How RACKMATE™ Works

RACKMATE™ eliminates the need for sales and/or order entry personnel to segregate a customer's order based upon processing requirements. They simply enter the entire order exactly as it was received.  This minimizes the chances of the Shipping department missing a part of the customer's total order because it was internally assigned to a different work order for processing through the plant.

Customization

RACKMATE™ provides Maintenance utilities that allow PMC to modify RACKMATE’s logic to suit unique requirements.  This configuration is done at system installation and should not require future maintenance.

To customize RACKMATE™ for your plant’s unique requirements, a flow diagram helps illustrate the flow of glass through the plant, from Cutting to Shipping. 

Workcenter Flow Maintenance allows the user to define the workcenters that RACKMATE™ will utilize as well as the routing character representation, workcenter description, or workcenter flow priority.  You can modify workcenter related information, including modifying the criteria used for sorting glass as it flows throughout the plant and adding or deleting workcenters as necessary. 

Buggy Limitation Maintenance allows the user to modify the limitations regarding various buggy types.  You may modify the number of slots per rack, maximum dimensions for the rack, minimum quantity to go to skids, and thicknesses of the lites that may be placed as a unit per slot.

Buggy Flow Maintenance allows the user the ability to modify and update the buggy flow limitations between workcenters, determining what buggies can be used between certain source and destination workcenter combinations.

Schedule Creation

Once orders are entered into the system, they are combined into cutting schedules in either of two ways. Either this can be accomplished within your company's business system and bridged into WINDOWMATION™, or by using WINDOWMATION's Glass Selection Utility; individual orders can be combined within the WINDOWMATION™ computer into a Cutting Schedule.

Once Schedule Creation is completed, RACKMATE™ takes over. No entry is required during the racking process.  Pop-up screens will be displayed to inform the operator of the progress of the racking.  Each lite and unit within a schedule is assigned to the buggies required for it to make its way through the workcenters in your plant, incorporating your unique glass flow and sorting criteria. As these assignments are made, a detailed account of buggy requirements is maintained through RACKMATE’s reports.

RACKMATE™ Reports and Utilities

RACKMATE™ offers a full range of reports coordinating and cross-referencing orders that have been scheduled.  Your staff can quickly locate the glass for a particular order, obtain information about the contents of any buggy slot, or identify a broken, scratched, or missing lite.

The Buggy Report details the contents of each buggy used within a schedule.  It includes the source and destination workcenters for each buggy and lists details about all the lites/units to be placed on the buggy. 

The Buggy Requirements Report specifies the number and type of buggies required for a schedule.

The Hand Cutting Report lists all information required by your hand cutters.  It quickly and easily merges hand cut lites into the flow of a plant’s operations

RACKMATE’s Work in Process labels display all down-stream tracking requirements and buggy assignments.

The Order-Buggy Cross Reference lists exact buggy assignments for a particular order, showing which schedules and buggies (carts, racks, skids) contain the glass for a particular order.  This information is particularly useful if a customer calls to inquire about or change an order in progress.

Slot Inquiry provides on-screen, immediate access to information about the contents of any buggy slot from a networked workstation in much less time than looking through a report.

Optional Features

The following optional RACKMATE™ features are not included as part of the base system.

• Glazing Pick List provides rack and slot assignments for units requiring glazing.
• Priority Customer Maintenance allows for the easy development and maintenance of a list of priority customers, those customers that receive special grouping consideration when glass for their orders reach a specific workcenter.
• Sling Glass Priority Maintenance allows you to customize the specifications for glass that is placed in a sling.
• Glass Size Priority Maintenance allows you to customize the specifications for sorting by glass size.

PMC software would be happy to evaluate your operation to determine if these optional features would benefit your plant’s operation.

The following business benefits are realized as a direct outcome from implementing PMC's products and services.

Maximum efficiency at each workstation

By considering unique glass flow, sorting requirements, and buggy type differences, all manual sorting of glass is eliminated.  Throughput is increased at each workcenter, while the possibility of damaged glass due to handling is reduced significantly.  

Reports coordinate and cross-reference orders, allowing your staff to quickly locate the glass for an order.  Additional reports list the contents of each buggy, cart, and rack while others specify the number and type of buggies required for a schedule.

Increased productivity

Glass is automatically sorted for processing at the next workcenter and racked to provide efficiency at that workcenter.  All available buggies, carts, and racks are considered for scheduling.  Work in Process labels display easy-to-read glass assignment numbers for all workcenters at which a lite of glass will be processed. 

Reduced labor and material costs

Automatic glass sorting minimizes the need for workers to manually sort glass at some workcenters and eliminates it completely at other workcenters.  Plant personnel can process orders more efficiently, decreasing manpower needs.  In addition, workers are available to perform more important tasks. 

Material costs are reduced when manual sorting is eliminated since the high levels of breakage and glass scratching prevalent with manual glass sorting are significantly reduced.  

Improved customer satisfaction

Maximum efficiency and increased productivity translate to improved customer satisfaction.  Orders are processed faster and with more control.  On-time and complete deliveries are insured.