Smelter Service Corporation
Smelter Service recycles aluminum by collecting scrap, melting it, and reshaping it into ingots. Soltus provides consulting and implementation services to Smelter Service.
We developed a visual interface that enabled operators to enter manufacturing data (lot tracking, weight, and ingot numbers, for example) into the inventory system. We developed a visual interface tracking method that allows operators to track the location and status of raw inventory via overhead displays and from any computer in the facility.
To the existing system we added business rules to capture and track lots of raw material and finished goods. Additionally we provided a method of tracking partial lots and blended lots.
We wrote logic into the system to expand ingot numbers’ meaning and accuracy such as chemistry, lineage, and quality information.
We added the ability to automate freight and shipping cost calculation including fuel cost fluctuations, weight, mileage, route, and shipping company. Three people were doing this by hand; now it is automated.
We automated month-end hand-collected reports showing inventory, production, shipping, and items yet to process. This system reporting capability saved one week per month of one employee’s time. To real time inventory tracking, we added support for historical inventory tracking. The new system generated monthly summaries for all activities and also reported line by line. When the employee responsible for hand collecting this information was sick for two months, the month-end reports continued on schedule.
The new system has reduced operator data entry errors, increased efficiency, speed, and accuracy of tracking materials, improved the company’s “push to paperless,” encouraged information sharing, and freed up time of the key players so they can apply existing knowledge and information, rather than gather it.
Software Applied
- MS SQL Server 2005
- MS SQL Server Reporting Services
- Visual Studio 2008
- ASP.NET
- VB.NET
- RSView32
- RSSQL
- RSLinx
Hardware Utilized
- Rockwell CompactLogix PLC
Who We Worked With
- Internal IT Department
- Internal Engineering Department
- Local Industrial Automation Dealer
- Local Machine Builder / System Integrator