Primac Systems - Managing the Print Process

Primac's Production Scheduling System completes the closed-loop production information system necessary to manage graphic arts production in today's world of "just-in-time" deliveries, volatile schedules, and tight job turnaround. This is by far, the most sophisticated Production Scheduling System available today - integrated with Primac's powerful Job Costing System, Job Estimating System, Shop Floor Data Collection System, Inventory and Purchasing Systems. It also feeds data to Primac's Job Ticket System and to Primac® Informer, both of which support real-time Schedule inquiry functions.

The Production Scheduling System uses the latest technology. An Windows LAN server serves as the focal point for all networked, Pentium PC's doing production scheduling work. This Windows® server is networked with the main Primac® server. Production Scheduling System is a Windows®-based system, utilizing SQL Server to store data in the Windows server, and employs ODBC to extract and feed necessary data to and from the main Primac server.

• Receives job routing and required time information into the staged job area of production scheduling when the job is booked, if an estimate for the job exists.
• Allows each plant in a multi-plant operation to maintain its own schedule and to view other plants' schedules, security permitting.
• Allows scheduling of projects (user defines project types - job, blocked press time, maintenance, etc.) from due date backward and start date forward. The Production Scheduling System allows forward and backward scheduling from a specific department, such as a firm date for an on-site customer press check.
• In-process projects can be re-extracted from the Job Estimating System when jobs are re-estimated.
• Allows drag-and-drop movement of jobs within an entire department.
• Provides a graphical view of available hours versus scheduled hours with user controlled granularity and drill-down capabilities to see details on the projects involved.
• Allows schedulers to sort jobs to be scheduled based on ten user-definable parameters, such as inks, paper width or weight, due date, or other factors to enable them to prioritize jobs to be run on a press or bindery thereby minimizing make-ready time.
• Provides user-defined table of critical date activities being tracked. Provides alert notification via any MAPPI compatible e-mail prior to critical dates. Provides for acknowledgment of these alert messages.
• Enables users to remove from the schedule any in-process project and reschedule it from the point of work remaining.
• Provides user-definable project types (jobs, blocked press time, maintenance, etc.) and presentation characteristics. Displays cost center and department descriptions throughout the application.
• Provides user-definable table of valid critical date activities to be tracked.
• Provides graphical views at the plant, department, master cost center (such as identical presses or other equipment) and a graphical view of the schedule through the plant for a particular project.
• Facilitates moving projects between plants with control over cost center equivalencies.
• Enables automatic processing of regular (for stock) and outside purchase orders (for specific jobs) plus job allocations for this incoming material.