Tool-TracK is a Windows application for
tracking tool and machine maintenance activities, tool and machine repair and
service history, inside and outside material and labour costs, by tool, tool
revision level and Engineering Change Number (ECN). It includes an inventory
module for managing spares and consumables and allows the user to define
standard kits of parts for routine maintenance tasks. Tool-TracK also provides
exception reports to alert users when tool or machine maintenance or job
completion are due and when parts need to be ordered. Tool-TracK’s unique
features allow end of shift data relating to machine run-hours and tool cycles
to be transferred automatically from most of the commonly available Production
Monitoring Systems, such as those from Barco, Mattec or Oxbridge, or from any
other source that can provide the relevant data in an ASCII comma-delimited
file. This enables all completed machine and tool run-times to be recorded and
routinely scheduled maintenance to be calculated. As a result planned
maintenance is never missed through lack of information on completed run-times
and the tasks can be carried out at the most convenient and cost-effective
times, e.g. during job changes. Alternatively, where no real-time production
monitoring system is available, a spreadsheet can be used to input the data
using a similar ASCII file, or data can be input directly using the shift update
screen. Tool-TracK provides an accurate overview of the status of every tool in
your facility. Tool-TracK lets you know how many cycles or strokes are available
to each tool before the next planned maintenance is due, as well as the type,
estimated time and estimated cost of the next scheduled maintenance. Tool-TracK
also provides information on the status of all currently running jobs including
a comparison of the number of cycles left to complete the current job with the
number remaining before maintenance is due. It also provides information on
machine run-hours left before machine maintenance is due and indicates the hours
left to complete the current job. A projected end of job date is also provided
to assist in scheduling machine maintenance. Tool-TracK displays a list of tools
and machines that are due for maintenance and compares that to the status of the
running job. This enables the user to forward plan both tool and machine
maintenance tasks, as well as maintenance staffing levels, to achieve optimum
efficiencies. It also checks which parts are required for the tasks and gives a
warning if there is insufficient stock to complete the planned activities. Each
time a revision level or ECN change occurs Tool-TracK allows the user to close
out the old revision level and store the cost and the repair history information
for the completed revision. This includes the amount of time the revision was
active, the amount of money spent on in-house labour and materials as well as
outside repair costs. Tool-TracK retrieves this information by tool number and
version/ECN. This detailed analysis helps identify abnormally high repair costs
by revision level or outside vendor. Multiple repairs are accomodated within
each revision level and planned maintenance and break-down costs are shown
seperately. This detail helps monitor costs, identify savings and makes it
easier to re-charge and recover costs where customer tooling is involved.