Ambercon A/S is one of the leading Danish producers of concrete construction elements. In June of 2022, Ambercon commissioned ROB-EX. Up until then, production scheduling was carried out via the company ERP system, however, a decision was made to implement a new ERP system. It soon became clear that the change would make it necessary to look at a secondary system for managing production scheduling. ROB-EX was the solution.
”ROB-EX came into play, when we decided to implement a new ERP system. We concluded that it would require too much work to develop the features that we needed, if we were to continue our production scheduling via the new ERP system. We decided that it would be better to find a program that simply provided all the tools that we needed,” says Plant Manager at Ambercon, Thais Kristensen, and he continues: ”Among other things, we wanted production scheduling to be graphically presented, and we wanted a graphic user interface for our planners. We didn’t want lists. The deciding factor that finally tipped the scales in favour of ROB-EX was that here we would get a system that would continue to evolve and develop over time. This is not possible with an ERP system. An ERP system is the way it is, and you need to make everything fit into its framework. Not the other way around. ROB-EX is a much better solution for the production scheduling for many reasons, for example, ROB-EX makes it easy to look ahead, and view medium to long-term orders. I also really like that new functions and versions are developed continuously. Sometimes, the new additions are not exactly applicable in our setup, but it feels great always to have an updated and upgraded tool that keeps up with the times.”
ROB-EX is activated in sprints and in close collaboration with the customer
With ROB-EX, the activation process starts with a Solution Assessment, which is a workshop where value generation is identified and where future production scheduling processes are mapped out. After this, the actual activation process starts up. The activation process consists of several steps, including the creation of master data in ROB-EX, integration with the ERP system, designing and testing of ROB-EX, instruction of users, and also validation of the values and the scheduling processes identified during the workshop. All steps are conducted in sprints.
Ambercon had already prepared for the start-up of the project with very clear wishes and requirements concerning the new scheduling system. Production Planner, Jesper Sørensen explains: ”The visual overview provided in ROB-EX – the Gantt chart – was high on our wish-list. That, and not being limited in how far ahead we could schedule. We did look at other systems, but none of them were able to provide capacity for scheduling for more than 12 months – and this is something that we really need to be able to do. We also wanted a system that included features for opening and viewing drawings. This was especially important to our foreman.”
Value-generation must be tangible early on
During the activation process, ROB-EX and the customer’s work procedures are adjusted to match each other, so that users are ready to go live after a 6-week sprint. At this point, it is important that the added value generated by the new system is clear to everyone.
”As a point of departure, I would have been happy if ROB-EX had simply been able to do the same things as our ERP-based scheduling had done – but it has just turned out so much better, and it is really great,” says Thais Kristensen, and adds: ”We have digital drawings in production, and now it is ROB-EX that manages them. Also, when the drawings need changing or adjusting. We are now able to send them out to all the tablets in production. My initial thinking was that ROB-EX would only be for scheduling, but I now see the full range of expanded possibilities. We now use ROB-EX as a platform for other things as well, for example for document management. And all that it really is, is that ROB-EX creates a link to a pdf file that then becomes accessible via ROB-EX. It’s ROB-EX that manages all of this now. We have a number of programs that manage our automation, and today ROB-EX and our ERP system jointly form the core that controls all of this.”
Ambercon wanted a new scheduling solution that provided a graphically presented overview. This was achieved by connecting screens both in production and in the drawing office. This means that all employees have visual access to ROB-EX, and can see what is being produced and when. The full graphical overview of the production plan coupled with the access to digital drawings via ROB-EX has become a key factor at Ambercon. A lot less time is spent trying to figure out what to produce and locating the drawings. Everything is collected in one place.
ROB-EX specialists are involved and available – also when activation process is completed
Once ROB-EX has been fully activated and the new routines have become part of daily operations, the assigned ROB-EX specialists remain in close contact with the customer. They regularly check in to hear how things are going, and once a year they carry out a full, service check-up with each customer. This is included in the standard ROB-EX Premium package.
At the service check-up, the specialists go through the current setup, and look at ways to add to ROB-EX’s value-creation. At Ambercon, the service check-up is always greatly anticipated, as it provides an excellent opportunity to ensure that the setup stays optimised and that the scheduling program performs optimally. The objective is that ROB-EX continues to generate the most value for the company – also long-term.
”The service check-ups make sense. It’s a way for us to show the ROB-EX team how we operate the system on a daily basis, and to talk about what is important to us in relation to production and future plans. This is particularly relevant in connection with the detection of functions that are important to include in the Web Planner. And it’s always great to have a chat about what’s new and what they’re working on at ROB-EX,” says Jesper Sørensen, and he continues: ”At the latest service check-up we went through our ROB-EX setup, so that Allan was able to see how we use the program. We also spent some time in production, so that he could see how we use ROB-EX outside of the planning office. The service check-up is a great part of the services provided by ROB-EX, and we are very happy with them.”