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Melco is one of the world’s major conveyor equipment manufacturers, designing, manufacturing and supplying conveyor idlers/rollers, motorised pulleys, and supporting structure for the bulk materials handling industry. Non-standard items go through an intensive engineering design and drawing process before being put into production; due to the volume of individual components required for each product, accurately managing and tracking product designs is vital to successful manufacturing of a final product.

TRACKING DESIGN DOCUMENTS

In order to streamline this intensive design process, Melco employed implemented TransLution™ Software to track the progress and location of each engineering drawing as it is developed. By assigning barcode labels to each design, which are scanned at every step throughout the engineering design process, Melco has gained improved visibility throughout the approval process and reduced the chance for error when the design reaches production phase.

THE RESULTS

Due to the nature of Melco’s business, there are immense cost implications if an error occurs during the design phase of a project. By using TransLution™ to create a document tracking and validation process, they have ensured that only an approved drawing with the correct stock code will make it to the manufacturing stage.

“The ability to track and validate designs in each point during the process is invaluable. The success of document tracking influences the success of production of our final products.”- Devon Dippenaar, Export sales administrator at Melco.

THE PROJECT DETAILS

When a sales order for a non-standard item is received and loaded onto SYSPRO, TransLution™ creates a barcode label for the project. Once printed, the label is scanned out of sales in order to be moved to the drawing office where it is scanned in. Upon scanning, the drawing office accepts the job and then generates the spec drawings.

In this way, each time the document leaves a location it is scanned out with information about revisions that were made, and the status is shown as ‘in transit’ until it is scanned in again when it reaches its destination. This ensures that the document can be located at all times and a formal handover occurs – simply leaving one office does not mean it has arrived where it should.

The TransLution™ implementation was customized to include an option to scan documents directly to the client. This ensures the approval process is tracked and monitored so that no production ever begins without being signed off.

Once the drawings are complete and the customer has approved, they are sent to manufacturing and the production process can begin. This completes the document tracking process, leaving a record of the entire design operation so every step of the process can be accurately tracked.

About

Melco is one of the world’s major conveyor equipment manufacturers, and the largest supplier of idlers/rollers in South Africa and Africa.

Melco’s scope of work includes the design, manufacture and supply of conveyor idlers/rollers, motorised pulleys, and supporting structure for the bulk materials handling industry. Melco employs more than 400 people, and operates a modern manufacturing plant in Germiston containing four factories. Melco’s product range is incredibly comprehensive and their idlers have been successfully utilised in every application in over 75 countries throughout the world. The roller manufacturing plant is capable of production in excess of 4,000 rollers per day, and conveyor structure and bases in excess of 20 km per month.

TransLution™ Software makes managing complex production processes in manufacturing and warehousing companies simple. TransLution™ Software uses barcode scanners, touch-screen computers, direct integration to scales, flow meters, analytical testing equipment and other plant equipment to gather your manufacturing and warehouse information easily and efficiently. TransLution™ Software is implemented, customised and supported by a global network of resellers and is available in Africa, the UK and Europe.