Manufacturing companies can operate much more cost-effectively by reducing formal organizational overhead. This applies, for example, to the procurement and re-procurement of tools from tool manufacturers. The organization of tool regrinding by external service providers is another internal process that has traditionally been time-consuming. 

Christoph Zoller, Managing Director of the family-owned technology company specializing in the cost-effective management of cutting tools, E. Zoller GmbH & Co. KG in Pleidelsheim, comments: “With our software modules for ordering and regrinding orders in the ZOLLER Tool Management Solutions (TMS) system, we ensure significantly faster, simpler, and also secure, error-free processes in tool procurement. This reduces the effort and costs associated with unproductive activities. As a result, companies can operate more profitably.”
  

Accurate, complete tool data 

Robin Bender, Project Manager for the TMS Tool Management Solutions software at ZOLLER, highlights a key advantage of the Order Management and Regrinding Orders modules: “In the ZOLLER TMS Tool Management Solutions system, actual inventory levels are continuously updated, and all tool data is fully available. That’s why orders and regrinding orders created using the Order Management and Regrinding Orders software modules are reliable and always accurate.” Time-consuming inquiries to different departments are eliminated. This applies, for example, to the tool warehouse regarding inventory levels and to tool preparation regarding correct component designations. Robin Bender emphasizes: “The Order Management and Regrinding Orders software modules automatically import item master data, inventory levels, minimum stock levels, and—where stored—supplier addresses, costs, and lead times from the TMS Tool Management Solutions software.” 

In addition, using stored minimum stock levels, the software module can generate lists of tools to be procured at any time with the push of a button. After selecting individual tools or an entire list, the Order Management and Regrinding Orders software modules automatically generate purchase orders for suppliers or, as an option, orders for external regrinding companies. All that is required is to specify a cost center. 

Flexibly configurable 

The Order Management and Regrinding Orders software module can be quickly and easily adapted to the individual formal requirements of different manufacturing facilities. This allows for the free configuration of list formats for tools to be procured, their contents, and the dates or events for automatically generated lists. For example, lists can be generated and displayed at set intervals—daily, weekly—or when stock levels fall below minimum thresholds. Additionally, additional lists of tools to be procured or re-sharpened can be manually generated and displayed at any time. Further criteria can be specified for this purpose—such as the type of tools and cost centers within the company. 

For automatically generated purchase orders, operators can specify custom formats for emails, print templates, and data records. They can also freely determine the contents of the purchase orders. For example, in addition to internal designations and item numbers, designations and order numbers, costs, and packaging units (if available in master data) from the respective manufacturers can be included in orders. 

The Order Management and Regrinding Orders software module is also flexible with regard to the quantities of tools in stock in the ZOLLER TMS Tool Management Solutions software. If, for example, short-term fluctuations in production orders result in additional demand for individual tools (beyond the stored minimum stock levels), specialists can manually create and send out additional orders. The stored minimum stock levels remain unchanged. 

For maximum flexibility, purchase orders can be created and saved initially until further criteria for sending an order are met. This allows manufacturing companies to take minimum order quantities into account, among other things. They can also benefit from volume discounts and minimized packaging costs for consolidated shipments through flexibly scheduled orders. 

Directly or via the sales department 

When sending orders, manufacturing companies can choose the process that best suits their needs. On the one hand, the software module can send the recorded and initiated orders to manufacturers as a data record, as a printed document, or via email. Alternatively, it can generate data records with freely selectable content from the proposed orders and send them to a higher-level ERP system. Thus, the Order Management and Regrinding Orders software modules are suitable, on the one hand, for small and medium-sized enterprises where individual specialists are in direct contact with manufacturers and regrinding shops. On the other hand, larger companies with separate technical and commercial organizational structures can also benefit. In the latter case, the commercial departments receive complete and, above all, reliably accurate information regarding the tools to be procured. This ensures carefully coordinated collaboration and maximum process reliability in internal workflows. Time-consuming, costly inquiries or even incorrect procurements are avoided. 

Continuous Updates 

Naturally, the Order Management and Regrinding Orders software modules record incoming goods. In doing so, the technical staff can freely choose the subsequent internal processes. For example, storage locations for incoming tools can be specified directly, or internal orders can be automatically generated for the relevant departments—such as the tool warehouse using the Storage Location Management software module. This applies to goods received following procurement from tool manufacturers as well as to the re-stocking of tools after the return of re-ground tools. The ZOLLER TMS Tool Management Solutions software automatically updates the entire tool inventory to ensure that minimum stock levels are continuously and accurately monitored.