JR Automation, a Hitachi Group Company, leveraged EAC Productivity Apps to solve Windchill PLM frustrations, scale their business operations and improve the shop floor experiences of their engineers. Discover how JR Automation implemented PLM Apps to gain ROI, bring efficiency and clarity for builders on the manufacturing floor, and achieved scalable digital transformation.

Business Initiatives

JR Automation knew the company needed to update operational processes in order to meet and exceed customer expectations. Their goal was to reduce the time it was taking builders and engineers to manage print packages by 80%. 

Additionally, they wanted to increase efficiency by 5% or more during the assembly phase. Including enhanced communication on the shop floor. As well as saving time on machine assembly and tactical coordination. As such, was estimated to be taking up 30% of a builder’s day.

Business Challenges

With an increase of workers on the shop floor, builders had no choice but to walk back and forth to shared kiosks in order to visualize and assemble designs. These complications only intensified as products became more complex. With manual error-prone operations, redline quality, and accuracy were at stake.

Similar to many other manufacturing organizations, challenges arose when it came to searching for the correct prints, managing paper booklets, and updating print designs. 

Rework stemming from incorrect designs, and file management complications were growing. Also, misplaced product information (needed for closed-loop change processes) had never been greater. JR Automation was seeking a simple way for low-tech machine builders to get last-minute design changes to engineering. Ross Walters, Director of Engineering, knew that builders required a solution that was highly intuitive.

The Solution: EAC Apps

JR Automation looked at PTC Windchill Navigate. Windchill Navigate does offer a single view to multiple enterprise systems like ALM, MRP, ERP, SLM, CRM, Accounting, and PLM (Windchill). It also gives users universal access to the latest most accurate product information when they need it. 

However, it was clear to JR Automation that what they really needed was a customized app that made things easier. EAC’s experts knew the solution and streamlined processes that allow builders to get drawings, CAD files, and other related documents in a single portal. With EAC Apps they could also see role-based reports and make redlines. 

By providing all the information needed on a single screen, with user-friendly workflows and easy-to-submit redlines, EAC apps improved operational efficiency as well as customer satisfaction.

A Custom Solution with Major Impact

After evaluating cost, functionality, implementation time, training, and other considerations, JR Automation unveiled they would gain an ROI of $1.4 million from EAC Productivity Apps.

EAC Apps benefited JR Automation with:

• 80% efficiency increase in print management for mechanical engineers
• 60% efficiency increase in builder print management
• 60% increase in digital efficiency gains

In conclusion, JR Automation’s builders no longer need to share a kiosk. Working with EAC enabled efficiencies for more than 200 workers who use Redline Apps today. They have eliminated the need for paper, print supplies, and additional booklets saving them additional costs. EAC Apps have continued to provide benefits such as improved accuracy with customer shipment orders, product designs, onboarding, and training efficiencies.

Does the phrase “Formal Change Control” lead to scary thoughts like “We don’t have the time to set that up,” or “We don’t know how to do it or where to start?” If this sounds like you, likely your organization is spending more time dealing with the downstream and long term repeated issues than if they took the time to outline a change control process.

While every company will vary, there are three basic phases of creating a formal change control process. Find out how to implement a formal change control process in these three phases.

1. Issue or Problem Reporting
2. Change Request or Approval Process
3. Change Notice or Execution

Phase 1: Reporting & Logging Issues

• Provide an efficient way for anyone in the organization to report and log issues.
• Store issues in an Issue Queue that will resolved it in one of three ways:
  • Take no action
  • Put the issue on hold
  • Request a formal change

Phase 2: Formal Change Request

• The Formal Change Request is the second stage of review that can be handled in one of three ways:
  • Rejection
  • Request more information
  • Approved for further action, either fast track or Full Formal Change

• If the change is approved for further action, it typically is reviewed by a board that will do one of the following:
  • Reject the change request
  • Proceed to the change notice

Phase 3: The Change Notice

• At this point the change request can no longer be rejected, it must be addressed and acted upon.
• This phase can be defined as Static or Dynamic:
  • If it is a Static process, the same departments and teams will be notified and responsible for executing the change
  • If it is a Dynamic, a new process is developed specifically for each change

• When the plan is fully defined, typically a change implementation board review occurs.

Formal Change Control processes are simple, the added control of these processes alone could save your organization money in the long run. The possibility of increased productivity and reduced quality issues will far outweigh the initial time and resources required to get a change control process implemented.