| In the current issue of Automation.com, | | | | • Shop floor control |
| leading manufacturing journalist TR Cutler | | | | |
| profiles Hollywood Woodwork's CFO and reveals | | | | • Labor tracking |
| the rationale in selecting Trakware's MES | | | | |
| solution. The article may be read at its | | | | • Work-in-process/progress |
| entirety at | | | | (WIP) management |
| | | | |
| Trakware Systems ( is the worldwide leader in | | | | • Material and inventory |
| manufacturing execution system (MES) | | | | management |
| solutions for engineer-to-order (ETO) and | | | | |
| project-based manufacturers maximizing both | | | | • Project execution and |
| profitability and productivity. Trakware | | | | control / job costing |
| specializes in lean business-critical | | | | |
| functions such as estimating, advanced | | | | • Financials |
| scheduling, job costing, production | | | | |
| management and labor as well as material shop | | | | • Mobile access (laptop, |
| floor data collection. TRAKware software | | | | wireless handhelds, etc.) |
| fully integrates with existing ERP systems, | | | | |
| as well as major software providers for | | | | How CFO's in the ETO Environment Find |
| financials, engineering design, optimization, | | | | Technology Driving Culture Shifts |
| payroll and wireless interaction for mobile | | | | |
| workers. | | | | Implementing the new MES system created a |
| | | | culture shift throughout the enterprise |
| According Tony Parkinson, CFO of Hollywood | | | | beyond the initial estimating functionality. |
| Woodwork, in Hollywood Florida, "We were | | | | While originally purchased for the Estimating |
| finding it harder and harder to hire | | | | Department it soon became evident that the |
| experienced estimators that truly knew our | | | | organization needed to bring in |
| industry and we were spending an inordinate | | | | representatives from all departments of the |
| amount of time developing estimators from | | | | company in order to have a successful |
| within the company. We were concerned that | | | | implementation. "As an "Enterprise" software |
| much of the knowledge we had concerning the | | | | package we have discovered that imposes |
| "art" of estimating was primarily in the | | | | coordination among departments throughout the |
| heads of a few people who were looking to | | | | company, it requires defined tasks, |
| retire in the next couple of years. We | | | | sequences, and data formats to be used by ALL |
| wanted to find an estimating package that was | | | | people," according to CFO Parkinson. |
| geared towards the architectural woodworking | | | | |
| industry and would help us transfer the | | | | CFO's top 3 reasons an ETO |
| knowledge of our senior estimators into a | | | | (engineer-to-order) manufacturer (such as |
| system that could benefit everyone. We knew | | | | Hollywood Woodworking) should consider in |
| if we could systemize the process at a more | | | | selecting an MES solution: |
| granular level we could better avoid | | | | |
| "ballpark" estimates. We would have the | | | | 1. Properly implemented, it will allow a |
| ability to modify and provide estimates | | | | company to focus on reducing costs and |
| quicker and at a more detailed level - | | | | increasing margins. |
| something our customers were demanding." | | | | |
| | | | 2. Enable the company to be more responsive |
| Checklist of Feature for MES in the ETO | | | | to customers in terms making and keeping |
| Environment | | | | commitments, providing details, and |
| | | | delivering a job on time, on budget. |
| • Estimating | | | | |
| | | | 3. Help take a lot of data and turn it to |
| • Advanced production | | | | information to make better informed |
| scheduling | | | | decisions. |
| | | | |
| • Advanced parametric | | | | Trakware recognizes ETO manufacturing as a |
| configurator / product configuration | | | | process and includes a wide range of industry |
| | | | sectors including Architectural Woodworking, |
| • Change order management | | | | Cabinets, Store Fixtures, Doors and Windows, |
| | | | Furniture, Oil and Gas Fabrication, Solid |
| • Manufacturing data | | | | Surface, Metal Fabrication, Yachts-building, |
| collection | | | | and Custom Electronics. |
| | | | |