JP Air Tech ApS is a manufacturer of air filters. In 2021, JP Air Tech decided to switch to digital production scheduling, and they chose ROB-EX Scheduler as their new production scheduling system. They lacked an overview of production and needed to minimise the massive amount of time spent on updating manual scheduling systems. These challenges are something that ROB-EX is particularly well-equipped to solve. It was an easy decision for the Danish production company to go with ROB-EX.
”Before ROB-EX, we could fall behind schedule simply because we forgot about orders or were simply unable to find them. We really lacked an overview in production, but also in our scheduling. We spent an inordinate amount of time on constantly updating, and still, we could simply misplace or forget about an order. This does not happen anymore. Actually, the problem vanished the minute we started using ROB-EX,” explains Production Assistant at JP Air Tech, Dick Liisborg, and he continues: ”Today, we can’t do without ROB-EX. It’s simply become an indispensable tool that has an integral role in the way that our systems have been set up now. Everything is managed via ROB-EX. Orders are set up in NAV and then exported to ROB-EX. All operators have access to ROB-EX and they’re able to see their assigned jobs. They use ROB-EX Shopfloor, for instance, to keep track of what their next job is.”
ROB-EX provides the overview and keeps production steady
One of the greatest benefits reported by ROB-EX customers is that the digital scheduling tool helps clean up and steady the entire production flow. This is a benefit in relation to all functions in the company, ranging from purchasing, customer services, management, foremen to all employees in production. ROB-EX provides a visual platform with a graphically presented overview of production, and this overview generates value for customers both short term and long term – also for JP Air Tech.
”Everything is so much more smooth and steady in production now. We have a much better order flow, which means that we no longer, ever, fall behind schedule because of internal mix-ups in our order management. If we ever do fall behind schedule, it’s due to circumstances outside our control, such as sickness or breakdown of machinery. But ROB-EX helps us navigate through unplanned changes too, because it provides us with a full overview of the new situation and the consequences of rescheduling. We are much better equipped to find out, what’s going on in each operation. We simply have a full overview, and can always see how much available capacity we have. Before ROB-EX, we used Excel, which had to be updated constantly, and something was always going wrong. Before Excel, the production manager simply kept all the plans and scheduling inside his head – and that really didn’t work for us. Today, we have said goodbye to all of the panic, and our flow is greatly improved,” says Customer Service Manager at JP Air Tech, Hanne Frandsen, and adds: ”Since we got ROB-EX, we have seen a growth of 30-40%. This would NEVER have happened without ROB-EX, and the way that it has given us control of production. Today, we have a full overview of orders and a much better flow. We have optimised the time spent on scheduling, and no longer spend all of the time updating everything. We simply don’t need to do this anymore, because ROB-EX updates things automatically.
Exchange of experiences provides tips and tricks for daily scheduling
After the activation process, it is important that customers do not feel abandoned or experience that they are no longer in focus at ROB-EX. At ROB-EX, we focus on ensuring that our systems continue to generate value for customers both short, medium and long term. We cannot afford to rest on our laurels, once a customer has entrusted their entire production to ROB-EX. We have therefore established ROB-EX Customer Success and ROB-EX Support that maintain contact with the customer after the installation and commissioning of ROB-EX.
Dick Liisborg explains: ”We always contact ROB-EX Support via email. Often, a problem is due to a user error on our part, and then we need to find out how to correct it. We mostly speak with Benjamin, which means that he really knows our solution well. He never takes long to get back to us, and this works very well for us.”
Many customers also wish to be kept updated on new features and functions in ROB-EX. An increasing number of ROB-EX users benefit from exchanging experiences with each other after their activation process. Many customers are regular participants on ROB-EX User Day, but more and more customers also participate in the quarterly network meetings, at which ROB-EX specialists present and explain specific features in the system in detail. The themes vary a lot, and could be anything from working with macros, materials in ROB-EX, how to use Shopfloor, integration with other IT systems or visual representation of data with ROB-EX. At the network meetings, participants have ample opportunity to ask questions concerning their own scheduling or they can exchange experiences with other ROB-EX users. The network meetings and the User Day also provide a possibility for users to visit each other, to find inspiration that they might be able to apply in their own scheduling.
”We visited Australian Bodycare, because we were really impressed by their presentation on User Day in 2022. They spoke about dashboards and data, and we were curious to know more about all of the data that they extract and how they use it. It is really instructive for us to see how other users apply ROB-EX, and our visit provided a lot of inspiration for how we can do things in the future,” Dick Liisborg rounds off.