As the eyes and ears of fabricators, software tracks everything from orders and inventory to machine and production activities
Above: Laser cutting machine
May 2023- As the eyes and ears of fabricators, software tracks everything from orders and inventory to machine and production activities
Supply chain management, production monitoring, artificial intelligence and automation may qualify as manufacturing buzzwords but they also describe some of the trends driving the rapid growth of sheet metal programming software. Lantek Systems Inc. specializes in next-generation software tools for parts production from sheet metal, tube and structural steel. The company is also an Industry 4.0 interface expert for job shops and fabricators that need to digitize industrial processes cost-effectively.
Headquartered in Europe, lantek's software suite includes manufacturing resource planning (MRP), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing execution systems (MES) as well as Lantek Expert, its CAD/CAM nesting software. Th e company has 21 offices in 15 countries along with distribution in Canada and sales and support in Mexico and the U.S. With 35 years of experience, the software developer has observed a lot of changes in the industry over the last few decades.
Market conditions continue to influence the need for software solutions that can manage day-to-day business activities, support production planning, scheduling and inventory control for manufacturing processes, and track and document the life cycle of parts from raw material to finished goods. Customer interest in cloud-based platforms is rising.
Lantek 2D Job Planning MES has advanced functions for part grouping according to different criteria
Lantek Manager performs a comparison between estimated costs and true costs for selected manufacturing orders. Customers can enter and continuously update costs data, as well as capture industry costs from the web
THE RIGHT TOOLS
An ERP system is primarily focused on scheduling and quantitative analysis, while MES manages the actual shop-floor process and operations of a production line in real time. MES tracks raw material consumption while MRP aids a fabricator with preparing inventory for production.
“Prior to the introduction of ERP and MES, all fabricators and job shops carried a paper trail,” says Lantek Commercial Director Anupam Chakraborty. “Manufacturing carried its own paper trail. Engineers would create programs, release them and then print reports for operators. Operators would review the process, update the paper report and send it back to the engineers. Digitally, there was a gap on the manufacturing floor.”
Lantek’s Integra suite consists of a set of modules that focus on complete and integrated current and future management needs from the initial sales process to service and support. Its MES series products help users manage and optimize manufacturing processes and gain real-time control of different activities on the shop floor. That creates a competitive advantage. “Fabricators are looking for tools that can provide them with performance measuring analytics from real-time data capture to process automation efficiencies,” says Chakraborty. “Job shops don’t have the luxury of focusing on one thing. They have to look at whether or not their operation is efficient, if they have the right balance of machines and skilled personnel and, most importantly, if they can consistently produce good parts. These are the elements that help to attract more business, but it doesn’t end there. Customers have the same tools that manufacturers have. With search engine optimization, they can access information that gives them the flexibility to access multiple suppliers. Customers no longer have to depend on just one or two manufacturers. In addition to getting the right parts done on time, job shops also have to target the right price because with reshoring, they are no longer competing against offshore manufacturers.”
Lantek Manufacturing Analytics measures, visualizes and manages all production processes simply
LESSONS LEARNED
According to Chakraborty, the economy’s fluctuations over the last 15 years, topped by the current supply chain gridlock and labor shortages, have uncovered several other key lessons. “The industry has learned that we have to be local,” he says. “We can’t outsource everything. But being local means we need to invest in infrastructure and people. We need fabrication skill sets but we also need automation that can take over tedious, repetitive tasks, freeing up people to upgrade to more value-added positions.” As job shops and fabricators evolve with the help of software that can collect, track and report on data and processes in real-time, another major concern is emerging how to keep machines running. A key outcome of the convergence between IoT and artificial intelligence in manufacturing is the ability to predict events like machine maintenance. For most manufacturers, downtime is the single largest source of lost production time.
Lantek Expert Cut allows tables to be configured via material/thickness to define separation between parts and lead-ins/lead-outs for different types of contours and dependent on material/thickness and cutting quality
“For example, an operator may run a machine for a specified amount of time and perform maintenance every two months,” says Chakraborty. “But there may be times when the operator is required to run the machine more than usual. Our integrated software modules help an operator track which tool is working harder and help determine actual maintenance required, improving overall uptime and efficiency.” As the marketplace continues to change, Lantek’s holistic approach to software solutions gives manufacturers the flexibility to change direction at a moment’s notice. “Everything is now interconnected,” Chakraborty says. “That’s why we have an edge. As a technology company, we have the experience that allows us to continue to adapt and grow with our customers, whether it’s a mom-and-pop shop or a large fabricator. Technology like Lantek’s software is making industrial work cool again in a digital- first era.”
Lantek Systems Inc., 877/805-1023, http://lantek.com/
