Small batches, complex workflows
Cras Woodgroup manufactures custom wood products — tables, doors, garden furniture — in small batches to precise specification. The plant adjusts humidity, temperature and other factors per order to hit the finish the customer asked for.
We specialize in creating small batches of high-quality wood products to precise specifications, so our manufacturing schedules and workflows are relatively complex. In the past, it could take us several weeks to fulfill an order.
Ronny CallantIT Manager, Collstrop (part of Cras Woodgroup)Operators set the machinery by hand for each job — how much glue to apply to the panels of a door, for instance. A small error in that configuration wasted material and slowed the line, and the plant's temperature and humidity had to be controlled tightly to protect the finish.
Automating the line, not just the paperwork
We built a bespoke production application that integrates with the existing ERP landscape. It takes sales orders and bills of materials from the ERP, coordinates with suppliers automatically, and once the components are available triggers their collection from the warehouse.
Then it goes further than a planning system normally would. When materials reach the line, the application configures the machinery to match the product specification and controls production and packaging through to the finished order. Node-RED wires the machines together so that business logic held in Db2 on IBM i decides what the line actually does — temperature, pressure, glue, and the rest.
We now have a manufacturing line that is automated from end to end. Everything from temperature to humidity to glue is managed and optimized by our new application.
Ronny CallantIT Manager, CollstropA line that runs around the clock cannot wait for a server. The infrastructure is two IBM Power System S924 machines configured for high availability with IBM PowerHA; if one goes down for maintenance or otherwise, the solution fails over automatically and manufacturing continues.
What it changed
- 66 % reduction in lead times, enabling delivery within one week for most orders
- Human error removed from the production line, with less wasted raw material
- More product in the same timeframes, contributing to higher revenues
- Round-the-clock insight into the lines, so problems are resolved sooner
Deploying the new manufacturing application from CD Invest on IBM Power Systems slashed our lead times by up to 66 percent. We can typically deliver orders to customers within a week, giving us an edge over many of our competitors.
Ronny CallantIT Manager, Collstrop (part of Cras Woodgroup)The part we are most pleased about
There's a misconception that it's an outdated platform, but we know from experience that it looks and feels modern. We enjoyed working with CD Invest because they transferred knowledge throughout the project, helping us towards our goal of self-sufficiency in support and development.
Ronny CallantIT Manager, CollstropSelf-sufficiency is the goal we state on every engagement. It is more satisfying to be quoted on it than on the 66 per cent.
Source: cdinvest.eu portfolio, Cras Woodshops (2017 · Waregem, Belgium). All quotations as published.