Product category:
Asset Management and maintenance planning
News Release from: FBO Systems | Subject: Version 10 MLS
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 23 February 2004
FBOS introduces version 10 MLS with
enhancements
Along with additional reports spanning equipment, labour, inventory, purchasing and budgets, this new MLS software solution includes extensive functional enhancements and new modules
FBOS has now released Version 10 MLS of its enterprise asset management tool to an applauding audience of users Along with an additional 91 management and 32 click-through reports spanning equipment, labour, inventory, purchasing and budgets, this new MLS software solution includes extensive functional enhancements and new modules throughout the system
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 15 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Version 10 MLS is available in 10 languages (English, Castilian, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese and Spanish).
"We are continually upgrading MLS," explains FBOS Bo Hagler.
"However, with Version 10, we have added dramatic improvements system wide and directly addressed specific customer requests for new capabilities.
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We believe this new solution offers the tools with which to achieve even higher production rates, further lower maintenance costs and gain improved efficiency in MRO purchasing and inventory".
New features.
The new features include: Downtime Tracking and Analysis; Identification of Planned Vs Unplanned Work; Tracking Maintenance Department Responsiveness; Commodity Codes; Budget Compliance Tracking and Requisition Approval; Hierarchy Approval Process; Rush Order Tracking; Vendor Revision Controls; Pre-Filtering; Larger and Better Designed Screens; More Analytical Data; Two-Way Integration with Microsoft Project 2002; eB2 Support Downtime Tracking and Analysis: FBOS understands the importance of tracking and analysing equipment downtime and the reasons for that downtime.
Version 10 MLS streamlines the data entry of that information directly into the work order module.
With this new interface, administrators can opt to be signalled when a work order is closed so downtime and causes can be collected on every single work order quickly and easily.
Identification Of Planned Vs Unplanned Work: Version 10 MLS details the status of work orders, offering an improved perspective on planned and unplanned work on all preventative and corrective activities.
"This feature translates into greater insight for maintenance managers who are trying to understand how reactive their organization is and which machines are requiring that reaction," Hagler explains.
Tracking Maintenance Department Responsiveness: For the many maintenance managers who have expressed an interest in tracking responsiveness of their department, Version 10 MLS can capture the time as well as the date work orders are received, responded to and completed.
This enables managers to better determine how well the maintenance department is servicing production.
Commodity Codes: Within the inventory module, MLS has enhanced functionality by offering direct access to information on buying by commodity code and vendor activity.
"The ability to understand where you are spending by code and vendor is fundamental for better management and inventory control," states Hagler.
"With Version 10, clients can extract information and terrific reports from the system at various category and subcategory levels and conduct analysis not previously available".
Budget Compliance Tracking: Beyond Version 10 MLS new ability to track compliance against budgets, this totally new module also integrates budget compliance to the purchase approval of requisitions.
Prior to authorizing a requisition, users can now quickly view year-to-date and period-to-date budgets vs actual spend as well as dollars already committed to items not yet received, authorized and/or in the planning process (In addition, MFG/PRO users can automatically download budgets into MLS).
"This capability provides the approver with an at-a-glance understanding of where the department stands against the budget before having to make a decision to buy," continues Hagler.
Further Purchasing Module Improvements: Within the Purchasing Module, Version 10 MLS has made numerous improvements.
These include: O a Hierarchy Approval Process that gives customers more flexibility in using MLS for indirect purchasing.
Rush Order Tracking to determine what is driving orders to be rushed vs normal shipment.
Vendor Revision Controls for regulatory compliance as well as vendor revisions that automatically alert the supplier as to changes made since the initial purchase order.
"This serves as a way of communicating to suppliers what the current purchase order looks like," explains Hagler.
"As a result, companies and their suppliers are able to cut down on shipment and invoice errors.
It's a win-win situation for all concerned".
Pre-Filtering: This new productivity improvement feature decreases the MLS learning curve and simplifies use of the system.
As a result, users can "get in, work and out of MLS" quickly and easily.
Larger Screens: The most visual change customers will note with Version 10 MLS is the increased screen size of all the major screens.
The new work order, PMs, equipment, inventory, requisition and purchase orders screens are 800 X 600 pixels.
The additional and better grouped information now available on each page simplifies work flow and decreases the number of attached tab pages.
More Analytical Data: In addition to the 91 management and 32 click-through reports, Version 10 MLS offers Decision View reports that summarize a number of transactions into one accounting periods, e.g, monthly, quarterly.
Along with this capability comes a drill down function that leads to graphic data displays, dollar amounts or other transactional representations that facilitates more extensive analysis.
Microsoft Project 2002: From a maintenance planner perspective, customers will be most excited about Version 10 MLS's two-way integration with Microsoft Project 2002.
MLS has always allowed users to create work orders and assign personnel.
Now, with Version 10, MLS exports work orders directly into and automatically launches the Microsoft Project 2002 application.
As planners save changes or assignments made in Microsoft Project 2002, MLS automatically updates the appropriate work orders.
"Microsoft Project 2002 effectively allows planners to take activities such as work orders and schedule them over periods of time, assign resources, handle load balancing and examine resource utilization over allocations.
While MLS offers the ability to create work orders and assign personnel, our two-way integration with Microsoft Project 2002 offers planners real productivity improvement," explains FBOS Bo Hagler.
EB2 Support: Version 10 MLS supports MFG/PRO eB2.
FBOS has enabled this integration to perform not only in a live mode but also in a single threaded update process that operates on a regular basis.
Easy update: Version 10 MLS is free to customers holding a current support contract with FBOS.
There is a media fee of USD45 for the update.
FBOS (FBO Systems, and FBOS International, Ltd.) is a leading provider of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software and professional services that enable asset intensive companies to lower their maintenance cost while increasing equipment reliability.
The 14-year-old company utilizes comprehensive software and skilled consulting services to assist clients in integrating plant maintenance activities into their manufacturing processes.
FBOS MLS is used in hundreds of local and multi-national, single and multi-site manufacturing segments in 19 countries around the world.
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