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ABX Links Materials Planing Control Software with Factory Automation

August 27th, 2010

ABX Engineering, Inc. is a 24-year-old ISO 9001-2008 approved contract electronics manufacturer which targets prototype, medium to large sized projects, providing coast to coast coverage with offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Charlotte, NC. ABX has completed software linking materials planing and control software with factory automation SMT programming.

Materials planning, management and movement perhaps is one of the most important elements of a successful manufacturing operation. Today's extended lead times, complex domestic and international supply chains and overall complexity of products require a very well run materials program. ABX recognized the importance of material control and about ten years ago implemented an integrated materials planing and control software package for the factory that has continued to evolve, with the latest enhancements now linking materials control with factory automation.

Senior Vice President Brian Helm stated "We knew what we needed, but no off the shelf software package could meet all of our requirements. We decided to make the investment in the programming resources to enhance the available software and integrate it with our actual operational needs and flow of materials. Our approach was not to make our materials planing, tracking and reporting, conform to an available software product, rather we took each step of the process and created software to meet the needs of that step, at the same time maintaining integration in the overall package. Now, almost ten years later we continue to see the benefits of our investment.

A good example we have the ability to move BOM's directly from the MRP system to our factory equipment, to port and program data directly from the system to our SMT lines, saving time and helping to eliminate errors. Other attributes of the system include the ability to track by bar code components at every step of the manufacturing operation. Supervisors and managers, have sophisticated management tools that will for example raise a warning flag when there are problems, parts shortages, delays on the production line, etc. We have also been able to create a number of input modules that allow the software to more easily capture/convert customer provided documents, Excel parts list for example and get the data into our system. Truly, our materials control software has been an ongoing work in progress for the past ten years and has been one of the link pins of our reputation for on-time delivery and a very good materials program to support our customers."

ABX is a leading CM in producing higher technology products, from circuit boards to complete turn key systems manufacturing for industries including medical, broadcast, commercial, industrial, research and other customers.

For more information on ABX Engineering contact,