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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 Hardware |
Kamco Plastics Reaps Rewards With 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. Culture of Collaboration 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. 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. ePlant Connects Facilities 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.
RealTime: Real Information, Real Results 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:
Automation is Key to Success 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. |
