Milltown Software

Financials

Financial Accounting is fully integrated (can be disconnected) to all other ERP functions. That means that when an inventory item is issued to a work order, the GL is instantly updated. With a few clicks the financial account balances are visible in a tree structure for quick analysis particularly when the effect of adjusting entries is required. Drilling down the Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable trees provides rapid access to current and historical invoice information with payment history and GL distribution displays. Automated financial ratio calculations and graphical displays are just a click away. Financial inquiries (registers) can be created on the fly displayed in a grid format that can be copied and pasted into a spread sheet application. Naturally, a wide variety of reports including journals, trial balance and financial statements are available. All reporting is done with Crystal reports using a Milltown intelligent report launcher. Instance searches are available to locate invoices and payments.

Reporting

Reporting, across all applications, uses Crystal Business Intelligence. A single report can serve many purposes by altering the selection criteria. A smart report launcher requests the selection criteria from the user and produces the report in an associated floating window. This allows multiple reports to be open at one time for comparison and analysis.

Orders and Inventory

Order taking can be done in a variety of ways from touch-oriented point of sale screens to a highly sophisticated engineering flow. Orders place demand pressure on inventory (on the shelf or yet-to-be-engineered) which is satisfied by available stock or the creation of work orders (see next column). Orders that can be filled from inventory create pick lists and, when filled, create packing lists. Point of sale orders eliminate the paper work and simply relieve inventory. Products can be defined as kits in which case the components of the product are relieved from inventory while the invoice shows the original product as a sale. As inventory levels reach pre-defined reorder points requisitions are created and handed off to material planners and then to purchasing (see next column). An abbreviated manufacturing process is provided whereby multiple items can be 'converted' into a single item based on a bill of material or ad hoc. Similarly items can be disassembled and one item can be 'converted' into multiple items. This removes the burden of formalized work orders for the small manufacturer. Physical counts are done using a web browzer or a hand-held device with or without a bar code scanner. Counts are defined and monitored on screen with final counts activated and GL adjustments made.

Engineering

Engineering is strongly supported with bills of material available for current and historical builds. Engineering change notices are formalized with visibility into the changes authorized by each docuemnt. At the point of change, approval emails are sent to key people informing them of work orders on the floor that are affected by the change.

Manufacturing

Work orders place demand pressure on other manufactured components and so explode into component work orders which place demand pressure on purchased materials which causes the creation of requisitions. Requisitions flow through material planning to purchasing and are converted to purchase orders which can include drawings and other material data sheets.

Procurement

Purchase orders are electronically distributed to appropriate departments and can be printed or emailed (or e-faxed) to the supplier. Purchase order followup and expedite displays ensure the purchasing agents are on top of critical parts. Once received parts are distributed to waiting work orders. Labor and materials are logged against work orders. When manufactured items are completed they are received and are stamped with a batch code and a serial number, if appropriate. Actual costing is available for manufactured items. Each implementation can define the costs to be managed - out-of-the-box weighted average and latest are provided. Finished goods are then shipped against the original customer order and invoicing takes place. Time is collected on the shop floor using touch screens and bar coded badge scanners or finger print readers.

Repairs

Warrantee and other repairs are entered into the system with information about the problem and the solution. Repair history and analysis can be produced for any serialized product. Overall analysis of problems and solutions can be performed to assist with increasing product quality.