Corporate Performance Management
With IFS Business Performance, which was designed especially for the automotive industry, you get the basic tools for enhancing quality and increasing profitability. It gives you a quick overview of critical business areas, such as quality, costs and
delivery reliability, ensuring enhanced business performance.
IFS Business Performance for automotive lets you leverage the information distributed throughout your business applications. Issues that can be measured and followed up on include PPM (parts per million) levels, returns, delivery reliability, and
reprocessing. You can more easily compare key figures from different units and identify enhancement potential. You can also analyze key figures in detail with pre-packaged online analytical processing (OLAP) cubes.
Streamlined information
IFS Applications for automotive OEMs manages short-term and long-term delivery schedules, providing planning tools that optimize material supplies and the use of production capacity in line with whatever model you choose. Simultaneously, parallel delivery
schedules are compiled for the next stage in the supply chain. This fast and accurate information flow minimizes delays in the supply chain so that inventory balances can be reduced and less capital is tied up. You can further streamline your operations
using the IFS’ Kanban functionality.
Agile Communication
IFS Applications creates a direct information path among everyone involved in a chain or network of suppliers. Using IFS’ internal standard, Message Handling System (MHS), the information is easy to access and accurate, and the interface between the
various stages is well defined.
Currently, most suppliers are required to use EDI. As a member of the trade association ODETTE, IFS participates continuously in the development of automotive-specific EDI applications, which guarantees suitably adapted, future-proof communication on
terms decided by IFS’ customers. IFS’ EDI functionality includes conversion capabilities, a communications module, and preset messages for automobile manufacturers such as Ford, Volvo, Scania, and GM, according to Edifact, ODETTE, Ansi X.12, and VDA
standards.
Using a standard Web browser, you can also access several functions that can be used to minimize paperwork and increase security when communicating with suppliers that do not use EDI. With appropriate authorization, suppliers themselves can use the Web to
monitor their delivery schedules, and consignment suppliers can examine inventory balances at their customers’ sites.
Collaborative Program Management and Product Lifecycle Management
IFS Applications allows closer collaboration between customers and suppliers during the product development process, offering well-developed support for PDM structures, a thorough document management system, and a simple, standard user interface, such a
Web browser. It is also fully equipped for communication with external CAD/CAM, and calculation and estimation tools. The entire product development program is administered using IFS Project.
The IFS solution offers integrated product lifecycle management support. IFS’ integrated solution supports all your business processes—from product development through manufacturing, distribution, and after-sales services. IFS also includes integrated
quality management with SPC capabilities to support continuous quality improvements for your products and services.
Flexible Supply Chain Management
Suppliers shape their own processes based on the demands from their surroundings. No matter what the structure looks like, IFS Applications provides the right support and adaptability when conditions change rapidly.
Long-term customer relationships are based on demonstrably high productivity and the ability to live up to the customers’ stringent delivery and quality requirements. The strength of IFS Applications lies in its ability to manage large order volumes with
a minimum of manual input. Information flows for incoming and outgoing delivery schedules are totally integrated with other processes to ensure a swift and accurate response to customer demands.
Effective support for Repetitive and Kanban-Controlled Manufacturing
Repetitive production efficiently reduces the number of transactions while simplifying and automating the production process. It minimizes administrative procedures and production planning without losing traceability. Final reporting is the only
shop-floor reporting required, and it results in the automatic deduction of all components used. Repetitive production is particularly suited to companies in which parts of the production process are characterized by short throughput times, independent
work teams, relatively even demand, and high volumes.
IFS supports Kanban-controlled production at a variety of levels, from simple card-based Kanban to electronic Kanban with sophisticated shop-floor reporting.
Secure Order Shipments with Complete Transport Documentation
IFS Applications handles high delivery volumes with great precision, with extremely flexible handling of packaging structures. Before shipment, labels are created for marking goods and for transport documentation. Text and bar codes are used for
identification to facilitate automatic scanning. Notice of delivery is done using EDI according to ODETTE and its subset, the Edifact standard. Since complete traceability of transactions is essential for quality assurance, information can be traced by
article, parcel, lot, serial, order number, or time—through financial transactions.
Enhanced Quality and Cost Reduction
IFS Applications provides broad functionality for various support processes in core operations, such as quality assurance and costing. It is well equipped to support the core areas in QS-9000/TS-16949, such as advanced product quality planning and
control plan (APQP) and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA).
IFS’ integrated quality management system helps you achieve continuous improvements, prevent faults, and reduce variations and losses in the supply chain.
Along with ongoing efforts to improve quality, automotive suppliers constantly are under pressure to cut costs. By administering planned, ongoing, and completed actions, IFS Applications supports continuous cost reduction, or Kaizen costing.
Smoother Invoicing
Customer invoices, produced as both documents and EDI messages, can be fully traced in terms of vouchers and allocation. The invoicing function handles optional currencies, with automatic conversion to the accounting currency.
IFS Self-billing/ERS means that the customer (OEM) transfers EDI messages to the supplier. The supplier system then matches the incoming information with delivery data, generates customer invoices, and matches the incoming payment with the customer
invoices created.
Mix-Mode Manufacturing
IFS’ solution for automotive suppliers supports a wide variety of manufacturing and business control strategies for improved supply-chain efficiency and cost reductions to meet your business requirements.
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