A state of the art, IT-driven efficiency initiative is said to be taking production at Apeer Doors to ‘new heights’.
,The Northern Ireland based composite door manufacturer has implemented what it says is a ‘highly sophisticated’ system, that extends its previous barcoding scheme to include minute by minute timesheet monitoring and management of production employees and key line managers.
,Group ICT manager for Apeer, Eddie McStravick, said: “Each employee works to an individual timesheet which provides them with their specific workload for the day and includes built-in quality checks for every job.
,“The aim is to eliminate any quality issues, ensure each employee is totally accountable for every piece of work they do – and also highlight any training issues there may be.”
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,The new initiative further develops the company’s barcoding and scanning procedure, which ensures production staff know exactly what is being worked on and what is coming up, allowing for maximised workload management.
,Eddie continued: “The new workstation log-in system allows us to centrally monitor and micro-manage the production flow. We know exactly how long each task takes and at the end of it, automatic quality checks ensure every single item going through our production process is as it should be.”
,The new system has already reduced lead times by an average of 1.5 days and improved on-time deliveries to 99% during the past financial quarter. More planned improvements will further support quality controls.
,Said Apeer MD, Asa McGillian: “This has been a major initiative for us and represents a hefty investment for the company. It covers individual workstations for around 100 staff over two shifts but we are already seeing significant benefits from the system. It allows us to keep a very tight handle on what everyone is doing as well as ensure rigorous quality control checks at every step in the production process.”
