Instandhaltungssoftware für Industrie, Versorger und Windkraft
Reference Customer | Case Study
Transparent materials management – planned maintenance: J.C. König is using the GS-Service operations management system to boost efficiency in the warehouse and on the shop floor
Client Case Study | J. C. König Stiftung Co. KG
Preventing errors before they occur
It is certainly possible to determine the correct stock levels in a spare parts warehouse. However, this is only possible if there is a consistent historical data set available for future demand forecasts. Joh. Cuno König Stiftung & Co. KG. from Solingen laid the groundwork for this in 2018. Since the family-run business began using the GS-Service business management system to organise and document products and processes in the area of materials management, many issues have been resolved: slow-moving stock in the warehouse, tied-up capital, sub-optimal product searches, increased travel times and, above all, the criticisms of external certifiers.
Bosch does it. Leonie does it. ZF Sachs, Siemens VDO, Haldex and many others do it too. They source precision deep-drawn parts from Solingen. In Germany’s most famous ‘city of blades’, sleeves also have a long tradition: J.C. König – which, when it was founded in 1882, was still a cutlery manufacturer – has been producing hollow components for eight decades now. When it comes to quality management, the team led by Managing Director Iris König makes no compromises.
In this case study:
Key facts from the case study: GS-Service in action at J. C. König
J.C. König, a family-run business based in Solingen and a manufacturer of precision deep-drawn parts and hollow components, relies on the GS-Service operational management system to optimise its materials management and maintenance processes. The aim is to achieve transparent spare parts management, planned maintenance and audit-proof documentation – particularly with regard to the requirements of the IATF 16949 automotive standard.
Sector: Manufacturing / Metalworking (precision deep-drawn parts)
Software used:
GS-Service
Processes supported:
- Organisation and documentation of spare parts management
- Planning and documentation of maintenance processes
- Structuring and management of stock levels
- Allocation of spare parts to machinery and plant
- Support for planned maintenance processes
- Documentation of inspection and maintenance measures (e.g. accident prevention regulations, calibrations)
- Integration and future connection to a document management system (DMS)
Challenge:
- Insufficient transparency and documentation in spare parts management
- A hybrid data management system comprising paper documents and Excel spreadsheets
- A lack of structure in warehouse organisation and a lack of spare parts allocation
- Obsolete or unidentifiable components in the spare parts warehouse
- Requirements arising from audits and certifications (including IATF 16949) regarding the documentation of plant, maintenance and spare parts
- Need for a structured database to plan maintenance and spare parts strategies
- Ensuring plant availability in complex production processes
Procedure:
Restructuring of spare parts management using GS-Service: physical and digital stock-taking, reorganisation of the warehouse, introduction of a part number system and definition of minimum and reorder stock levels; integration of spare parts management with the machinery fleet and phased implementation of planned maintenance processes; roll-out within a few months.
Result:
- Transparent and structured organisation of spare parts management
- Systematic allocation of spare parts to machinery and plant
- Introduction of a data-driven foundation for planned maintenance processes
- Improved documentation of plant, testing and maintenance measures
- Support for audit and certification requirements (including IATF 16949)
- Greater transparency regarding stock levels, as well as defined minimum and reorder levels
- Efficient materials management and improved traceability of processes
- Increased availability and operational reliability of production plant
“Our company policy is based on the zero-defect strategy. Every employee acts in accordance with the principle ‘preventing errors rather than detecting them’.”
Iris König
Managing Director
Audits as a driving force
What sounds like an advertising slogan for predictive maintenance was, in fact, just one of the reasons why, since November 2018, the company has been future-proofing its spare parts management and, looking ahead, its maintenance processes using GreenGate AG’s GS-Service operations management system. The immediate trigger was an audit. The IATF 16949 certification, which is the benchmark in the automotive sector, demanded precise answers: How do spare parts management processes work? Are repair work on machinery, defect tracking in accordance with accident prevention regulations, and maintenance processes documented? The previous hybrid approach using paper and Excel – the classic method – was not sufficient. “That’s why, following our initial contact in February 2018, we decided on GS-Service fairly quickly,” says Melissa Jansen, Assistant to the Head of Production, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Management.
Integration with the DMS
Essentially, GreenGate’s GS-Service – as a system subordinate to the ERP – integrates planning, documentation and monitoring functions, as well as business management applications, into a single information and management system. The object-oriented software – designed as a scalable client/server solution – is based on standard technology and runs on the latest Microsoft operating systems.
One advantage is that, thanks to its open system architecture, GS-Service can be integrated with other systems. For example, the connection to the DMS (document management system) at J.C. König is now only a matter of time. Since November 2018, however, GS-Service has primarily been used for the organisation and documentation of spare parts stock and maintenance processes.
‘We have completely overhauled our spare parts management system’
– Melissa Jansen
A new organisation system in the warehouse
“We completely overhauled our spare parts management system,” reports Melissa Jansen, “starting by tidying up and disposing of a number of items. This ranged from parts that had been sitting in the warehouse for ages but were no longer needed, to components that nobody could identify because external service providers had simply left them behind.” Another issue that proved suboptimal was the fact “that an external contractor wouldn’t have been able to find anything because there was no systematic organisation in place or the storage locations weren’t recorded.” The physical and digital reorganisation of the stock structure – comprising no fewer than 700 items plus small parts – was carried out as an integrated process: with a new item numbering system, a separation of electrical and mechanical spare parts, and minimum and reorder stock levels stored in GS-Service. “The process is now clearly defined,” explains Melissa Jansen, “new items are entered into GS-Service based on the delivery note, and our maintenance staff fill in the issue slip – a small note detailing which item, in what quantity, was issued for which machine. This is then recorded in GS-Service once a week and involves very little effort, especially as our colleagues are at the plant all day and are needed there anyway.”
Planned maintenance
On the subject of machinery: when up to 20 forming processes, including post-treatment and quality assurance checks, are required to produce the perfect hollow component, planned maintenance is essential for ensuring plant availability. “The basic structure of the machinery is already mapped out in GS-Service,” says Paul Schulz, project manager at GreenGate. “Scheduled maintenance is now on the agenda, and the spare parts management system linked to the machines simplifies the processes considerably,” confirms Melissa Jansen. “With GS-Service, we will organise the maintenance of the infrastructure requiring servicing, complete with supporting documentation, i.e. digitised work order forms: This applies not only to our key equipment, such as the 16 transfer presses or 12 automatic punching machines, but also to, for example, the surface treatment and degreasing systems, shelving, cranes, our four paternoster lifts, the forklift trucks, and the quality assurance measuring systems – such as the scales – which must be calibrated at regular intervals. We are making progress here step by step. “In any case, the test system has already been working well.”
‘It felt familiar straight away’
Interview with Melissa Jansen (29), J. C. Stiftung & Co. KG
Melissa Jansen is the audit officer at J.C. König, a family-run business based in Solingen. She is responsible for conducting audits in accordance with, amongst others, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and IATF 16949.
In this interview, the 29-year-old discusses the GS-Service maintenance system.
What was your first impression of the system?
Melissa Jansen: As soon as I saw the interface, I felt right at home and asked myself: ‘Have I opened Windows or Outlook?’ It’s easy to use; you get the feeling that you make progress by learning as you go, rather than having to wait a week of intensive training.
What was the stated aim when GS-Service was introduced?
Melissa Jansen: IATF 16949 – the majority of our customers are in the automotive sector – sets out clear requirements, for example regarding the documentation of turnkey production facilities, key spare parts, the availability of key performance indicators, backup machinery, and maintenance and preventive maintenance. We needed to optimise these areas – which is what we did with GS-Service.
You say you decided to go with GS-Service fairly quickly. Why?
Melissa Jansen: After making contact at the trade fair, everything happened really quickly – the appointments, the presentation of the system, the quotes, and so on. It just clicked, both in terms of the content and the dialogue, especially as we didn’t have ages to spare.
How long will the implementation take?
Melissa Jansen: If it was three months, then that was a long time. We completely overhauled our spare parts management system during that time, and I have to say: the support we received from GreenGate was first-class
What still needs to be done?
Melissa Jansen: We are currently working on incorporating scheduled maintenance into GS-Service; the UVV inspections are also to be included. We are also planning to integrate the system with the DMS.
The Customer Case Study as a PDF
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