Cloud-based manufacturing enterprise software provider Plex Systems Inc. introduced a series of enhancements to its Plex Online ERP that it indicated will help manufacturers improve tooling and maintenance functions. Importantly, the program developer said all the Plex Online enhancements are accessible by all users at any time, at no additional cost.
Plex Online is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) enterprise platform with features for virtually every manufacturing function, including manufacturing execution systems (MES) and quality management systems (QMS) for the shop floor; supply chain management (SCM) for procurement; and enterprise resource planning (ERP) for finance and management.
Noting the new features will help Plex Online users to manage preventive maintenance schedules more effectively, Plex explained it is possible now to identify perishable tools and track tool life. This capability means that users can set usage standards based on different types of tools, which will help operations to maintain an efficient purchasing process.
Also, users can add attachments or the supply “bill of materials” (BOM) to preventive maintenance schedules. The attachments or BOMs appear on the work requests created from the schedules, for easy reference.
Another new feature improves access to attachments, so it’s easier for users to reference manuals, schematics, work instructions or other supporting information they need for decision-making, saving time, and reducing potential for errors. The ability to add a BOM of supply items makes it easier to identify and request the components needed to perform each task more quickly, and the report provides a view of required supplies across all schedules.
A new report provides a detailed view of tool labor and workcenter costs as captured from the tool work order system: It provides greater visibility into tool room performance.
Finally, tool details and tool sets can now be linked to tool orders to help users create accounts receivable records for tools sold to customers. In addition, the number of user-defined options for the formatting of invoice lines has increased. These changes make it possible to capture more details, and introduce more flexibility and efficiency to the process.
