IFS Applications for automotive industries supports the total automotive lifecycle—from design integration through demand management, supply chain, full-scale production, sales and service—fully integrated with financials and human resources. IFS Applications’ unprecedented depth of automotive-sector functionality benefits companies, including vehicle manufacturer/assemblers and Tier-n suppliers.
Automotive concerns turn to IFS Applications because of the unprecedented range of manufacturing- and business-control strategies we support. With IFS, large and mid-size corporations have the multi-national, multi-language, multi-site, multi-currency and multiple sets of accounting and tax-rule capabilities they need. For smaller companies, IFS Applications is a comprehensive solution, appropriate for divergent business processes and plans. For all, the result is supply chain efficiency and cost reductions.
IFS Kanban, based on the Toyota Production System, uses real-time information to minimize inventories and eliminate waste. Kanban support includes integrated planning tools, options for Kanban calculations and graphical simulation tools that help avoid stockouts. This advanced planning board forecasts materials, staff, and machinery—across multiple orders in parallel—increasing capacity and managing operations-critical bottlenecks. Integration with IFS Planning ensures rapid response to changing demand projections, with data for Kanban calculations retrieved and the recalculated Kanban levels transferred back to the planning system. Kanban circuits needing change are quickly identified. IFS EDI Solutions simplify customer-demand processing, automate shipping functions and enhance supplier ratings. B2B EDI for IFS includes support for XML and Web services.
IFS Quality Management includes failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), a systematic technique for recording and analyzing product and process challenges. Statistical process control (SPC) can be applied across operations to reduce process variation and promote continuous improvement. IFS Business Modeler, including tools, standard methodologies and graphical models, supports business reengineering for efficiency, profitability and customer satisfaction. IFS Business Performance, a digital dashboard, gives you a real-time snapshot of project performance, product quality, costs and delivery.
IFS Applications for document and product data management—including two-way integration with leading CAD vendors—gives you the single source of truth needed in tiered supply chains in which participants specify any of several CAD environments, including lightweight collaborative formats. IFS Applications lets you increase efficiency and avoid costly errors by managing design changes within the system. Engineering change requests could include design improvements from engineering, fault reports from the service department or recommendations from procurement to change suppliers or materials.
Coba Plastics specialises in manufacturing thermoplastic extrusions in accordance with QS 9000 standards. Much of Coba’s output is supplied to the automotive industry. As a key supplier, Coba manufactures the largest selection of trim retainers in Europe. Other products include a range of standard and bespoke components used for seating, sealing systems, airbags and windscreen-wiper mechanisms.
With its open architecture and advanced technology, IFS Applications provides a system which Coba Plastics can grow into rather than grow out of. Mark Goodwin, IT Manager
Based in Aachen, Germany, FEV Motorentechnik GmbH (FEV) is an independent engineering company with about 1,300 employees worldwide. In May 2005, FEV opened a new subsidiary in P.R. China. Customers include all European car and engine manufacturers, as well as suppliers, the U.S. Big 3, and Asian manufacturers. Founded in 1978, FEV conducts high technology developments from design to go live in the area of engine technology. Additionally the company builds & sells measurement and test equipment.
Integrated project management and financial accounting gives FEV faster access to controlling information. It used to take 20 days to get monthly closing data; today it takes a week. Moreover, data entry has been reduced due to the higher level of automation. Business KPIs are more transparent, and knowledge management will be stronger in the future.
VBG GROUP is an engineering group with manufacturing and sales companies in Europe, India, China and the USA. The Group’s operations are divided into two business areas, VBG Group Truck Equipment, supplying systems and equipment to customers in the heavy vehicles industry, and Ringfeder Power Transmission, which specializes in mechanical power transmission and industrial damping. The Group has roughly 430 employees and reported net revenue in excess of US $162 million in 2010.
We were in a position where operators had to spend a lot of time on administration and not on their main task—making sure the equipment was used efficiently. With the new manufacturing and reporting client, we have solved the problem. Stefan Josefsson, IT Director, VBG Group, VBG
MINI Plant Swindon has upgraded its ERP system to IFS Applications 7.0, to increase collaboration and internal efficiencies. The IFS software has been upgraded at the plant, which is responsible for the manufacture of the MINI pressings.
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