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Printable Version
The Company
Founded in 1972, Illinois based
Kamco Plastics, Inc.
is a custom plastic injection
molder and sub-assembly provider specializing in value
added technologies and
services that meet its
customers' ever changing
needs. Their philosophy is
to work closely with
customers in a collaborative
manner to assure high
quality, low total cost
solutions.
Their extensive experience
in all aspects of both large
and small injection molding
engineering enables them to
implement the best design/
material/tooling/process
combinations for the highest
value and lowest cost plastic
solutions.
Their satisfied customers rely on their ability
to provide supply chain management, resource planning, localized warehousing,
JIT deliveries and special requests.
Software
EnterpriseIQ™ ERP
software system,
including: RealTime
Production, Electronic
Data Interchange (EDI),
EPlant, Preventative
Maintenance, Payroll,
Time & Attendance,
Project Manager and
Warehouse
Management modules.
Citrix® Communications
Hardware
Oracle database with
windows-based server
platform.
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Kamco Plastics Reaps Rewards With
EnterpriseIQ ERP Software
For more than 30 years, Kamco Plastics, Inc, headquartered
in Schaumburg, Illinois, has focused on engineered solutions for the plastics
industry's technical dilemmas. Kamco Plastics, one of the appliance industry's
premier plastic injection molders, has been successful by delivering high
quality plastic molded parts with meticulous service. Kamco is focused
on providing the total lowest cost through technology and in turn, achieving
new levels of customer relationships. Their customer list reads like a
who's who list of customers that includes General Electric, MayTag, Amana,
Whirlpool, Electrolux and more.
A family-run business, Kamco was built on a goal of continuous
innovation. This focus on innovation serves its customers well. The company's
extensive experience in all aspects of injection molding provides their
customers with the best high value, low cost solutions. Whether large
or small projects, Kamco delivers consistent quality on time. The company's
core services include production design, support and engineering, tooling
design and fabrication, and injection molding technologies such as gas
assist molding, structural foam molding, insert molding, closed-loop cavity
pressure controlled molding, complex function and highly cosmetic decorative
molding as well PVC and over molding.
From the company's inception in 1972, Kamco has focused
on innovative thinking, even rewarding employees who find better ways
to deliver high quality products to customers.
When customers are well served, Kamco's business grows.
In addition to their 40,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in Schaumburg,
Kamco added operations in South Carolina in 2003 and Reynosa, Mexico in
2004 to better serve growing customers in those geographic locations.
Company executives are presently looking for a "customer focused"
fourth location. Through the years, Kamco has added new machinery and
equipment to upgrade its offerings, to continually better serving their
customer needs.
Kamco's founders understood that collaboration would be
critical to the company's overall success and that philosophy has served
the company well during the past thirty years. Kamco employees work closely
with customers on product development, quality, delivery, and planning
for future needs.
The foundation of this close collaboration with customers
is information. To ensure accuracy and accessibility of information, automation
engineering became a long-term strategic initiative at Kamco. This initiative
continues to support Kamco's global competitiveness as they continually
strive to streamline operations.
In 1994, Kamco began researching ERP systems to better collect
and track data throughout the entire organization.
In addition to quality data, the company needed a system with "stretch
capabilities" that would allow Kamco to continuously upgrade its
customer offering and enhance communication and business interaction between
employees and customers.
For maximum bottom-line impact, Kamco required a system
provider, which would understand its business and a system that could
grow with the company. The system needed to be capable of handling the
intricacies of the plastics business, including fixed workstation and
family mold management, a large number and variety of different molds,
inventory management, order entry, and more. The company reviewed an assortment
of standalone systems and an in-depth RFP process lead Kamco to IQMS and
EnterpriseIQ.
Kamco found EnterpriseIQ to be the best ERP system available
for the plastics industry.
Designed to add business intelligence to the manufacturing
enterprise, EnterpriseIQ uses the latest technological advances to deliver
the industry's most comprehensive single-source single database ERP system.
EnterpriseIQ does not rely on third-party interfaces to achieve its broad
range of functionality. Instead, IQMS uses a single source database in
an easy-to-manage, cost-effective environment, powered by Oracle®,
the world's number one database. The single database solution provides
value in data visibility, reduces interface customization and provides
a smooth path for upgrading.
Within six months, Kamco completed the EnterpriseIQ implementation
including the core system and additional modules such as Wireless Warehouse
Management, Forecasting, Quality, Time & Attendance, eCommerce, and
ePlant that connects all Kamco facilities electronically and with a single
database.
Today, Kamco has dozens of employees using the system, 54
fixed workstations connected to the EnterpriseIQ RealTime module, and
employs 15 wireless scanners for warehouse management at its three facilities.
The EnterpriseIQ system allows Kamco to seamlessly serve
customers around the world. Whether customers interface with the Schaumburg,
South Carolina or Mexico facility, the information is consistent. This
is critical for a global customer with high expectations of customer service
and quality information.
EnterpriseIQ's user-friendly icons and point-click maneuvering
makes it easy for employees in all locations to use the system. In fact,
the Mexico plant runs the system in English because the visual icons and
color-coding are language-independent and intuitive for all users.
EnterpriseIQ takes the backroom costs out of accepting information
directly from customers. This direct-flow of data also helps reduce human
error. EnterpriseIQ also provides Kamco with better inventory tracking
and cost management at all locations. With the system's single database,
users at each location can transfer between plants and monitor information
company-wide or by plant in real-time.
At the core of Kamco's ERP system are two essential EnterpriseIQ
modules: ePlant and RealTime Production Monitoring.
EnterpriseIQ's ePlant simplifies the management of multiple
sites across geographic boundaries. By centralizing data from remote sites
to a single site, ePlant enables users to run multiple sites or even companies
within the same database. EnterpriseIQ supports different locations, currencies,
languages, and financial reporting requirements, while permitting the
centralization of major corporate functions such as purchasing, order
entry and invoicing. Using this technology, Kamco centralizes data management;
reduces the number of servers needed and the corresponding client requirements
in terms of CPU speeds, operating systems, memory, and disk space. With
ePlant, Kamco reduces redundant activity and achieves a tighter consolidation
of data.
Other benefits Kamco derives from ePlant include:
The capability to produce and maintain separate BOMs, work
centers, tools, inventories, schedules and production by location, while
providing top management visibility to all.
- Improved ability to respond to customer requests,
- Simplified data roll-up at weekly, monthly, quarterly
and yearly reporting periods.
- Reduces redundant IT activity
- Easily adding and managing multiple accounts from a single
administrators screen wile recognizing that each plant can have a different
currency and document sequencing.
For manufacturers like Kamco, EnterpriseIQ's RealTime Production
Management system provides a true execution solution for implementing
lean strategies. RealTime gives manufacturers the substantial capacity
to reduce waste and optimize production with verifiable results.
Kamco connects 54 machines at three plants to EnterpriseIQ's
RealTime system to collect production data at the machine level and relate
it to job information, scheduling and inventory, all within the same system.
These non-flexible workstations operate 3 shifts daily, 7 days a week.
Using RealTime, management and shop floor supervisors can see exactly
how each machine is performing at any given time. On a job by job basis,
Kamco reaps significant benefits from this exacting information. The company
uses RealTime to:
- Monitor total cycle times for each job to track progress
and determine exact completion time.
- Use historical data, by job and by machine from monitored
cycled times, to maximize the scheduling of future jobs.
- Monitor rejects by machine and by tool to make improvements.
- Improve production reporting through.
- Reduce manual data entry and improve data quality in
the system.
- Cross production information with preventative maintenance
module to schedule maintenance inspections and updates.
- Collect data by work order, part number to improve inventory.
- Print barcode labels for improved inventory tracking.
For Kamco, a key to long term quality and the highest level
of efficiency lies in automation. From SPC inspection through decoration
and assembly, the automating of processes is continually considered for
the customer's benefit.
Since implementing EnterpriseIQ, Kamco and its customers
have benefited from the improved data integrity that this plastics-specialized
ERP system provides. By giving employees the information they need to
streamline operations and deliver lower cost solutions, EnterpriseIQ supports
Kamco's culture of collaboration.
Also a strong believer in collaboration, IQMS relies on
customer input for future enhancements to its EnterpriseIQ system. This
commitment to continual improvement for EnterpriseIQ enables customers
like Kamco to focus on their core competency, and leave the software development
to the experts. This focus on improvements aligns well with Kamco's continuous
long-term improvement and innovation strategies.
After 11 years of using EnterpriseIQ, Kamco continues to
find the ERP system to be an ideal fit with its out-of-the-box thinking
and long-term profitability plans.
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