In any production/manufacturing center, works in process (WIPs) are commonplace (unfortunately) but sometimes are inevitable (and whose frequency of occurrence should be kept to a minimum). With SIMMS Inventory Management software, every step — and most importantly every REASON — for a WIP can be logged and tracked, with the eventual aim toward identifying the factors causing any hold-up in their completion.
WIPs require dedicated and valuable storage space and goods assigned, which, if used in other BOM (kit) manufacture, can cause those BOMs to remain incomplete for longer that usual, mostly due to insufficient component stock counts.
One method employed for good effect that helps a great many WIP delays is known as the Teeter-Totter. The goal is to have as many of the subassemblies completed ahead of time so that the master assemblies — the most common instances of WIPs — can be completed as soon as possible. This pre-build concept emphasizes the image of a stack of subassemblies teetering in a tall stack, ready to be used, rather than the WIP tottering on the edge of the manufacutring bench, waiting for that last piece to be added at some unknown date in the future.
Contact KCSI today to learn more about how SIMMS can help you improve your stock lead times so that the number of WIPs can be minimized.