Every component on the production floor must meet customer specification

August 2008: In an ideal manufacturing process, every piece of component that goes to the customer has been made exactly according to specifications.

In the real, less-than-ideal world, the manufactured items occasionally are faulty. Hence, the necessity for high quality checks, which are fast, accurate, and yet does not impede the on-time delivery schedule.

This was the challenge for local IT solution provider AlpSoft. Its customer is a multinational corporation acquired in late 2005 to become an independent company (after three decades as part of Hewlett-Packard). It provides an extensive range of components and subsystems to more than 40,000 customers, including many of the world’s top original equipment manufacturers.

With an in-depth understanding of the business process, AlpSoft crafted a specific, practical solution that forms part of the customer’s supply chain. It allows the customer to combine existing production and quality process and databases from various sites into a centralised database. This ensures the highest level of data integrity and quality check.

Using .NET technology, the AlpSoft system enables the technicians on the production floor to easily create new test plans based on each customer[s specification, and apply these test plans to the final process check before shipping.

The technicians can create a test plan checklist from a user-friendly interface. They are able to select from the production database various specifications to be checked and verified against the scanned serial number of the item.

The system comprises an HP Compaq PC, HP Proliant Server, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft IIS and Microsoft Visual Studio. challenges include the integration with existing legacy systems within the tight project schedule.

Consultation work was completed by August 2006, and implementation to seven sites began in March 2007. The entire project was successfully completed by March this year.

According to AlpSoft, benefits of the new system include enhancing the automation and integration of customer’s workflow, compared with the old system which had only semi-auto capabilities. Other benefits are ease of data-entry and retrieval of information any time reliably, real-time management, full functionality on one desktop application, and low-cost quick implementation.

About AlpSoft

The company began six years ago as a supplier of IT-trained staff for other employers. It has since moved into software development of specialised applications.

With an annual turnover of more than $2 million and a staff strength of 75 software and systems engineers, it focuses very much on project-based tasks for clients. Managing director Ling Kai Tien foresees the company moving into its third phase, offering productised commodities.

More on AlpSoft in the Business Directory.

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