Optimizing the Manufacturing Supply Chain with Automation and Barcoding

Source: Optimizing the Manufacturing Supply Chain with Automation and Barcoding Success Story


Background

Welch Allyn, a leading global manufacturer of medical diagnostic equipment, develops hundreds of breakthrough products and technologies that enable frontline practitioners to provide superior patient care. It has nearly 2,500 employees working in 26 different countries.


Challenge

  • Improve operational efficiency
    • Cause: Users required to take long walks and go through multiple data entries for simple processes like moving empty bins to the stock room because the data was trapped in a wired-only out-of-the-box SAP system.
    • Effect: There were drops in employee performance and productivity.
  • Ensure easier and nimble inventory management
    • Cause: Personnel needed to memorize data entry steps/actions like F3, F5, F8, Enter, Save, etc. and field values for backflushing process.
    • Effect: The process had to be redone for any wrong click or data entry error, became a significant expense.
  • Minimize manual keying data in SAP
    • Cause: Users on the manufacturing floor were not computer savvy and needed to enter all the data manually due to lack of automation.
    • Effect: Floor personnel struggled, which made the manufacturing process slow.


Solution



"The users on the manufacturing floor are not SAP IT professionals and wanted a simple interface on fun devices like iPods,"
- Andy Rindfleisch, Manufacturing Systems Manager, Welch Allyn

  • Liquid UI for iOS revamped their SAP by reducing multiple screens to one screen, removing unused fields and enabling it on iPod.
  • Liquid UI automated their SAP data entry process through barcode scanning thus not only improving process efficiency but also eliminating errors caused by manually entering values.


"Liquid UI screens can do amazing things. Reducing a transaction we do 350,000 times a year from 2 screens to 1, from 20 fields to 8, results in tremendous value." says Andy Rindfleisch, Manufacturing Systems Manager, Welch Allyn. "The savings goes back to the business as we become leaders in optimizing our manufacturing supply chain."

  • Welch Allyn observed that users were only using about 5% of the standard SAP screens and fields.
  • Using Liquid UI, Welch Allyn created simple inventory transactions such as a single screen MF1B transaction and a single MIGO screen.


Results

  • Barcoding not only improves transaction speed but also reduced errors.
  • For a small investment, combining Liquid UI with ActiveX to generate the barcodes helps production users to scan items and print kanban tickets.
  • Now, iPod touch is also used in the shipping area so that users are not tied down to a PC.

$1.2 Million in Annual Savings.

SAP Transaction
Number of Trx.
Hours Saved
Dollars Saved
MIGO - PO Receipt
140,000
4,667
$116,667
MB1B/311 - Transfer
350,000
5,833
$145,833
Printing KanBan Tickets
7,800
260
$6,500
Stock Room Scale Interface
100,000
1,667
$41,667
Product Labels
80,000
2,000
$50,000
MFBF - Backflush Kanban
160,000
2,000
$50,000
VL02N - Shipping
1,800,000
15,000
$375,000
Wgts & Dims of Shipping
3,000
100
$2,500
Build List
15,600
780
$19,500
Purchasing Data Form
10,400
520
$13,000
Shortage Report
2,080
6,240
$156,000
Email Demand to Suppliers
22,100
11,050
$276,250
Email Forecast to Suppliers
4,420
2,210
$55,250
Total
2,695,400
50,117
$1,252,917

Next Steps

Liquid UI drives your workforce by providing instant mobile access, without the need to redevelop z* transactions or recreate them in Fiori. With Liquid UI, you can also customize transaction screens on iOS / Android as per your business needs.

TRY FOR FREE - iOS TRY FOR FREE - Android

Questions? How can we help you?

Ask about performance gain with SD, PM and more, SAP customization and optimization, iOS and Android App or more. Our highly trained reps have answers, ready to help.

CONTACT US

OR CALL US AT 1-650-341-3310