Bar Coding

Today we're working on creating a "Traveller" or "Follower" for a part as it goes through its manufacturing/production process. This "Traveller" is a sheet of paper which will accompany the part to each of the steps/processes it ends up going through. The shop floor can be quite an environmentally unfriendly place for PCs. For instance there is usually a lot of dust which, over time, can affect the cooling fan's ability to cool the PC, thus ultimately leading to its failure. In even more severe environments, even Thin Client systems may not be appropriate. At Princeton Tools, to avoid these problems, they're going to use bar code scanners for their input.
They do custom work on aircraft engine blades and each part that comes into their shop will have aindividual 'shipping list' from the supplier that already has a bar code on it. They'll scan this piece into their ERP production system and then print out the "Traveller", which will have a bar code for each of the processes that this particular part needs to go through. We're going to put a bar code on the "Traveller" for each one of these steps.
While I've worked with bar codes before, I've never actually created the bar code, so this'll be a fun new learning experience for me.

Customer Relation Management

At Tuppas Software, I spent the last day working on part of our Customer Relation Management (CRM) package for Stone Interiors, a manufacturer of custom countertops. We had a photocopy of one of their "Estimates" which could be printed in one of two ways: either with all of the detail, or just summarized. This Estimate, along with the schematics, is then given to the customer for final approval.
For each Estimate, there are quite a few options available - override pricing, on either an individual line item or for an entire section (such as a kitchen or a bathroom); discounts, either a flat amount or a percentage, some items being charged by the square foot, others by the inch, and still others by the piece; different price groups; etc.
Since our CRM solutions and CRM systems are thin-client, web based, we're using ASP to display a copy of the estimate before printing it. So it was a challenge to blend the HTML, ASP, and CSS together to produce the Estimate, to get all of the formatting and layout to match their existing estimate. I have to get back in touch with Chad at Stone to go over it, but it's now quite close.
At the end of yesterday I was given some changes to their Inventory System and was able to make most of them then. The rest I'll be working on today, along with MES Systems for other clients. More later. Until then.
Hal Hamer

Why Should I Look at Thin Clients

In the right environments/situations, Thin Clients can be quite beneficial from a cost and performance point of view. In the wrong situation, well... This paper will look at various reasons why someone might want to consider using Thin Clients in some situations instead of using Thick Clients.

Advantages

• Costs
  
• Hardware
• Since a Thin Client does not contain a disk drive or fan, and needs less application memory, Thin Client hardware is less expensive, thus saving on initial cost.
• In most cases a Thin Client terminal can remain in service for a longer period of time before being replaced, thus saving on replacement cost.
• In addition to saving on replacement costs, reducing the need to constantly replace hardware also saves on the disposal cost, both to the company and to the environment.
• Less network bandwidth. No longer are large files being transferred from server to client. All of the work is done on the server.
• Software
• Since each Thin Client uses a centrally stored application/program, it does not need each application/program to be installed on its box.
• Energy Consumption
• Less powerful hardware requires less energy to operate.
• It's also possible that with less energy consumption, a less expensive air-conditioning system may be appropriate.
• Administration
• No more money spent on having a tech physically update each machine with hardware and software.
• Security
• Data
• Sensitive data is more secure since that data is stored at the server, which will be more protected and in a securer environment, instead of the desktop which is much less secure. This would help not only with problems of theft, but also in those cases where the thick client failed or was damaged.
• MalWare, SpyWare, Viruses
• Since there is no hard drive, there is no OS on that hard drive which can be compromised with malware, spyware, or viruses
• Performance
• Hostile Environments
• Since there is no need for a fan, Thin Clients can be put on the shop floor without having to worry that dust will accumulate on the fan blades and ultimately cause the system to fail.
• Also without fans, the system is noticably quieter.

As with most things in life, there are advantages and disadvantages. Situations where a Thin Client does not work are limited, but they do include using applications where:

• a high bandwidth is necessary (for multimedia performance)
• the OS is designed for the use of local, and not network, resources
• poor network connections

Some places where Thin Clients can be used include the following:

• Manufacturing ERP
• Production Scheduling
• Wireless ERP Software
• Job Tracking
  

Copyright 2008
Written by Hal Hamer

Why Choose Software-as-a-Service ERP Software?

One of the key advantages of choosing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is that companies can save considerable amounts of money by not having to provide the on-premise IT support infrastructure. For a monthly fee companies can get the software they need much faster than outright purchasing it. Many of these trends are evident in the continued growth of companies choosing SaaS ERP systems. There is a much less upfront expense and more flexibility in licensing terms, as far as the customers not buying more licenses than they actually need, when choosing a SaaS ERP system that's right for them.

The ease of getting the software you need now at the price you can afford is one of the many advantages of choosing your SaaS. However, one thing to keep in mind when considering if a SaaS ERP system is right for you is that the ongoing monthly expense never ends and you don't ever own the software. To many companies, never actually owning the software isn't a problem because they are getting what they need on a pay-as-you-go-basis without being locked into a long-term agreement.

Some of the benefits of SaaS

• Easy use and set-up


• Predictable monthly ongoing expense


• Mobility in it web-based applications


• The vendor manages the servers, backs up the data and updates the application for customers


• Less upfront costs and many times long-term as well. Thin client systems can drastically reduce the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).

Although, SaaS might not be the solution for every business dilemma, when properly chosen it can allow for companies to save time, money and grief. When considering a SaaS ERP system do your homework to make sure that the company that you choose can provide your company with what it needs for optimum usability. Some early proven leaders in providing SaaS are Tuppas Software and Salesforce.


Copyright 2008
Written by Hal Hamer

Day 2

Hello, it's me again, Hal Hamer, back for another day of programming at Tuppas Software. Today I've worked some more on the Stone Interiors and Bellevue projects. For Stone Interiors, we're using ASP.NET to turn a Sales Quote into a Purchase Order, and then to print that Purchase Order. My ASP.NET skills aren't that great, so it's a wonderful opportunity for me to improve them!

I know HTML/XHTML/CSS, etc. so that's not a problem. And I know VB.NET so VBScript isn't a problem either. It's just using ASP.NET to combine HTML and VB that I'm a little shaky on. I don't know all of ASP.NET's methods and config variables, and more importantly how, and when, to use those variables.

I also did some minor changes to the DataBases for Bellevue. They needed a way to identify which Blanks and Coils went together so there needed to be a Blank/Coils xRef table. So I added that table, and the necessary columns to other associated tables. And then using our custom framework I added the tabs on the Blanks screen to show a screen with a list of the Coils. From that Coils screen, the user can easily add or delete a coil. This work took a very short amount of time. The Tuppas framework is set up in such a way that I, as the programmer, don't have to create the "Add" or "Delete" buttons, nor actually do the DB processing. As surprising as that sounds, all I have to do is to create a screen with the necessary fields, and then link that screen to its parent. It's sorta like a Bound Control in VB, but it doesn't take nearly as much effort or time. The framework takes care of the DataBase processing for me!

The only two areas that slow me down are not knowing exactly how the Framework works (since I've only been using it for a week) and handling errors when I do something incorrectly. (The errors show up with ASP's cryptic error messages, and there's nothing I can do about how they show up!) But once I learn all of the features of the Framework I'll be even more productive since I won't have to correct nearly as many of my Framework mistakes, nor have to spend a lot of time trying to decipher ASP's error messages.

As you can tell, I'm having a great time here at Tuppas. (And for those of you who are wondering why I'm writing this instead of doing more programming, this blog is actually part of my job!)

Hope you all have a great weekend.
More next week. Til then,

Hal Hamer

Welcome to my new blog

Hi, my name is Hal Hamer and my background includes 30+ years programming experience, mostly in various forms of RPG (RPG II, RPG/III, RPG/IV, and ILE RPG) on midrange IBM systems (S/34, S/36, AS/400, iSeries). A week ago I started a new career track, working as a programmer at Tuppas Software. Last week was spent in training on how to use their neat framework (which sits on top of ASP.NET).

Tuppas Software makes highly configurable manufacturing software and manufacturing execution systems (MES) for the shop floor. They also provide ERP class software for manufacturing enterprise management. Their industrial software is browser-based, using thin-client .NET technology which makes management of MRP, MES and ERP functions easy and quick, even across a large enterprise.

This week, in just the few days that I've been here, I've already helped with setting up systems for:

• Stone Interiors, a custom counter top company in Alabama, Louisiana, and South Carolina that fabricates granite, marble and other natural stone for counter tops, fireplaces and custom specialty projects.;
• The Bellevue Manufacturing Company, an Ohio manufacturer that creates and distributes oil filters for the automotive industry;
• Schneider Electric, a recognized world leader in Electrical Distribution and Automation & Control, operating in 190 countries and headquartered in France, with US Headquarters in Illinois.

While the items above were jobs that Tuppas Software has been working on for a few weeks, next week I'll be traveling to Cleveland, Oh to meet with a new customer to do a demo of our system and to define what they need in their new system. It'll be interesting to see the progression from start to finish, and I'll keep you updated about this project as it progresses, as well as all of the other jobs I'll be assigned to.

Thanks for coming to my blog, and I hope that you'll find it interesting and want to come back often. Bye for now.