Nicholl extends use of software to cut down raw material use
The software was developed by provider of Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) solutions, US-based Preactor Group.
It will be implemented in the Nicholl-owned, Bachmann Aluminium facility in Germany after successful extension into their subsidiary, Ecopla’s site in France.
Rollout in sister sites
The decision to extend the software into Europe follows the successful implementation at the UK-based aluminium foil container producer’s site by a partner of Preactor, Kudos Solutions, according to the developer.
The production planning and scheduling software specialist added savings in the UK included “cutting raw materials from three-four weeks average with a peak of six weeks, down to only one-two weeks and reducing stock levels of some finished goods from over three months’ worth to less than three weeks’ worth.”
An element of the software, called material explorer, provides the ability to analyse the supply chain to identify material shortages or production delays caused by non-available, later or surplus materials.
Jeff Johnson, managing director of Kudos Solutions, said: “The UK implementation was the proof of concept about how Preactor’s advanced production planning and scheduling technology could benefit a business with the unique challenges faced by the group.
“As such it was watched very closely throughout the group so when Preactor started delivering complete visibility across the UK facility as well as generating considerable cost and time savings, it was a natural decision for it to be rolled out to other plants within the group.”
Future expansion
Nicholl Food Packaging is part of the Preactor 400 graphical master planning scheduling (GMPS) project, expected to be released in Q3 this year, which offers demand, capacity planning and responses to fluctuations in forecast demand.
Valerie Goulevitch, global marketing director for Preactor, said: “We are increasingly finding larger groups of companies implementing Preactor in one site, proving the ability to deliver substantial benefits and then rolling it out to other facilities.”
The news comes on the back of Bawtry Investments acquiring Nicholl Food Packaging in April.
