EVAC+CHAIR Ltd.

A tailored service for EVAC+CHAIR Ltd.

 

 

The Company:

EVAC+CHAIR is the world leader in safe emergency evacuation.

Established for over 40 years, with their headquarters and manufacturing facility based in the West Midlands. They export to over 70 countries worldwide, across 6 continents and are the original manufacturer and global leader in emergency evacuation chairs for the mobility impaired.

They have been manufacturing life safety products for over 40 years. Their state-of-the-art UK headquarters enables them to design and manufacture products using world class technologies and processes. With in-house powder coating and textiles divisions and using local suppliers for raw materials, they can ensure their products are manufactured to the highest quality standards, whilst minimising their impact upon the environment.

They are fully committed to ensuring all of their products are consistent with the highest quality standards, are fit-for-purpose and right first-time. They have a range of comprehensive quality management systems in place to control all procedures and processes across the organisation. This includes ISO 9001 for Quality Management standards and ISO 13485 for Medical Device Quality Management.

The Need:

Evac+Chair, a manufacturer of evacuation chairs, was facing inefficiencies due to a lack of a Warehouse Management System, relying on manual processes and spreadsheets. To address this, MJM implemented a sophisticated inventory management system, enabling Evac+Chair to streamline their stock take, stock transfers, and track traceable items more effectively, ultimately improving their day-to-day operations.

The Solution:

Stock Manager

The implementation of Bridge WMS has streamlined stock transfers by providing a more efficient and transparent way to track and manage inventory. With the ability to search for specific serial numbers and track inventory across multiple criteria, the system has greatly improved traceability, making it easier to locate and manage equipment with unique identifiers compared to their existing ERP.

Improved Stock Control: The system allowed for real-time tracking of stock levels, ensuring accurate data and preventing stockouts.

Simplified Stock Transfers: Transfers between locations were made seamless and efficient, eliminating errors and reducing time spent on manual processes.

Enhanced Data Accuracy: The Bridge WMS provided a centralized platform for data management, improving the overall quality and consistency of information.

Efficient Stock Takes: The system automated stock-taking processes, significantly reducing the time and resources required for this crucial task.

Works Order Manager

MJM provided Evac with a Works Order Module and Hand-Held devices (HHD) to track the movement of stock and manufacturing processes. The HHD allows operators to issue stock to specific jobs, recording components and batch numbers, providing full traceability throughout the manufacturing process. The operator uses their ID card to access the Works Order number, which brings down the required components list on the HHD. They then scan the component as they use it on the Works Order, issuing it from the production warehouse location, and updating the WO status to show that components have been issued and reducing the component stock holding.

Receipt Manager

The Receipt Manager module of Bridge WMS receives open POs from the ERP system and enables operators to book deliveries on the handheld device (HHD) by selecting “Receive Deliveries” and entering their operator number and PO number. The expected lines are then displayed, allowing the operator to scan barcodes or pick items off the screen. The process involves labelling incoming stock with product and batch details using the print label option on the HHD, printing a GS1 format barcode to a desktop printer in the goods receipt area, and entering quantities received until all items are scanned and confirmed.

Bespoke

Bespoke development was also required to connect Evac+Chair’s Bridge WMS to their existing Power BI SQL application, a reporting tool. Our team developed an add-on to synchronize stock information between the two systems, ensuring accurate data was shared seamlessly, providing Evac+Chair with a unified view of their stock levels and operations.

The Benefits:

  • Data accuracy has significantly improved, enhancing stock valuation and provision calculations.
  • Stock taking time has been reduced from 5 days to 1.5 days, boosting confidence in the process.
  • Stock transfers are now easier to manage compared to the existing ERP system.
  • Traceability has been enhanced with full, searchable information on all Evac Chairs.
  • The HHDs allowed operators to record components and their batch numbers for specific jobs, providing complete traceability throughout the production process.
  • The Receipt Manager allows for easy tracking of unfulfilled purchase orders.
  • Stock cards provide historical order information in one place for easy access and reporting.

“All the help received at MJM has been excellent and the consulting days have been very beneficial and worthwhile, we are very pleased with the system and look forward to implementing despatch manager in the near future. “- Jeremy Thomas Head of Systems