Success Story: Vibro-Meter

Operating a repair facility typically involves turning around product as efficiently as possible. Being able to track incoming and outgoing parts as well as assigning parts to particular customers will allow managers of repair depots to keep product turn around time short and costs down. A Work-in-Process (WIP) application allows managers to track items through their facility and run reports to find out which processes take the most time, require the most parts, and slow down the entire process the most. This lets them cut down the time it takes for items to move through the entire process and save costs.

Background: Vibro-Meter's Requirements

Vibro-Meter Inc., in Manchester, CT, designs and manufactures aircraft sensor systems and repairs engines and turbines for both commercial and military clients. Vibro-Meter did not have a way to accurately track items brought into their repair facility. Supervisors had no easy way of knowing at what stage of the repair process an item was in. They also lacked data to determine how long each stage of the repair process should take. At times, repair technicians relied only on memory to know what product belonged to which customer. Vibro-Meter lacked a system of accountability in their repair process.

Vibro-Meter was most concerned about:

tracking inventory in their repair facility
keeping track of what parts belonged to each customer
creating reports to find out how long it should take to complete each stage of the repair

How Barcoding Inc. Helped Vibro-Meter

Barcoding Inc. installed a customized Work-in-Process software application, along with Hand Held Products' IT4600 2D Imagers and Zebra Technologies' Z4M printers. When a product is brought in for repair, Zebra's Z4M printer prints a barcode label, and this label is assigned to a specific work order, reflecting both the customer and the desired repair or maintenance. At each stage of the repair process, a technician scans the item using Hand Held Products' IT4600. This creates a time and date stamp and records in which repair station the item is presently located. The imagers are connected to a computer where technicians can enter detailed notes on the repair.

Reports generated from the system show what repairs are at each station, their status, and how long the repairs took to complete. This allows Vibro-Meter to estimate turn around time for each customer and also provides a high level of accountability within the process.

Learn more about Work-In-Process Applications

The Results

By implementing the Work-in-Process system, Vibro-Meter's repair department now has very accurate, up-to-date information on both location and status of their customers' products. Vibro-Meter has gained greater quality control over its repair process and has improved customer service. There are fewer instances of products being misplaced, and time is saved by not having to research the repair status of an item. Over the next six months, Vibro-Meter will be able to take these gains and demonstrate a net financial gain on the project and will be able to calculate an initial return on investment (ROI).

Since the Work-in-Process system was implemented, Vibro-Meter has data they can use to find bottlenecks, suggest ways to reengineer their business process, and make continual improvements to the repair center. They will be able to constantly monitor the productivity of their employees and the efficiency of their business process to both maximize profits and reduce the time it takes to repair their equipment. The final result will be a positive, measurable impact to the company's bottom line.

View the PDF version of this study
To learn more, please contact Barcoding Inc.

For Further Information

Call Now: 888.412.7226

Our sales team will answer all your questions about inventory control and automatic data collection.