Saker Solutions announce launch of new Line Balancing application

Proplanner Inc launch the latest release of their Line Balancing software, v1.3

Dr. Dave Sly, CEO of Proplanner, said. “Our new Line Balancing application is setting the industry standard for ease of use and interoperability. The features in this release were designed to greatly expand the analysis, charting, and reporting currently available for single and mixed model line balancing. This new application was designed, from the start, for the analysis and design of very large model and complex systems involving automotive, industrial/agricultural equipment and commercial trucks.”

Proplanner’s Line balancing software is designed to interoperate with MS Excel as well as Proplanner Process Engineering Database, allowing users to quickly design efficient product systems in both single and mixed-model environments. Combined with the new interface to our Workplace Planner application, users can now progress from task assignment to ergonomic assessment, line simulation and animation (within AutoCAD) for hundreds of tasks in over 20 workstations in just a few minutes.

The Line Balancing software uses the COMSOAL algorithm to assign tasks to stations while preserving precedence, co-dependency, and resource constraints. Additionally users can manipulate the assignments manually and investigate the impact of various derivative ‘take rates’ on the plan. Comprehensive reporting includes not only station assignment and utilization reports but also Ergonomic Factor Analysis showing the impact of the ‘stacked’ ergonomic hazards for a given assignment plan.

Key features of this release are;

• Spreadsheet interface for mass editing, copy and paste of tasks, stations, models, options, resources and groups makes using our line balancing application as simple as any spreadsheet application.
• Import tool for validation and auto-formatting of information from spreadsheets and other process engineering applications.
• Line and Station utilization Reporting provides for an easy way to compare alternative designs.
• Station Assignment Reports provide detailed lists of tasks and resources that have been assigned to stations to simplify implementation.
• Manual Assignment option allows users to easily drag and drop tasks from one station to another.
• Automatic assignment option utilizes the COMSOAL algorithm for the near-optimal assignment of tasks to stations while preserving precedence and resource constraints. Users can manually manipulate automatically generated assignments.
• Graphically Defined Task Precedence graphing provides a simple and intuitive method for specifying the precedence of individual tasks.
• Task Grouping provides a simple way to ensure that a series of co-dependent tasks are assigned to the same station, while still providing for the ability to break up the task grouping if necessary.
• Mobile and Immobile Resource assignment mapping allows users to understand the financial implications of resource requirements at selected stations. This feature is also used by the optimization algorithm as it makes decisions regarding task assignment when those tasks require specific resources.
• Flexible Model and Option configuration capabilities provide for the dynamic computation of “Take Rates” based upon both probabilities of task occurrence, as well as sequence-dependent issues.
• Ergonomic Factor Analysis feature allows users to rank specific ergonomic issues to tasks and then evaluate the “stacked” ergonomics hazards when assigning these tasks to stations.

Proplanner is the leading web-enabled software on the Microsoft.NET platform for manufacturing process engineering, management, and collaboration. Proplanner offers low-cost LAN and web-deployed MPM solutions for discrete part manufacturers. These applications automate, streamline, and integrate engineering activities for industrial and manufacturing engineers who design and plan production systems for new and modified products. Built around the techniques of Lean Manufacturing and Total Quality Improvement and deployed via the Internet or LAN, Proplanner solutions reduce the time required to launch newly designed processes into manufacturing with better product quality and fewer product startup mistakes.

Proplanner is supported in the UK by Saker Solutions based in Worcestershire. Saker Solutions is an independent supplier of manufacturing decision-ware solutions which include MPM, Simulations, Material Flow modeling, Ergonomics and workplace design.

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