DocuWare > Case Studies > Quicker Information Flow for Production

Quicker Information Flow for Production

Company Size

200-1,000

Region

Europe

Country

Germany

Product

DocuWare

Tech Stack

ERP system B2 from Bäurer
Data capturing program for measurements

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Inventory Management
Manufacturing System Automation

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Founded in 1989 in Bogen, Germany, TECHNO COLOR is specialized in finding ideal solutions for complicated painting/coating projects for the automobile industry. Their core business is the surface refinement of parts for the inside of automobiles through the use of environmentally friendly finishes. The manufacturers of the raw pieces (companies in the plastics and custom molding fields), supply such items as airbag covers, steering wheels or dashboards to TECHNO COLOR. In high-tech production lines, the pieces are painted, additional parts are mounted, and finished products are then sent to customers or directly to automobile manufacturers.

The Challenge

TECHNO COLOR's huge volume of documents had become increasingly problematic: every day, about 1,000 pages of paper were tucked into binders and stored throughout various departments. Records from recent years were clustered in huge wall systems, while older documents were stored in dedicated warehouse space on pallets. This was all done in order to meet the legal requirements in their industry for document retention. Aside from all the wasted space, this paper-based archive had another problem – the search time that employees used to find individual records. Even employees working on the same project often had to look through different departments for delivery slips, contracts, test results or measurement protocols. At that point, copies were often made, so that duplicates were again stored at someone's own desk. This did not, however, guarantee that the information they found was the most current - like whether new details were discussed with a client, if new parts were already announced or if a recall was expected.

The Solution

All incoming records, such as proof of delivery slips or accounts payable invoices, are labeled with a barcode, scanned and then filed automatically. Outgoing records created with their ERP system – such as shipping forms, orders, accounts receivable invoices, production documents and test reports from the lab – are stored fully automatically in DocuWare with the help of DocuWare's COLD/READ module. In this process, spool data created while printing is automatically imported; the search criteria needed for retrieval is then filtered from the information. Tedious and time-consuming filing and searching was eliminated and access to the whole system is now possible from every desk. The chaotic stacks of paper everywhere are gone. With the approximately 1,000 new documents that are now stored digitally every day, the company is saving enormously - both in paper and additional warehousing space. The internet-based workflow system integrated in DocuWare helps speed up the processing of documents. When a certain record type, such as an accounts payable invoice or delivery slip, enters the document pool, a workflow is automatically launched. The employees responsible for handling the document immediately receive notice on their screen. All of the following steps in the chain are clearly defined; employees are always able to see the current status of a document and the current task at hand. As soon as a task is completed, the document is automatically forwarded to the next pre-defined user.

Operational Impact