CP Kelco, a J.M. Huber Company, Selects MachSix 4.0 for Global Lean Transformation
ATLANTA – (October 30, 2007) – Invistics, the recognized leader in lean planning and scheduling software and services for high-mix industries, today announced that leading global chemical manufacturer CP Kelco, a J.M. Huber company, has signed an enterprise license for the latest release of Invistics’ MachSix solution. MachSix 4.0 includes new features and tools to help plant managers and manufacturing executives in specialty chemical, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, electronics and other high-mix industries bridge the gap between ERP applications and plant floor execution systems to enable dramatic, sustainable performance improvements including reduced inventory and cycle times and improved throughput and customer service.
“Enhancements to the MachSix 4.0 release were developed in direct response to the stated needs of our customers, who are leading global manufacturers like CP Kelco, and built on the foundation of our award-winning research directed at improving manufacturing competitiveness,” said Scott Geller, CEO of Invistics. “Our unique combination of optimization, simulation, and analytics capabilities is critical to implementing a pull-based approach in high-mix environments where that has not previously been thought possible. Because of this, Invistics continually strives to improve its solutions so that manufacturers in the process and high-mix industries have the best tools they need to achieve operational excellence.”
The new features and tools in MachSix 4.0 include:
Lot Size Optimization: Significant extensions accurately model the campaigning of products in process industries where campaign sizes vary significantly from production batch sizes and/or equipment capacities, the release of campaigns for different products is sometimes dependent upon the state of the system, and constraints on minimum allowed campaign sizes for specific products may exist.
Open Standard Work Sequencing Rules Engine: This XML-based, open standard rules engine offers the only solution on the market to combine lean/pull with custom sequencing to build what is needed in the most efficient way. Users can define sequencing rules within a work center based on attributes (i.e. color, grade) or machine-specific requirements (i.e. die changes) while balancing customer expectations for jobs and products, current processing state of the plant and overall timing considerations (i.e. due dates, lateness).
Improved Reactor Simulation: Enhancements have been made to the standard simulation model to account for specific nuances associated with batch operations in reactors. Aside from custom simulation models which are complex to build and maintain, chemical, pharmaceutical and food and beverage manufacturers have had no efficient means to model the effects of batch size invariant processing times, finite physical machine capacities, restrictions on and opportunities for combined processing of equivalent materials (i.e. batch combination) or state dependent maintenance activities.
Modeling of Finite Storage Conditions: Previously only available in push-based solutions that resulted in wasteful batch sizes and inventory, this latest release offers a pull-based approach with detailed modeling of the effects of finite buffer space at the work center and machine level to visualize blocking conditions that frequently occur in process environments.
Inventory Visualization and Reporting: A detailed graphical representation of the evolution of inventory over time allows users to visualize system dynamics improving decision-making.
The MachSix solution is the ‘only game in town’ that combines lean planning and scheduling methodology, software and services to help leading manufacturers dramatically reduce cycle times and inventory, while optimizing on-time delivery rates.
New customer CP Kelco is already reaping the benefits of the latest MachSix 4.0 release. According to Shaw Gilmer, Director Global Productivity at J.M. Huber, “Invistics provides us with a lean software platform that drives visibility, scalability and sustainability to enable lean transformation.”
About Invistics
Invistics provides consulting services and supporting software solutions that enable high mix manufacturers to achieve the right inventory levels for their supply chain through advanced analytics and actionable insights. Based on Six Sigma and lean principles, Invistics solutions help manufacturing executives improve profitability by reducing cycle times and costs, while increasing throughput and customer satisfaction.
About CP Kelco
CP Kelco, a J.M. Huber company, is a leading global producer of specialty hydrocolloids with more than 2,000 customers in over 100 countries, and facilities in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. With an extensive range of specialty hydrocolloid solutions, CP Kelco serves a wide variety of applications, including food, pharmaceutical, oral care, personal care, household and consumer, specialty industrial and oil field drilling.
