The business One of the largest Brazilian manufacturers and distributors of tempered glass products for architectural and construction applications. Its context The company acquires raw glass sheets from suppliers Pilkington, Cebrace or Saint Gobain, and manufactures windows, building façades, doors, shower boxes, and similar products in large scale for commercial clients such as construction companies. It has manufacturing units in two Brazilian states, which supply to clients from around the country. The problem The lack of a tracking system on the shop floor generated substantial customer dissatisfaction. Inquiries about order status required constant manual checking by sales personnel, causing: Manufacturing performance indicators also lacked in reliability and timeliness, which impacted material and cost controls, and caused poor results in ISO 9000 audits. | | The solution A simple and robust tracking system was custom-developed for the business, which is based on barcode data gathering via WiFi-networked portable collectors. The equipment was allocated to the main production stages, and is operated by the glass fabricators themselves. Minimal training was required. Results The tracking system features a Web interface, which allows customers to monitor order progress in real time, in an independent and remote manner. Clients can also be notified of order progress via automated e-mail messaging. Seamless integration between tracking and the existing ERP system also solved internal quality and control problems. The company has since been recognized by the raw glass supplier (and owner of the final product trademark) as having the best on-time performance among all Brazilian competitors. |  |