PLM into a corporate technology management tool to help mechanical enterprise information

First of all, PLM (product life cycle management system) or the first ERP (enterprise resource planning system) is a multiple-choice question for many companies.

On August 17th, Han Liwen, chief engineer of Jiaozuo Brake Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Jiaozuo Brake) told the reporter: “In 2003, we had an ERP system because the company’s production model was multi-variety, small-batch, and the product management was very complicated. Therefore, ERP was not successful at the time. Now, after implementing PLM, not only the product management is standardized, but also the ERP connection is fully prepared. Therefore, we are ready to go on ERP again."

PLM into Enterprise Technology Management Tool

Jiaozuo Brake is the leading company in the industrial brake industry in China. Both the Bird's Nest and the main lift platform at the main venue of the Expo have exclusively adopted the company's brakes.

Liu Xiaojun, general manager of the company, said: “In 1985, the company introduced leading technology from the former West Germany and raised the manufacturing level of industrial brakes in China from the level of the 1960s to the international advanced level at that time. In 1996, the company and its French counterparts conducted Technical cooperation, the introduction of disc brake manufacturing technology, to fill the gaps in the country. Through the introduction of the two, absorption, and re-innovation, China's brake industry and the developed countries have greatly reduced the level."

Like other manufacturing companies, the process of Jiaozuo Brake's technological innovation incorporates management informationization. Guo Xiwen, deputy general manager of the company, stated: "The company's informationization is a gradual process from perceptual knowledge to rational knowledge. It started with financial software and later it slowly tasted in technology and management software. CAXA software has relatively complete functions. It is suitable for the characteristics of many kinds of products, small quantities, and development of non-standard products at any time."

The CAXA mentioned by Guo Xiwen is Beijing Digital Dafang Technology Co., Ltd. The company is China's largest provider of CAD and PLM software and services, and a leader in domestic industrial software. The company mainly provides R&D design PLM solutions for R&D of industrial products, including 2D and 3D CAD, process CAPP and PDM software, and “digital plant PLM solutions” for industrial product manufacturing, including CAM and network. Software such as DNC, MES, and MPM covers four major areas of industrial product design, process, manufacturing, and management.

Han Liwen told reporters: "The company's products have more than 60 kinds of specifications, tens of thousands of varieties. In order to speed up the design efficiency and standardize the company's management, in October 2008, the company fully implemented CAXAPLM solutions, including graphics documentation PDM, electronic drawing board 2D, Physical Design 3D, Process CAPP, and Process Summary BOM. In September 2009, the company purchased additional CAXA graphics documentation PDM and other software."

He evaluated CAXA's software in this way: “Jiaozuo Brake has started the CAXAPLM solution and helped us to standardize and standardize product design, process and management. All data has been managed centrally, completely changing the chaotic state of drawing materials and related documents. The effectiveness of collaboration among departments has been improved, and data security has been fully guaranteed, and the company's technology management level has reached a large level."

The company's R & D personnel said: "I feel that CAXA is much better than AutoCAD, reflected in the national standard icon library, standard parts library, secondary development software and other aspects."

The company's system administrator said: "The CAXA system is generally in good operation, providing a good platform for the confidentiality of the company's drawings and the specification of individual operations. It is only the improvement of the targeted system that needs improvement."

It is the same city of Huake Hydraulic Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. that shares the same feeling with Jiaozuo Brake. This private enterprise was established in 1992. It has more than 300 employees and an output value of more than 80 million yuan. The main products are hydraulic cylinders and cylinders. The products are mainly non-standard and the independent design rate reaches 90%.

He Guizhong, the company's general manager, told reporters: “We were the first to create a drawing board for product design. Now we use CAXA's 2D and 3D software, and we also have a CAXA diagram document PDM system. This system has very good product management and sales management. Great improvement: In the past, the process from sales to technology to process, procurement, and workshop tandemization has now been flattened and the product cycle has been shortened. After using CAXAPLM, we can produce one or two sets of product drawings one day from 2008. By 2009, the company's output value has increased by 30%, CAXA software is more practical for the machinery manufacturing industry. Next, we have to ERP, and the application of CAXA system gives us a solid data base."

“Our product documentation is particularly large, coupled with the flow of people, making technical management difficult.” He Guizhong concluded, “Using CAXA, my greatest feeling is: people are improving, people have no influence.”

Henan Weimeng Vibration Equipment Co., Ltd. is a “little giant” company and its market share of vibration products ranks among the top three in the same industry in the country.

Wang Simin, general manager of the company, said: “Our informatization is at the forefront of local companies. In 1992, we started to dump the board. At that time, we used foreign software. Later we discovered that CAXA is good value for money, and we started with one or two sets of slowly. Attempts to use it on a large scale in 2002 and eventually to replace it all with CAXA. During this period, we have been working with CAXA to start with the first two-dimensional and three-dimensional design software and a graph document management system."

The company’s R&D personnel told the reporter: “After using CAXA, all drawings, whether three-dimensional or two-dimensional, must enter the graph document management system. Everyone has their own password and permission. In the early days, you have to adapt. This way of co-design, when you adapt, the efficiency will be greatly improved over the conventional design."

PLM is a solid foundation for ERP

Jiaozuo brakes Guo Xiwen told reporters: "Recently the company is making great efforts in technological transformation and at the same time starting a new production base."

"On the hardware level, we also hope that the informationization work can be upgraded." He said, "First, we must completely paperless on the technical documents. By then, we will design our products to process design and then to processing." We will no longer produce drawings, and secondly we will implement e-commerce, electronic orders, and electronic finance on product sales.We have sales centers in dozens of provinces and cities, and we have 23 central warehouses. Because brakes are a safety device, The response requirements are very high.Balanced configuration of the spare parts of the central warehouse is very important, which requires the control of the software system. Finally, the download of product sample electronic documents should be directly implemented in product promotion."

After experiencing the twists and turns of the ERP project, the Jiaozuo Brake was ready to force again and squat down this hard bone. The emboldenedness comes from the strong support of PLM. The chairman of the company, Duan Jingli, said: “In the past, there have been a lot of cases where informatization has been unsuccessful. The reason is that the preparatory work was not done well, there was no refinement, and the accuracy of product data was relatively poor. We are now studying the Toyota lean production method. The key point is to continue to improve. Maybe the initial data is not very accurate, but I require the company to revise it regularly to achieve perfection through gradual improvement.” Jiaozuo Brake unified all the parts in the PLM system, after which the part enters each The status of links can be queried and managed through the system. In this regard, Guo Xiwen has an image metaphor: business management processes are like roads, software is like cars, and part codes are license plates. With a clear code, a good car, information technology can run smoothly.

Duan Jingli said: "The next step, our goal is to refer to Toyota's lean production model, in accordance with the process and unit management, rather than process management. And this management model must rely on the transformation of information management. In addition, the assessment department when the assessment With the support of the information system, the results can be given in real time, and the assessment results are also easier for employees to accept."

Obviously, the management of Jiaozuo Brake also benefits from informationization. Duan Jingli further explained: “Modernization management must be supported by modern means. Informatization is a means of modern enterprise management, and it is also a means of supervision and execution. For example, a certain work needs 5 days in this link, if I If it is not processed within the specified time, there will be records in the system. The company now incorporates the assessment, and if it cannot be completed on time, it will deduct the assessment points accordingly."

Guo Xiwen told the reporter: “CAXA is already a leading domestic company in terms of technology management, and the service is also first-class. We will continue to use CAXA software for technical management software, and we look forward to the 2011 edition being able to go further. For management software, we plan to have a full line in the first half of next year. On the ERP."