A 60-year-old metal stamping company servicing the automotive industry, S & Z Tool & Die Co, Inc was losing profits by relying on outdated manual inventory systems and production lines. With the existing system, inventory could take up to 12 hours to be input and updated, while production on the presses often came to a halt as materials were located and changed. For a company whose livelihood is based on keeping the presses running, automating the process was imperative.

"If the presses don't run, it affects our bottom line," said S & Z's director of Information Systems, Mike Brueggeman. "We face severe consequences if deadlines aren't met, including heavy fines for each minute that passes after a shipment is due."

In September 2001, Brueggeman and his team decided to update the existing process. They began researching and comparing rugged computer systems to network the entire company, including shipping docks and production floor. S & Z needed to find a computer that could perform at maximum capacity in a harsh environment that included metal filings being spit out, grease-coated equipment, and fluctuating temperatures.

"Not only did we need a computer system that could perform in harsh environments, but we also wanted a computer that could work just as well mounted on a forklift as sitting on a desk. In addition, we knew we needed a rugged PC that would be compatible with our existing office software," said Brueggeman. "We evaluated several vendors, and selected Glacier Computer, based in Amherst, NH, a leading manufacturer of rugged computer systems for harsh environments. We chose its M-Station vehicle-mounted computers and I-Station fixed-mount units because of their speed, efficiency, and large display screens."

S & Z purchased 23 units of the Glacier I-Station and 14 units of the M-Station. M-Stations are located on nine forklifts and at five shop floor kiosks that monitor time and attendance. The I-Station is installed on 20 presses and at three kiosks to monitor time and attendance as well as track sales orders.

Glacier's M-Station and I-Station are true PCs, running DOS, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Embedded XP operating systems. This allowed S & Z to interface with their current network and write their own programming based on input from press operators, forklift drivers, and supervisors. A training session was held for more than 200 S & Z employees, and the new system receiving high praise from the workforce. In fact, the first month the system was in place, productivity was up 10%.

"S & Z's experience with productivity increases is quite common among our customer base," said John Geary, Glacier vice president. "The ability to bring rugged, full-blown computing power to the far reaches of the shop floor or distribution center proves to be an invaluable data collection and management tool."

"With the new system in place, every stage of production is captured from receipt of components and raw material through shipment of the finished products," said Brueggeman. When each coil of steel arrives at the facility, a vehicle-mounted unit produces a unique serial number and barcode label for the coil and each piece it subsequently generates. In a climate where every second matters, the computerized label process saves 12+ hours of manual labor.

Once each coil is labeled, the inventory is easily updated each time the material is moved in-house, or in or out of the facility. When an order comes in for the lot, the vehicle-mounted M-Station screen shows the coil's location, the press number, and job specifications. The coil is received at the correct press and specifications are reviewed and approved in the system by using the unit's touch-screen commands.

The user-friendly touch-screen includes information on the customer, job, material, and precise container specifications, a key quality issue in the automotive industry, as customers will reject any product not packaged correctly.

When the press begins running, the I-Station screen shows continuously updated production and job information, allowing operators and floor supervisors to ensure the task is being performed correctly, as well as to immediately revise any mistakes.

"By pressing a button on the screen, the press operator can alert a team member on the forklift that he's almost ready for a refill coil. That saves 15-20 minutes of 'up time' the operator used to waste by stopping the press, walking the floor, finding the forklift operator, giving him the job information, and then waiting for the coil to be delivered and loaded onto the press," Brueggeman said. "That extra 20 minutes makes a big difference in the bottom line."

The screen also shows the operator's performance, including job start and end time, press strokes per minute and the percentage of up and down time on the press. With all this information available at the touch of a button, the accuracy and productivity of the workforce has increased tremendously.

"Because the worker's time on the job is now linked to his pay, it's the first time we've had everyone clock in," Brueggeman said. "Before we installed the Glacier system, our guys would forget to clock in and out of jobs, which gave us a very inaccurate picture of what was happening on the floor.

"Our customers are thrilled over one particular feature that really addresses their needs," Brueggeman continued. "Each Glacier PC has a different color screen background based on customer quality issues and active customer complaints. This way, the operators and supervisors are aware of complaints in real time, allowing them to monitor certain jobs more carefully."

Ranging from blue for no active complaints to red for the most serious complaints, the screen colors are updated within one minute of the customer's complaint. For the most serious issues, the floor supervisor can immediately see the red screen from across the floor and instantly work with that operator to make a thorough inspection of each piece.

By choosing to implement a new computer system from Glacier Computer, S & Z can continue to fulfill the company's motto: Exceed customer expectations, and attain zero defects through continuous improvement.