Features and Benefits

nMetric software provides capabilities in four main areas of any make-to-order enterprise, all uniquely powered and/or informed by patented Smart Job technology. Click on any capability and see the features and related benefits available to make scheduling easier and more productive in your organization.

Click sections below for unique features and benefits

• nVironment^® resource utilization graphics and drill down to identify production bottlenecks and under-utilization
• Now Line updates as time passes, automatically pushing tasks not completed forward and adjusting dependent tasks to reflect reality
• All sequential task dependencies enforced and maintained automatically
• Complete Gantt chart view of all scheduled resources with drill-down and onscreen call-out details
• Dispatch Zone freezes schedule in near term for efficient staging of materials and machine programming
• Scheduling Time Thresholds/Fences, where tasks are not permitted to pass the time threshold if designated conditions are present:
  • — Material threshold holds back tasks not ready for completion due to material not in-house
  • — Engineering or credit hold thresholds
  • — Easily add/edit resources including changes to attributes and available time

• Visibility of future resource workload and shop floor activities
• Increased throughput
• Reduced cycle time
• Greater flexibility to manage high product mix and make-to-order environments
• Reduced lead-time requirements
• Reduced days sales outstanding due to timely shipments
• On-time completion status and accurate ship date visibility
• Proactive customer communications and faster response times
• Predictive and preventative maintenance of resources and immediate response to unplanned downtime

• Attribute-based scheduling with priority
• Drag and Drop for easy manual schedule management
• Dependencies in sequential tasks maintained dynamically
• Transport time buffers between tasks reflecting actual time required to move work in process (WIP) between work areas
• Operational overlap to shorten cycle time on large orders
• Informational call-outs for each scheduled task MES tracking:
  • — Starts and completions
  • — Scrap and rework
  • — Hold and pause
• Resource availability calendars
• Unplanned resource down rescheduling
• Notes for proactive communication between shop floor, maintenance, customer service and management; notes available for:—Smart Jobs (general, hold, scrap and rework)
  • — Resources
  • — Customers

• Visibility into future work demand for the entire enterprise as well as each individual resource
• Track who made what, when, and using which resources, creating an electronic trail for warrantee and recall analysis
• Scrap and rework tracking
• Reduce work in process (WIP) as production bottlenecks are addressed
• Improved operational communications
• Visibility to manage JIT material and parts purchasing
• Reduction in unnecessary buffer or WIP inventory
• Achieve Make-to-Order production goals
• On-time shipment advance visibility
• Proactive scheduled man-hour management
• Focused overtime management
• Sales/Manufacturing alignment

• Time segment management
  • — Set-up, run and cleanup times
• Drag-and-drop manual move of tasks between qualified resources
• Resource availability time profiles—Set/Edit shifts and holidays
  • — Add overtime
  • — Schedule maintenance downtime
• Immediately adjusts resource schedule when unplanned downtime entered
• Options to pin tasks to specific resource, time or both
• Hot order option to expedite critical orders to top priority status
• Event-based alerts to proactively address critical conditions:
  • — Maintenance personnel for unplanned downtime
  • — Customer service for critical order lateness or delay
  • — Customer configurable events

• Increased throughput
• Improved skill/competency allocation
• Visibility to future impact of changes to shop workload and resource constraints
• Proactive and focused use of overtime
• Proactively address and resolve unplanned events
• Fast adjustment to absenteeism/worker turnover
• Proactively acquire the right resource skills/capabilities
• Increased delivery reliability
• Reduced missed or late shipments
• Expedite and prioritize prototype and new product production
• Reduce scheduler/expediting man-hours
• Reduce direct worker supervision

• Lateness of orders and tasks clearly visible with color display on Gantt chart
• Overall lateness performance summary KPI (%)
• Aged lateness drill down with numbers of orders and detail:
  • — Past due
  • — Will be late (no change can help)
  • — Could be late (if no intervention in resource availability)
• KPI and drill down details for:
  • — Cycle time
  • — Throughput
  • — Resource utilization
• Standard reports
• Role-based security ensures only authorized users perform appropriate actions

• Real-time KPI visibility of operational status for:
  • — Lateness
  • — Cycle time
  • — Throughput
  • — Capacity utilization
• Configurable role- and event-based alerts provide opportunity to proactively resolve problems
• On-time/lateness visibility enables proactive customer communications resulting in improved satisfaction
• Improved traceability, error identification, liability control in the event of recall or warrantee actions
• More accurate enterprise-wide visibility into operations and reporting