Fabrication
The Fabrication industry includes metal fabrication and fiberglass fabrication. Metal fabrication is the process that changes the geometry of metal by molding, smelting, refining it or removing metal from it. The main processes associated with this industry are metal fabrication, metal preparation and finishing.
Metal fabricators supply a variety of proprietary parts and components to the manufacturing industry. Products range from highly-engineered products, such as HVAC units, with small production runs, to high volumes of make-to-stock.
Rigid fiberglass products are manufactured through the molding of glass fibers, and/or thermoset plastics to produce fiberglass, fiberglass reinforced plastics and composites. Rigid fiberglass products are very durable and corrosion resistant.
Common characteristics of the fabrication industry
The fabrication industry share many common characteristics and challenges:
- Largely dependent on the demands of other industries.
- Response time to changing product mix and demand and customer specifications.
- Shortened product development life cycles by collaboration with customers on the design and engineering of products.
- Customer service.
- Management and tracking of documentation and activities.
- Synchronisation of production schedules with those of customers.
- Minimisation of overcapacity and reduction of cost.
- Long term cost management and containment.
- Waste removal.
- Improved productivity.
- Optimisation of resources.
- Reduction of bottlenecks.
- Quality management.
- Accuracy of job costs.
- Management of multi-dimensional inventory and lot control.
- Consignment Stock.
- Long lead times on raw materials.
Fabrication industry challenges
SYSPRO addresses these challenges with the following modules from its extensive enterprise resource planning suite. Suggested modules include:
- Blanket Sales Orders and Releases Module.
- Quotations Module.
- Quality Data Collection Module.
- Factory Documentation.
- Contact Management Module.
- Factory Scheduling Module.
- Lot Traceability Module.
- Requirements Planning Module.
- Work in Progress Module.
- Bill of Materials Module.
- Document Flow Manager.
- e.net Solutions.
