Arima joins Premier Tech Digital to enhance their expertise in smart manufacturing

Arima joins Premier Tech Digital to enhance their expertise in smart manufacturing

Arima is pleased to announce its acquisition by Premier Tech’s digital business group. Based in Rivière-du-Loup and operating in more than 28 other countries, Premier Tech Digital specializes in digital product design and smart manufacturing services.

With the addition of Premier Tech Digital’s Syncrun software to its product portfolio, Arima will be able to accelerate the deployment of its smart manufacturing solutions and services in order to further contribute to the transformation of businesses and industries, both at home and abroad. PT Digital can also draw on Arima’s 30 years of expertise in production scheduling.

The Premier Tech partnership, which started in April 2022, is a measure of perpetuity for its Syncrun product, which will now be marketed worldwide. The acquisition also enables Arima to deploy more resources to the development and growth of its products, without compromising the quality of its customer service.

“By expanding our range of skills and expertise, the integration of Arima to our business group will allow us to better support our clients’ projects within industry 4.0. By acquiring smart, connected, integrated, and tailored solutions, they will improve their efficiency”

points out Martin Lambert, president, smart manufacturing, of Premier Tech Digital.

About Premier Tech

Making a difference, this is what we are all about at Premier Tech. One team is driven by a shared passion to deliver solutions that will better the lives of people, businesses, and communities. At Premier Tech, People and Technologies connect in lasting, transformative ways, giving life to products and services that help feed, protect and improve our world. We are committed to creating sustainable solutions that help bring beautiful gardens to life, increase crop yields, improve the efficiency of manufacturing facilities, treat and recycle water, and much more as we keep innovating.

For nearly a century, Premier Tech has been growing internationally, driven by the collective power of its 5 000 team members in 28 countries. Backed by more than a quarter-century-long track record of solid growth, Premier Tech today records sales of more than one billion dollars.

People and Technologies making a difference

For more information about Premier Tech, visit www.ptdigital.com and follow LinkedIn.

APS and ERP: A Perfect Duo

APS and ERP: A Perfect Duo

To stay competitive and meet increasing customer requirements, manufacturers inevitably have to innovate and adapt. The solution is to optimize manufacturing operations and become more agile by getting the right tools. As you will see, such needs can be met by the perfect duo of ERP and APS—Advanced Planning and Scheduling.

Because ERP by itself is no longer enough

As a means to manage processes and centralize information, ERP quickly became a must, and rightly so. But beyond their undeniable benefits ERP systems have certain limitations that can keep you from reaching a higher level of efficiency and productivity.

ERP systems are essential to overall medium – or long-term resource planning, but when you’re preparing an optimal plan for operations, the ERP planning model is often too simplistic. It disregards many key constraints. The result? Inaccurate planning that’s hard to put into practice on the shop floor.

It’s becoming clear that ERP by itself is no longer enough to cope with manufacturers’ current needs.

What APS does that ERP doesn’t

Designs precise and doable optimized production plans

Optimizes operations in real time through advanced algorithms

Takes all the constraints into account simultaneously

Estimates delivery times accurately

Prioritizes on-time delivery at minimum cost

Considers the actual progress on the shop floor

Quickly adjusts schedules to changing circumstances

Provides visibility of production processes

Identifies production constraints and potential problems

Maximizes use of resources

Reduces setup time and downtime

Analyzes complex scenarios

Assesses the impacts of a change or a new production order

Examples of constraints taken into account

  • Inventory levels and planned incoming deliveries of raw materials
  • Skills of employees, and their work schedules
  • Machine speeds, temporary efficiencies
  • Planned maintenance
  • Actual status of machines
  • Real progress of operations
  • Setup time in relation to the sequence of operations
  • Complex routings
  • Alternative resources and preferences
  • Rest time and drying time
  • Overlap between routing operations
  • Grouping of similar operations
  • Imposed start date
  • Frozen planning period

Why APS and ERP form a perfect duo

Whereas ERP brings together information on all the processes and resources of a business, APS provides key functions for analyzing and optimizing at the operational level. Although you can use them independently of each other, they show the full extent of their power when used together.
If a manufacturing company wishes to optimize its operations, it will need real-time analysis and simulations to minimize costs and maximize efficiency. That’s why ERP by itself isn’t enough to reach a higher level of efficiency.
Ready to go to a higher level of efficiency?

Syncrun is a scheduling solution that will perfectly fit with your ERP, your SCM, your MES, or any other management system you have. Its advanced algorithm is a real engine for optimizing your operations and will help boost your productivity.

How DeLuxe got 98% of its deliveries on time in only 18 months

How DeLuxe got 98% of its deliveries on time in only 18 months

The DeLuxe Packaging division of Novolex has set new records for efficiency and customer satisfaction by adopting the Syncrun planning and scheduling package. A look back at the genesis of success.

A growing need

Everything began when the company’s ERP planning module could no longer keep up with strong business growth. “We had more and more different items and customers, but our existing systems weren’t all that flexible. So we wanted to make the planners’ job easier,” remembers Marc-André Régimbald, the head of the supply chain department.

Marc-André began looking for an operations sequencing and optimization tool that could fit in with the existing ERP. His criteria? “A visual, easy to use tool that could be used to make production plan scenarios. Syncrun offered all of that,” he explained. After a successful test with the demo version, Novolex installed the software package in all of its DeLuxe plants.

Syncrun’s specificity

Marc-André Régimbald is especially appreciative because Syncrun’s algorithm can be adapted to the company’s special characteristics. At each stage of software installation, Arima’s developers were able to integrate new functions to meet the specific needs noted by DeLuxe: “It was really custom service and a beautiful joint effort. Even today the department head points out that “we still have a ‘tech’ available to answer our questions.” He also emphasizes the “high level of trust” that has developed with the service provider and “the importance of encouraging a local product […] through a customized approach.”

Concrete results

Syncrun has been synonymous with a myriad of benefits for DeLuxe plants. Marc-André Régimbald has noticed them in several areas:  
  • Optimized operations planning: “The visual features enable the planners to assess the scenarios quickly and measure the impacts of each decision.”
  • Increased production capacity: “The system automatically combines those orders that go well together in terms of operational constraints. That means less setup time, less scrap, and so on.”
  • Better customer service: “Syncrun has contributed a lot to increasing our on-time delivery rate from 87% to 98% and more, in only 18 months.”

Logo-Novolex-Gris

“The visual features enable the planners to assess the scenarios quickly and measure the impacts of each decision.”

Marc-André Régimbald

Head of the supply chain department, Novolex

The head of the installation project soon observed a return on investment. He has nothing but praise for Syncrun, which he honestly recommends to other planners and plant managers. So are you convinced?
Discover the potential gains Syncrun can generate for your business
Arima has been accompanying businesses to optimize their productivity for over 25 years. Contact one of our experts in production scheduling and optimization to discuss your needs and learn more about Syncrun!
7 Common Production Problems Syncrun Can Fix

7 Common Production Problems Syncrun Can Fix

Manufacturers face many challenges when they plan production. At that stage, inefficiencies lead to high costs and to problems in meeting customer demand. And that means lower profits.

To maximize a plant’s productivity, it’s essential to use resources optimally and synchronize manufacturing operations in line with the plant’s specific constraints. Unfortunately for planners, neither Excel spreadsheets nor ERP planning tools are designed to meet those precise needs.

The market does offer solutions to that problem, and an outstanding one is Syncrun. This advanced planning and scheduling package (APS) is equipped with a powerful engine for optimizing operations. Its smart algorithm will solve a multitude of production management problems quickly and efficiently.

Here’s how!

Syncrun can solve 7 common production problems:

  1. Loss of control due to rapid growth
  2. Complexity of the planning and scheduling process
  3. Bottlenecks at certain production stages
  4. Trouble with on-time delivery—production time is too long
  5. Manpower shortages
  6. Trouble with coordination of raw material purchases
  7. Inability to assess different scenarios and measure their impacts

 

1. Loss of control due to rapid growth

Production often has trouble keeping up when a business starts growing faster. Orders pile up, production capacity is exceeded, and production times grow longer. Each new order becomes harder to manage, and stress increases on work teams.

 

Production capacity

To solve production capacity problems, you have to use your resources more efficiently. Syncrun’s advanced scheduling engine will optimize use of your equipment and manpower in a flash. It will synchronize your operations to free up more production capacity and provide an optimal schedule both cost-wise and time-wise.

 

Keeping track and keeping control

By planning and scheduling production with Syncrun, you can respond to changes while keeping production under control.

Syncrun has the advantage of anticipating potential problems at the planning stage. It also keeps all of your ongoing production in line with the actual situation on the shop floor and with unforeseen events of all sorts. Using it helps you keep track of things and make informed decisions.

 

2. Complexity of the planning and scheduling process

Planners have to deal with a multitude of tasks and constraints that complicate efforts to draw up an optimal and workable production plan.

Figuring things out by hand has its limits. Just think: to schedule several production orders, you have to sort through billions of possible sequences.

Fortunately, Syncrun’s advanced algorithm can analyze all the combinations of scenarios while taking all the constraints into accountenant—in just a few seconds! No more racking your brain over Excel spreadsheets. Syncrun is a simple, effective tool for multi-constraint optimization.

 

3. Bottlenecks at certain production stages

Bottlenecks affect how well your operations will proceed. Managing them is a recurring challenge for businesses. It may be hard, in advance, to find the best way to avoid or eliminate them while making sure the problem isn’t shoved elsewhere.

Syncrun will optimize your production schedule with a view to mminimizing the time you lose waiting for a machine to become available and then getting it ready. So less time is wasted, more production capacity is freed up, and production flow is improved.

Furthermore, Syncrun can show you how the production line is progressing and identify at a glance any bottlenecks that threaten on-time delivery. You can then analyze different scenarios and change your plan accordingly.

 

4. Trouble with on-time delivery—production time is too long

Just-in-time delivery has become key for businesses that wish to stay competitive in the market and satisfy increasingly demanding customers.

Different factors may cause problems:

  • Miscellaneous, customized products that slow down production
  • Promises of fast delivery that are difficult to keep
  • Equipment failure
  • Resource shortages
  • Etc.

That’s why Syncrun optimizes operations in line with delivery times and different constraints. The reality on the shop floor is taken into consideration, and you can easily adjust your plan for unforeseen events such as rush orders or equipment failures. With Syncrun, you can base your decisions on a reliable plan and feel confident when promising delivery dates!

 

5. Manpower shortages

When you don’t have enough workers, you will have trouble delivering the goods on time and may even lose orders to competitors. So you should use available human resources to their full potential.

Syncrun optimizes use of your workers not only in terms of their availabilities but also in terms of their skills. Tasks are assigned to the most qualified people.

And that’s not all. Syncrun optimizes the way your workers are used on the shop floor to avoid downtime and minimize the impact of bottlenecks. By planning with Syncrun you can better identify your manpower needs.

 

6. Trouble with coordination of raw material purchases

What’s the impact of a rush order on all of your production? Will hiring an employee help you deliver on time? Will adding a new machine improve productivity? It’s often difficult if not impossible to assess the real impact of a decision or an unforeseen event.

Using data from your systems, Syncrun will generate a detailed production plan for all of your resources. The plan is adjusted to reflect movements of inventory as well as aavailability of raw materials and semi-finished products. It also takes anticipated deliveries of raw materials into consideration and forecasts your purchasing needs in relation to accurate scheduling of your operations.

 

7. Inability to assess different scenarios and measure their impacts

What’s the impact of a rush order on all of your production? Will hiring an employee help you deliver on time? Will adding a new machine improve productivity? It’s often difficult if not impossible to assess the real impact of a decision or an unforeseen event.

Syncrun enables you to measure the effects of a hypothetical order on all of your production through a simulation. You can vary resource availability, change efficiencies, or simulate an equipment failure. Syncrun will then show you the impact on production costs and delivery times.

In conclusion

When you optimize your planning and scheduling, you get huge advantages that meet your current needs:

 

  • Optimal use of your equipment and higher production capacity
  • Lower inventory costs and maintenance of minimum inventory levels
  • Lower labor costs
  • Just-in-time delivery
  • Better capability to meet demand.
Ready to discover the potential gains Syncrun can generate for your business?

Arima has been helping businesses optimize productivity for over 25 years. Contact one of our experts in production scheduling and optimization to talk over your needs and learn more about Syncrun!

Genetics: showing the way to faster, better production

Genetics: showing the way to faster, better production

Does Darwin’s theory of evolution mean anything to you? Arima has drawn inspiration from it to design and develop a new way to optimize production scheduling … by simulating the process of natural selection.

 

From biology to artificial intelligence

A population of individuals will evolve from one generation to the next. When two individuals breed, their genes are intermixed and repackaged into new chromosomes, with some genes changing through mutation. If the offspring survive and reproduce, this will be because their genetic characteristics make them well adapted to their environment. The cycle is repeated, and their surviving offspring will be even better adapted.

So in biology a genetic algorithm is an iterative process that improves the quality of an initial range of solutions through recombination, mutation, and selection to form, with each new generation, a better range of solutions.

Syncrun applies this principle to its model of the production process. The “population” is all of the possible solutions for production optimization. The “gene” is the way a resource is assigned to an operation according to a specific production schedule.

This evolutionary artificial intelligence technique has an advantage over conventional optimization approaches: the solution comes with a comprehensive view of the relevant costs.

 

Components of the genetic model

An initial population of chromosomes/solutions is generated in line with basic scheduling rules. It then goes through a double process of selection: selection for reproduction and selection for survival—in other words, a chromosome/solution is selected if it survives into the next generation.

The algorithm breaks up the chromosomes and creates new ones by recombining the fragments. There are also mutations where two groups of genes swap their positions on the same chromosome. May the best team win!

 

Concrete applications

In practice, Syncrun’s genetic algorithm will aim for a production goal (produce on time, and at the lowest cost) by simulating hundreds of thousands of possible ways to reach that goal. Finally, it comes up with the most efficient solution.

With this pathbreaking approach, we can optimize a manufacturer’s complete planning horizon and cut all of the production costs for inventory maintenance, for setup time, for production time, and for use of available resources.

Contact us to learn more about Syncrun’s genetic algorithm and about the tangible benefits it will very quickly generate!

Arima at the forefront of Industry 4.0

Arima at the forefront of Industry 4.0

Advanced scheduling and planning systems have been central to the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” of the last few decades. Arima’s Syncrun solution has been a major ally for any company that wishes to join this revolution and boost its productivity.

A short history of Industry 4.0

For the Business Development Bank of Canada, Industry 4.0 is characterized by the growing use of digital technologies in businesses. It is the latest evolution of manufacturing, after mechanization (c. 1780), electrification (c. 1870), automation, and globalization (c. 1970-1980).

The goal is to create “smart” factories that will be “capable of greater adaptability […] and a more efficient allocation of resources, to respond more quickly to the market in a more customized way and at lower cost,” according to Quebec’s Minister of the Economy and Innovation (MEI).

Syncrun gets into the act

As a North American leader in advanced planning and scheduling (APS) for 25 years, Arima has closely followed this evolution of manufacturing. Syncrun’s smart algorithm meets several major needs of the digital revolution:

  • advanced analysis of production scenarios;
  • planning and optimization of processes in real time;
  • resources allocation and optimization with the use of artificial intelligence;
  • instant adjustment of the plan to conditions on the shop floor and unforeseen events.

Recent techological advances have led to a new licensing and delivery model called SaaS (Software as a Service), which makes it easier for businesses to access software products on demand. The Syncrun system is completely cloud-based. It’s managed by Arima to provide a simplified customer experience and greater value.

Investing in the future

The MEI recognizes that “moving to Industry 4.0 means getting the infrastructure and the means to innovate, to be competitive, to seize business opportunities, and to prosper.” It thus encourages Quebec manufacturers to “[make] the leap to the factory of the future, in order to catch up and to gain new markets.”

Arima is a key local player in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, thanks to its user-friendly, value-adding solution.

Contact-us now and see what Syncrun can bring you!