Process change: Infor and Synergy Resources visualize lean ERP deployment for Graphicast

A lean scheduling solution deployment has expanded production capacity and enabled business growth for a N.H.-based molding casting specialist.

By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff June 11, 2008

Jaffrey, N.H.-based Graphicast uses graphite mold casting technology to make precision metal parts. The company had been producing 12 inventory turns per year, which was impressive, but customers were given 16-week lead times. In addition, management didn’t see a way to take on new business without investing in capital equipment.
Synergy Resources , an ERP solutions and services provider, now reports successful installation of its lean scheduling solution at Graphicast in partnership with Infor, one of the largest developers of business software worldwide.
Graphicast has been using Infor VISUAL ERP since 1999. President Val Zanchuk ran an efficient operation but wanted to increase capacity to continue growing the business. Now, using Infor VISUAL EasyLean, customers incorporate pull-oriented scheduling techniques that allow users to make better decisions, release inventory at optimal times, and smooth production flow.
“We hired Synergy Resources to install and train us on EasyLean, and with their help we were able to cut our lead times in half upon implementation,” says Zanchuk. “And we did it without reducing set-up times or increasing production rates.”
“Infor VISUAL EasyLean will inject parts into the system and releases an order based on whatever lead time you set,” explains Zanchuk. “By doing that, it’s not overburdening operations with many orders in various stages of completeness. EasyLean simplifies the flow of production and provides us with excess capacity.”
Now Graphicast is shipping orders in four weeks, and rush orders can be shipped in days without disrupting the regular production flow.
“For the concept of lean manufacturing to take hold and make an impact on an organization, it requires business process changes that can feel uncomfortable at first. Graphicast’s confidence in the process and their management team’s willingness to embrace change was impressive and played a major role in the success they have achieved so far,” says Darryl Walker, Synergy’s lead consultant for Throughput Improvement Services.