Giesser sharpens blade production with process data visualization
Johannes Giesser Messerfabrik GmbH
challenges
Visualization of production data from CimMetal (ERP software for the metal processing industry) on monitors in the production hall and in offices
solution
Connection of the CimMetal ERP system to Peakboard via a dedicated interface, provision of five different applications on four monitors in the production hall and one monitor in the master office
benefits
- Visibility of orders and production progress for all employees in offices and in the production hall
- Ability to map the current status and changes at any time through real-time data access
- Higher employee motivation through transparency about their own work performance
Time to Value
14 days for developing the interface, connecting the data source including interface development and providing a first dashboard
As one of the world's leading manufacturers of quality knives and accessories for professional users, Johannes Giesser Messerfabrik GmbH produces more than 8,000 professional knives a day at its headquarters in Winnenden, Baden-Württemberg. The long-established company's product range includes around 2,500 forged or punched knives for the catering and food processing industries. Giesser has been making knives and cutlery by hand since 1776.
Today, in addition to craftsmanship, the manufacturer of hand knives also uses computer-aided work to keep pace with market developments. Messerfabrik's latest IT coup: The real-time visualization of production processes and data on monitors in the production hall and in offices — so that all employees can see at a glance at any time whether everything is running smoothly in production or where the finishing touches are still missing.
“By using Peakboard, we have become faster and more precise in our processes. The newly gained transparency also reveals further potential for process optimization, which we will gradually use. ”
Illuminated production data
“We receive around 20 manufacturing orders every week. These result in requirements for sub-articles, which are then manufactured at various stations. At the heart is blade production, which is carried out in eight different steps. Until now, we have represented order management using printed cards, which the employees of the various groups had to obtain according to the work process.”,
explains Björn Mutschler, head of the injection molding department at Johannes Giesser Messerfabrik GmbH.
“However, this paper-based variant has its drawbacks: paper printouts are not only expensive, but above all they contain rigid information that only corresponds to the facts at the time of printing. When an order gets higher priority at short notice or the required quantity has changed, you had to make sure that you catch the circulating slips of paper as quickly as possible, and reprint them. Errors in delivery dates or production quantities are almost inevitable. We wanted to change that with the digital visualization of orders. ”
Since it was not possible to visualize the data with the CimMetal ERP system used so far, a specific IT solution should provide the desired transparency.
Small but powerful
Giesser has opted for Peakboard. The installation-free all-in-one solution offers all necessary hardware and software components for aggregating data from various source systems and visualizing them in real time — packed in a small aluminum box with a smartphone. Management was skeptical at first.
“At first, you only see a computer in miniature format and ask yourself why you should spend money on it when there are small single-board computers on every corner for less than a hundred euros,” Mutschler remembers. “When the small computer was able to show what it was in it as part of the free Peakboard trial, it was immediately okay. ”
From production monitoring to vacation plans
“The first thing we have for the master's office is a Overall overview about our manufacturing orders visualized with all work steps in a dashboard,” explains Mutschler. “The basic idea was that we wanted to show which process was reported back: For each production step, we provide feedback to the ERP system. For example, when the punching process is complete, the employee at the punching machine reports back the quantity produced. This quantity is then the starting point for the next operation or depends on this feedback as to whether the quantity must be completed in the event of a small quantity or whether the quantity is sufficient. We have always had major differences here in the past. Because the number that was reported back was only in the ERP system, i.e. virtually disappeared into a black box, the employee had no insight into whether he had entered his number correctly. With Peakboard, he has this transparency Well, and we can be sure that the numbers are correct. ”
Around 60 employees in production and two employees in the master office now use a total of five different Peakboard Boxes. The shipping department uses a backlog dashboard to find out which backlogs are there for which calendar weeks. Detailed information about which customer orders are affected is available at the click of a button. The Peakboard Box in the punching shop visualizes key figures for work steps such as punching and hardening. Another box is hanging in the grinding shop and in the polishing shop.
“With us, every dashboard has several functions,” adds Mutschler. “With function keys on a keyboard, we can call up several screens. For example, we have stored the shift and vacation plans for the master craftsman's office as a PDF document on the Peakboard Box with the complete overview. Or: If a machine fails, employees can manually set it to red, and an email is triggered at the same time to the employee responsible for the respective machine. ”
The response from employees was very positive. The production workers have it as esteem felt that they were integrated into the overall process using a Peakboard, instead of working more or less in isolation from information about the current production status.
“Of course, with the newfound transparency, there is also more pressure, because you can now also see that you have fallen short of your target values, for example,” says Mutschler. “However, employees perceive this pressure mostly positively — as an incentive to achieve their production goals and to see how well they are working. ”
The main benefit of using Peakboard lies in the newfound transparency over all production steps. As a result, production efficiency could be improved through faster and more precise processes. The elimination of paper-based order management and shift planning has also significantly reduced the amount of paper required.
Rosy prospects
Further dashboards and refinements to existing dashboards are already being planned. Giesser is currently working on the implementation of a Management-dashboards, which shows the visualization of business data such as cash flow without first having to request reports from the accounting department.
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