ERP Software For The Industrial Vehicle Manufacturing Industry

Manual Quoting Leads to Unorganized Company Information

When a company is comfortable with an older form of record keeping, which typically involves excel sheets or a homegrown system, they run the risk of losing important company information or slowing down processes because of a lack of software integration.
How can WorkWise ERP software help with eliminating the dangers that come with manual quoting? The WorkWise ERP Quoting module helps sales reps and customer service to streamline the quotation preparation process. Quotes are created accurately and with complete quotation content, which includes images and notes to help provide clarity about the products being quoted. Quotes use the most accurate and current pricing data to help ensure margins are protected. And, pro-active follow-ups for open quotes help to increase wins. Then, as new business is won, quotes seamlessly convert into customer orders without re-keying data to streamline order entry process. More sales, less effort.

Product Lines are Getting More Complex and Difficult to Manage

When specifying a custom vehicle, accurately specifying dimensions, capacities, colors and add-on accessories needed for that vehicle is critical. Whether specifying a work truck body, dump body, plow, rescue vehicle or custom bus, the answers to a set of pre-defined, logical questions can help determine option choices, to specify and price the parts, dimensionality, and value-added labor needed.

The WorkWise Product Configurator module allows vehicle manufacturers to streamline the sales, engineering and production of custom, dimensional, and standard components needed for each vehicle and accessory item. Perfect for the industrial vehicle industry, since there are so many component parts that make up a custom vehicle. The configurator allows sales teams and customers to select, configure, and order products from manufacturers while making sure that only valid features, options and dimensions are selected. Once the quote is converted to an order, the manufacturing specifications needed to produce and install the products are automatically generated based on the options requested. This reduces the need to do custom engineering, improves quality, and can dramatically reduce lead times.

No Product Design Integration

When designing new vehicle components to be manufactured, CAD, also known as Computer-Aided Design, uses 3D technology to assist with the creation, modification, analysis and/or optimization of a design. Whether you use SOLIDWORKS, Inventor, or other CAD systems, that CAD software integrates with WorkWise ERP so that both systems can work together. This ensures that all departments work from the same secure data, which reduces manual data entry and errors. Engineers can create a design of how they would like their vehicles accessories to appear and operate, and with the ERP/CAD integration, accurate, bill of material data is integrated so production has faster access to the data for planning and scheduling.

Issues with Scheduling and Planning

Homegrown systems or other antiquated methods of scheduling can cause vehicle manufacturers to order extra materials based on gut feel, rather than real needs. This may reduce the fear of running out of materials but may also cause shortages, which slows down the production process and can inflate inventories. Instead of playing the guessing game in terms of what and when to procure, it is important to have a system in place to buy what is actually needed, which can eliminate disruptions and avoid carrying too much inventory.

Whether scheduling fab, welding, paint, sub assembly or final assembly bays, with WorkWise ERP’s Planning suite of modules, the shop can schedule production based on constraints of people skills, machines, materials, and tooling with the ability to balance it all. Not only are having materials available at the right time important, but skilled workers are a key constraint as well. So, it is important to deal with this constraint ahead of time so we have employees available who are capable of fabrication, welding, electrical, and testing when needed. In this way, you can manage vehicle production in light of all constraints and improve on time deliveries and product quality.

No Pro-Active Customer Relationship Management

One of the key functions to competing effectively is strong customer service, which is achievable with the help of WorkWise Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. The all-in-one sales and marketing automation software’s goal is to strengthen the bond between vehicle manufacturers and their dealers, distributors and end-users. Ultimately helping to grow the vehicle manufacturer’s sales.

How well customers are satisfied with their vehicle products is a function of effective customer service. WorkWise CRM offers the ability to track all customer communications and track incidents, so it is easier to service customers and track reasons for issues. This can also help in highlighting the need for proactive corrective actions and reduce those incidents.

Mixed Modes

• Make to stock
• Assemble to order
• Build to order
• Configure to order
• Repeat and tweak
• Engineer to order

Mixed Methods

• Lean Manufacturing
• Kanban
• MRP & MPS
• JIT
• 5s
• MES
• Role based manufacturing
• TQM, Six Sigma, Kaizen

Customer Service

• Quoting and estimating
• Complex orders
• Product configuration
• Copy and tweak order creation
• Direct Fulfillment
• Customer portal
• Customer relationship manager

After Market Sales and Support

• CRM-Call center
• eCommerce
• Warranty
• Customer portal

Product Life Cycle Management

• Customer portal
• CRM-Customer
• Product configuration
• Document and file management
• Engineering change orders
• Supplier traceability
• As built BOM and routing
• Build histories
• Quality archives
• CRM-Support
• Warranty

Manufacturing Execution

• Product configuration
• Visual scheduling
• Shop Floor Control
• Work in process manager
• Asset utilization manager, CMMS/EAM
• Mobile data collection
• Kanban
• Kaizen
• 5s
• Performance management
• Human resource management

Supply Chain

• Inventory management
• Supplier portal
• Purchasing
• Bill of material
• Engineering change orders
• JIT
• Warehouse management

Cost Management

• Job cost
• Standard cost
• Multi-layered cost application

Production Planning

• Material requirements planning
• Master scheduling
• Product configuration
• Available to promise
• Lot traceability
• Capacity planning

Quality

• Engineering change orders
• Quality control
• Regulation compliance
• Tools supporting ISO 9001 and TS16949 standards
• SPC, APQP, CAPA
• Supplier score carding

• Multidimensional sales forecasting and planning
• Preventative/predictive maintenance tracking
• Features and options
• Multi-level pricing
• Rules based quotations and configurations
• Blanket purchase orders
• Role based screens and applications
• Document archiving
• Rules based configurations
• Sales order to job link
• What-if quotes and costing
• Available to promise
• Shop order explosion
• Modular design capability
• Asset purchased and tracking system
• Sequence management
• Cost application of design, research and other special costs
• Matrix bills
• Family forecasting
• Serialized label generation
• Release control management
• Complete audit trails
• Kanban control support
• Heijunka Scheduling
• Multi-currency, international shipping
• Forward and backward lot traceability
• Back flushing
• Kitting
• Cumulative lead time
• Smooth forecast error
• Substitutes and alternatives
• Serialized inventory
• Attribute management

• Complete engineering change control, product lifecycle, and lot tracking, across all internal and external operations
• Flexibility in adapting products to specific customer wishes
• Improved collaboration and relationship with the customer, engineers, and suppliers
• Ease of doing business for the customer
• Rules-Based, Multi-Level Sales Configurator – Configure and price
• Quick bidding with bids, quotations and estimates
• Improved supply chain management and cost control
• Lower operational costs
• Speed time-to-delivery
• Maximize aftermarket opportunities, and lowering aftermarket costs
• Supports aftermarket parts sales
• Extend value add programs (solutions)
• Support production of complex products with product configurator
• Improved lifecycle management
• Maintain plant and equipment with CMMS activities factored into production schedules
• Full lot, serial, and revision control
• Ability to handle multiple mixed mode planning models, configurations
• Lower costs and waste thru lean practices
• Better visibility into all aspects of your operations
• Precise execution throughout the business
• Real time feedback to stay on top of all activities and performance
• Ease of doing business for the customer
• Enhanced productivity for the shop floor
• Low cost efficient operations
• Better customer fill-rates and delivery promises
• Improved quality with Kaizen, TQM
• Extend value add programs (solutions)
• Optimized production capacity
• Insights into accurate product costs with full view and alternative application methods
• Tight control on serial numbers and lots
• Manage high level receivables
• Project and manage cash flow