September 28, 2016 —GE Digital announced the availability of the Brilliant Manufacturing module, WIP Manager. This module, enabled by Predix, GE’s operating system for the Industrial Internet, works with existing systems to provide true visibility into where work orders are in the manufacturing plant, ultimately increasing schedule adherence and lowering working capital.
WIP Manager is particularly valuable to companies in the Heavy Industrial space where cycle times are longer, assembly space on the plant floor is widely dispersed, and raw materials more expensive. With increased material visibility, managers can ensure the right material is available to the manufacturing process at the right time and in the right place.
WIP Manager tracks production and service processes through work orders, which are created in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and an operational route through the shop floor, which is imported from the customer's manufacturing execution system (MES). Once the work order is created and the required materials are available, using WIP Manager, work center operators can begin the operations listed on the work order to build or repair the specified parts.
Manufacturers can use WIP Manager to track part production or repair from start to finish using data from work orders. They can also view analytics charts such as average queue, which shows how many parts are queued at each work center. Scorecard charts show the view of a line of balance, where the user can select a part and display how work orders containing the part are balanced for In-Progress, Hold, and Rework for each operation.
GE’s Brilliant Manufacturing software is the synthesis of two decades of working with the worlds most recognized brands in manufacturing and our own GE plants. Powered by Predix, the software enables companies to predict, adapt, and react more quickly and effectively than ever before. Link design, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, distribution and services into one globally scalable intelligent system. The Predix platform is purpose-built for developing, deploying, operating and monetizing Industrial Internet applications.
