McNeill McManus Glass Ltd. is a long established family business located in Mallusk, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim. Having recently celebrated a Centenary year, the company has continued to pursue a modernisation programme by investing in both the skills and the technology to maintain a lead position in the glass processing and installation industry in Ireland.

An important part of the modernisation programme involved new software technology. Mcneill Mcmanus have used JoTiKa Software's Gtrak2 System for over 10 years, which has served them well. They were one of the first Companies to commit to Gtrak3 when the Graphical Shape Designer was released in 2007. This was installed along with Gtrak shape nesting optimisation and was a big success; giving Mcneill McManus a competitive edge in the shaped glass processing market.

Michael Rice MD explains how Gtrak3 and JoTiKa were an important part of the latest modernisation programme:

“JoTiKa have always provided us with excellent service and support, keeping our Gtrak2 software up to date with the latest features as they became available. We want to improve our service levels and reduce wasted time & materials and see technology as a way of achieving this. Gtrak3 is the future of JoTiKa's software solutions and provides us with a framework for our own future developments and improvements.

Part of the update included the import of orders from one of our largest accounts. This will be the springboard for taking more customers down that route. It will reduce the number of potential input errors and admin time will be reduced dramatically. Orders will be available for planning much sooner using JoTiKa's Production Monitoring System (PMS), giving us improved visibility of production commitment. Naturally, input costs are dramatically reduced as are Remake costs caused by entry mistakes. We are encouraging more accounts to send orders via EDI, to further improve our quality of service and response time.

The ability to fax and email Invoices from within the software has enabled us to distribute much more quickly and cuts out the threat of postal strikes, lost post etc. It has also increased productivity in the office because we no longer have to spend hours filling/stamping envelopes. Naturally, there is also a greener footprint with reduced printed paper and no delivery vehicles involved.

We now fax Quotations directly to customers from Gtrak3, again improving customer service with quicker response to enquiries and reduced paper consumption. The completed Quotations are being filed electronically in Faxware (supplied by JoTiKa) for future retrieval /reference.

The first steps on Waste Reduction have been implemented with the introduction of Sub-Batching and Part Processing. Groups of similar materials are being put together to reduce the number of batches issued daily. The next step will be to move to our new Purpose Built factory over the Christmas break when we intend to make better use of JoTiKa's OptimiserX software to better sequence work for Production.

In summary, we are delighted with the improvements Gtrak3 has already contributed to the modernisation programme, and while the transition to the new software has been rapid and smooth, the friendly support from JoTiKa has been invaluable while staff familiarise themselves with the new technology. We have clear plans for the future and are pleased to see the software developing in a way that meets our needs as a customer.

Midland Glass Supplies Ltd (MGS) is an established sealed unit manufacturer supplying high quality products to an expanding and loyal customer base throughout the Midlands and the north of England
This year MGS made a substantial investment in new premises in Mansfield, installing state of the art Bystronic machinery to increase production capacity and accommodate in-house toughening with an EFCO furnace.
Software was a key element of the expansion plan. Integrated software solutions specialist Jotika was chosen from a number of possible vendors to implement a system that would cope with the increase in volume, and to provide the experience needed to get the best results out of the new investment.

MGS was impressed with Jotika's reputation for customer service, and felt confident that with the experience of their proprietary Gtrak software, Jotika was the right company to help maximise the new site’s potential.
Jotika did not disappoint, and has worked closely with MGS to put into operation advanced glass handling and tracking systems, with some very positive results.

John Gold explains the initial stages: "First, we introduced our advanced labelling system, which uses lean manufacturing techniques, removing avoidable processes such as reading text on labels. The use of colour symbols, flashes and edge labelling helps operators to sort jobs at a glance, without having to read detailed order references. MGS has installed innovative overhead carousels that feed two Bystronic robot lines continuously from both a spacer bender and saw. Gtrak allows both lines to be loaded by barcode in real time, rather than being restricted by predetermined sequencing. This flexibility eliminates sorting issues and allows urgent orders and remakes to be inserted at any point in the production process.

Jotika also managed the introduction of a barcode tracking system, from design and supply of equipment, right through to cabling and installation. In the sales office, Jotika has also installed a 42-inch plasma screen, displaying their real time Production Monitoring System to highlight key areas of production where bottlenecks can occur. This was a major breakthrough in improving customer service levels. Managing delivery lead times more efficiently and providing customers with accurate delivery dates and early warning if requested dates are not achievable has made a big difference in supplier/customer relations.

MGS Finance Manager Tracie Smith is delighted with the software: "It is one of the best decisions we have made. Gtrak 3 has certainly delivered for us everything they said it would; plus Jotika's experience and advice has been invaluable in getting the new factory up and running.”

Development is ongoing; Jotika will soon be introducing more sophisticated optimising strategies such as OptimiserX, to improve glass processing efficiency even further.

For instance, Jotika is seeking to further improve workflow, and to reduce the number of discrete batches generated by unforeseen changes in product mix. In particular, the decision to use cut spacer bar on decorative units and bent spacer bar for standard production had to be addressed, by creating separate sub batches at cutting. The effect of different spacer types will be addressed within OptimiserX, to reduce the impact on glass and spacer waste, as well as control labour costs. The two Bystronic robot sealing lines have different specialisms, so workflow is organised to optimise line capacity.

At every stage Jotika have invested time, especially on the shop floor, to understand the needs of MGS, providing practical solutions that really work and achieve results.