About the client:
- Industry: Processing Trade
- Location: Coimbatore
- Employees strength: 50
Client Situation: The client’s business was profitable but at the same time demanding in terms of time investment for the directors. There were other challenges like theft and pilferage. Various manual data entry work led to errors, resulting in dissatisfied customers and loss to the company.
Other issues:
- Paper reports
- Having to visit the site physically to review certain things
- No easy way to identify efficiency and resources (Human and Machinery)
- Time-consuming and error-prone payroll processing
The solution offered
Analysis and Design: After spending about 50 hours talking to all stakeholders, we designed and documented a custom solution. A Series of meetings were held to bounce various ideas and features.
Web Application: We designed a web-based software and identified various process changes. This software covered converting all paper-based tasks onto a web-based form (Purchase order, sales order, Invoice etc.). In addition, we automated all manual entry work, like measuring and entering weight into stock, arrivals and dispatch via scripts that would take the weight from the weighing machine and enter the respective fields in the form (Arrivals, Dispatch, Stock Transfer, etc.).
Third-Party Coordination: To enable weight transfer from weighing machine to software, we worked closely with the weighing machine provider to add features to their weighing machine digital display panel to transfer data to a computer using custom hardware and software modifications.
Task Management: A work order module was designed that helped them to create a new work order for each new batch of work, connect the Man and Machine to the process, and add input details for the process and expected outcome. It also helped them compare the efficiency of staff and machinery in each work order against a standard expected outcome.
Outcome:
Mobility: The business owners now have a web application, which means they can monitor their business activities from anywhere at any time (considering the operations is 24×7). Most activities can be reviewed and approved by Management with algorithms that could alert them of an anomaly.
Traceability: The products now have a unique barcode that can be traced back to the original raw material, work order number and staff involved. Any quality issue can then be easily contained to that particular batch of products.
Client testimonial: “We had one bag of the product tested at the client end, and the whole lot was rejected. With the recent barcode tracing, we could identify the batch, request the customer to just return 14 out of 200 bags and accept the rest.”
“With Covid restrictions, we were extremely happy that our basic business could continue with most staff working remotely. We would never have assumed it possible without the system, though it was nowhere in our wildest idea that such a situation might come” – Director
