The ERP Express Manufacturing modules encompass all aspects of production planning, execution and manufacturing control functions. ERP Express manufacturing allows you to automate and control production planning and execution, material planning and procurement, quality management and equipment maintenance, and shop floor control, with advanced tools that accommodate your style of manufacturing whether you use lean or traditional manufacturing techniques. The ERP Express manufacturing modules have become known for providing innovative, execution-focused solutions that have significantly enhanced the operational performance of companies in a host of discrete manufacturing industries. As an innovator in the development of the manufacturing window card metaphor, for example, ERP Express has allowed manufacturers to visually manage their operations for the first time. The patented Concurrent Scheduler revolutionized the way manufacturers generated their shop schedules, ensuring the most efficient use of materials, resources and information. ERP Express provides a variety of production scheduling methods all within the same system, including Finite Capacity Scheduling (FCS), Infinite Scheduling, and Lean (Drum Buffer Rope) Scheduling. Whether make-to-order, make-to-stock, repetitive, or multi-mode, ERP Express offers unrivaled support for virtually any manufacturing style.

The Manufacturing Window® is the master engineering and production management tool within ERP Express. The full-color, graphical interface allows you to create an engineering plan or Bill of Material (BOM) quickly and easily, and then use the design to automatically create a quote and/or work order. The display and reporting features of the Manufacturing Window provide a comprehensive view of the materials and operations involved in the engineering process. The Manufacturing Window integrates seamlessly with the material planning, purchasing, and scheduling tools within ERP Express to provide the ultimate control over inventory, costs, and resources. Comprehensive tracking tools offer complete as-planned and as-built data from the highest level of summarization to the lowest level of detail for each individual transaction for accuracy in your cost roll-ups. While ERP Express continues to support traditional techniques such as MPS and MRP, it's clear that today's increasingly competitive marketplace is causing the majority of manufacturers to focus on the principles of lean manufacturing in an effort to reduce inventory levels, cut lead times, improve on-time delivery performance, and increase productivity and profitability.

Lean Manufacturing: Theory of Constraints
and the Drum-Buffer-Rope Techniques

ERP Express Lean Scheduling provides the ability to create production schedules based on the Theory of Constraints and the Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) techniques. The result is the virtual elimination of the adverse effects of Murphy's Law disruptions, and the facilitation of a lean, productive operation. In today's manufacturing environment, companies are under extreme pressure to provide quality products at competitive prices, and to deliver them faster than their competition can.