Product Overview   |   Unique Features   |   Key Functionality    |   Benefits

SNAPPS-PM  - Demand Driven Predictive Manufacturing

Leading manufacturers are supplanting the traditional forecast based order-to-fulfillment process by the very efficient Lean Pull process, a key aspect of the Toyota Way. Until SNAPPS, complex plants with their high transition costs did not have sufficient customer order visibility to adopt Lean Pull. SNAPPS uses predictive analytics to complement actual customer orders with predicted orders over the production scheduling horizon. Now any manufacturer can deploy Lean Pull and achieve best-in-class responsiveness, OTD, OEE with less inventory.

SNAPPS PM operates at the critical junction of business planning and manufacturing execution to maximize throughput, increase effective capacity and improve service levels. SNAPPS determines the optimal production response to changing demand that will maximize the economic contribution margin while making the most efficient use of assets.

Leveraging existing investments in ERP, SCM and/or Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), SNAPPS targets complex manufacturers and extends the value of legacy IT investments by providing dramatic improvements in production efficiency and flexibility.

SNAPPS PM enables agile demand-driven production facilities capable of operating at the limits of their operational constraints.  SNAPPS improves OEE, total effective capacity and service levels (OTD) with less working capital.

SNAPPS-AP  - Asset Planning

Leading producers are responding innovatively to intense global competition by developing new products to meet the evolving needs of their customers. Today, they are introducing products at faster rates than ever before. To achieve sustained high operating rates, production asset planning requires high levels of precision to utilize production capacity to its maximum capability while enabling the smooth introduction of new products into the market.

SNAPPS AP leverages SNAPPS probabilistic supply (plant) and demand models to capture the detailed plant operating capabilities and process constraints. This digital plant model facilitates precise capacity planning so that production plants can be continually operated close to their maximum capabilities. SNAPPS integrated discrete event simulation facilitates extensive scenario planning to determine the optimal supply decisions for new product introductions.  Multi-period operating plans can then be executed with confidence by operations.

SNAPPS AP leverages investments in ERP, SCM and / or MES to provide the latest plant conditions so that planners have more time to fully investigate the complete range of demand scenarios to develop the best tactical supply plans.

SNAPPS-RP  - Rail Fleet Optimization

Rail transportation is a very important component of the logistics strategies of large scale process manufacturers. Shippers have committed significant capital in their rail car fleets to achieve the shipping cost advantages of rail for high volume products. Consequently, ensuring the proper fleet size is an important component in attaining operational excellence. Since most rail cars are leased, an upward move in interest rates as the economy improves can have a significant impact on total shipping costs.

Assessing the proper size of a rail fleet to support operations is complicated by several factors, mainly:

• Relatively long transit times,
• Significant transit time variation,
• The need to coordinate both customer consumption and the source plant’s production with rail car availability, and
• The closed loop nature of the rail car life cycle.

Background SherTrack initiated and sponsored fundamental research on chemical industry rail car behavior that was led by Dr. David Closs, Eli Broad Professor of Logistics at Michigan State University. Four leading chemical and plastics manufacturers participated in the research and over 62,000 rail car cycles were studied. Some of the insights from this work have been published in “Chemical Rail Transport: The Benefits of Reliability”, Transportation Journal Vol. 42, No. 3, 2003

SherTrack has combined its knowledge from this research with its predictive modeling expertise to develop methodologies and tools for the effective planning of rail fleets.

SherTrack Six Sigma Services -  Process Improvement / Six Sigma Supply Chain Initiatives

Best-in-class manufacturers are aggressively employing continuous improvement (Six Sigma) teams to tackle asset optimization to improve their manufacturing performance.  However, a common complaint from senior executives is that their manufacturing facilities, with their complex interaction of constraints and operating processes, are very difficult to analyze using traditional approaches.  Furthermore, running trials in live operations is prohibitively expensive and generally has unacceptable risk to operations, especially when a clear understanding of benefits is lacking.

SNAPPS digital models and discrete event simulation provide sophisticated analytical tools that enable the application of advanced Six Sigma techniques such as design-of-experiments (DOE) to thoroughly investigate process capabilities. Multivariate digital models are recognized as the methodology of choice for analyzing complex, non-linear systems.   Use SNAPPS modeling to understand the complex interactions of demand variation, transition sequences and cycle times and their impact on OTD, OEE and business profitability.

SherTrack Six Sigma Services can be used to conduct specific Six Sigma projects, augment your Continuous Improvement teams, or train your Six Sigma green or black belts on the use of SNAPPS digital modeling.