundry-specific software solution, you get the reassurance that every process, no matter what type of foundry you run, has been considered in the design of the software.
Understanding the different casting methodologies is just the beginning but having a process that can facilitate and record those operations is a whole different story. Foundry 4.0 has put an emphasis on knowing your production data beyond just KPIs. Tracking specific routing operations gives insight into deciding if an operation is underperforming, indicating that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. A decreased performance in a routing operation can make or break any foundry, as operating at any reduced rate to the standard can cause profitability to turn into a loss. At Guardian Software Systems have procured our clients over the past 30 years to determine the most used industry-specific items so there is a place within the software solution to track those processes specific to the foundry and remove data silos for good.
Collecting the data has never been easier for the foundry. Guardian’s MES (Manufacturing Execution System) was designed to be the heartbeat of your business. It gives you the opportunity to collect data, trace your parts, and give your employees the tools they need to reduce mistakes. While you may see a generic provider offer you a good ERP system, it’s often the manufacturing side of the operation that takes a hit with an afterthought of an MES system. At Guardian, we focused on designing our MES solution to allow foundries to connect their different workstations as touchpoints for data collection at each step of the routing operation. Guardian MES also carries out labor tracking which directly feeds into serialization and traceability records for products that require it ensuring that you can meet your AS9100 standards for aerospace and defense contracts.
While the foundry-specific ERP and MES solution is ideal for any metal casters, procurement shouldn’t stop there. We believe the final and most critical part of the benefits of the foundry-specific software is the people. At Guardian Software Systems we believe utilizing implementation and support teams who know the industry is paramount for our client’s success. Having this inert knowledge of the metal casting industry can allow our team to train, implement, and support our clients in a timely fashion. This partnership is built on industry knowledge and the desire to collaborate and make operations as efficient and profitable as possible.
