Dofasco Tubular Products on Schedule with Quintiq
Advanced Planning & Scheduling in the Steel Industry for Yield Improvement, Profit Maximization, Optimization of Inventory and Cost Visibility
HAMILTON, Ontario and WAYNE, Pa., March 7 -- Dofasco Tubular Products announces that it has chosen the Quintiq Advanced Planning and Scheduling solution for its Brampton Tube Operations. The Quintiq solution, specified for Dofasco, will support the company in its efforts to optimize its production processes. With Quintiq being interfaced with the existing ERP system, Dofasco plans to reduce inventories, maximize material usage, increase cost visibility and improve delivery performance as well as workforce efficiency. The Quintiq solution will create a single platform replacing the existing diverse systems.
Dofasco Tubular Products, a division of Dofasco Inc., produces tubes for hydroforming in the automotive industry as well as other automotive products, such as tubing for seating assemblies, instrument panel beams, cross members, axles, prop shafts, door intrusion beams and stabilizer bars. The company has 3 Business Divisions made up of 9 Operating Units located in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.
Superior Planning - Optimized Production
Processing of tubular steel products requires planning of various production flows such as slitting, rolling, cutting, and finishing to be both flexible and transparent. The Quintiq planning & scheduling solution captures business rules, constraints and specific knowledge concerning each planning action, helps planners to make better decisions and calculates their consequences, generates delivery due dates and visualizes shifting bottlenecks. Superior planning and optimization of the production process are expected to result in significant cost reductions. Cost visibility will be enhanced in order to maximize yield and to synchronize the end-to-end production processes from slitting to shipping. Furthermore, delivery performance will be improved by reducing lead times and workforce will be scheduled according to manpower and capacities to optimize staff efficiency while reducing overtime and shifts.
One Single Planning System for Transparency
The Quintiq planning and scheduling solution incorporates all relevant planning information into one single system creating transparency along the entire production chain. The solution provides Dofasco with the ability to combine orders to improve the coil slitting process, and thereby reducing the steel purchase volume to satisfy orders. With Quintiq, delivery compliance and due date determination, based on customer demand and forecast orders, can be increased and products can be allocated across multiple production routes. For improved communication and traceability between planning and production, the system also visualizes and offers the possibility to monitor all planning decisions as well as the current status of orders, allowing for optimized coordination between individual departments, e.g. production and shipping. Changes in production will be taken into account, e.g. shutdowns and maintenance work, allowing for real-time reporting, continuous process analysis and feedback in form of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
"We chose Quintiq because of its excellent reputation, experience and ability to implement in a short time frame," explains Glenn Dumoulin, General Manager, at Dofasco Tubular Products. "The technology will help us to optimize our production processes, balance inventory levels and get our high-quality products ready for on-time delivery. The technology can be adapted flexibly to our requirements and to our complex production flows while offering full transparency. The Quintiq solution will also help us reduce working capital and optimize our slitting patterns to minimize yield losses."
"Our software enables Dofasco to master its tubular business, to visualize complex processes and boost the efficiency of its production," says Dr. Victor Allis, CEO of Quintiq. "Dofasco's decision to implement Quintiq emphasizes our expertise in Advanced Planning & Scheduling solutions for the steel industry."
About Dofasco More information: www.dofasco.ca About Quintiq More information: www.quintiq.com